This weekly series from Marijuana Business Daily and Viridian Capital Advisors provides the latest data on cannabis investment activity and M&A, along with key takeaways, analysis and trends based on recent market moves.
The data below, provided by Viridian Capital Advisors, is for the weeks ended Nov. 9 and Nov. 16.
Among this week’s top highlights: Through Nov. 16, cannabis companies across North America have raised $13.1 billion. That’s more than five times the amount raised during the same period in 2017.
Capital raise takeaways from the past two weeks:
- U.S.-based multistate operators continue to ink massive raises as they turn to Canada to go public. Harvest Health and Recreation of Arizona (CSE: HARV) closed a $218.1 million funding through a brokered private placement, while New York-based Acreage Holdings (CSE: ACRG.U) landed a $209.7 million raise through a brokered private placement and $104.5 million through a non-brokered placement. “We’ve seen a handful of the multistate operators drum up significant raises as the flow of capital shifts from Canada to the U.S.,” said Harrison Phillips, vice president at Viridian Capital Advisors.
- Kentucky-based hemp cultivator and processor GenCanna closed a $30 million investment from MariMed of Massachusetts (OTC: MRMD). The deal underscores the “continued interest in hemp and CBD markets” as optimism and “legal clarity” grow over the expected passage of the U.S. Farm Bill.
- Green Growth Brands completed an equity raise of 55 million Canadian dollars ($41.3 million), including a CA$30.5 million private placement. The Ohio company is led by Peter Horvath, a former executive at Victoria’s Secret, American Eagle Outfitters and Limited Brands.
Merger & acquisition highlights for the past two weeks:
- Canadian cannabis grower Flower One Holdings (OTC: FLOOF) acquired NLV Organics, a Nevada-based marijuana licensee, in a deal that highlights increasing interest in acquisitions in the Silver State. “Nevada is getting over its supply-chain hiccups” Phillips said, “and the licensing environment is somewhat limited there, which is why we’re starting to see more operations in that state change hands.”
- Chicago-based Green Thumb Industries (CSE: GTII; OTC: GTBIF) acquired Florida licensee KSGNF, a deal that underscores growing interest in the Sunshine State as the medical market’s growth begins to accelerate, according to Phillips.
Viridian Capital Advisors is a financial and strategic advisory firm that provides investment banking, M&A, corporate development and investor relations services to emerging growth companies and qualified investors in the cannabis sector.
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“U.S.-based multistate operators continue to ink massive raises”
Who are these moneyed people? Anybody have their phone numbers. I have this VHS repair store that has no real assets, that I’ll let go for 100,000 x 1980’s earnings! I’ll throw in a bridge to boot.
The cannabis industry already serves the consumers. Let’s spend billions and go from 15,000 stores to 250,000 stores. Then let them compete for market share all the way to the bottom. The black market will survive with a few tickets here and there, as long as the alcohol industry runs the cannabis industry like in California.
P.S. I don’t really have a VHS repair store!
Please at least get your facts straight. It is not California that has the Liquor board running cannabis licensing, it’s Washington state. The moneyed people sure have taken over growing in CA though. 20% of the licensed grows are owned by a handful of companies. One company owns 147 licenses @ $550,000 annual payment to the state, for a total of 2 million sq. feet of canopy.
This is just beginning and still facing huge oppression from the Administrative State, rules and regulations that are job killing, unnecessary evil.