
Cannabis Startup Bootcamp
The Leaf Forward Cannabis Startup Bootcamp is the best way to start a business in the booming cannabis industry. You will learn the strategies and tactics to start and grow a business in a strictly regulated and increasingly competitive industry. Courses are taught by subject matter experts, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, all of whom have been in your shoes before.


Learn everything you need to start a business in the cannabis space.
Leaf Forward's program is an immersive 4-day learning experience, designed to equip you with everything you need to know to start a business in the cannabis industry.
The program's curriculum is comprehensive and constantly updated, ensuring you are always getting the most essential skills, knowledge, and tools. The program is led by top industry professionals with unmatched expertise in their domain.
By program's end, you will have the tools needed to kick start your business in the cannabis space.
Registration closes at 11:59PM on Friday, July 13th.
Interested? Get updates on future bootcamps.
What you'll learn
The bootcamp accelerates your businesses by equipping you with months of learning in just four days, freeing up time to focus for you to focus on your product, customers, and sales.
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Day 1: The Cannabis Ecosystem
July 20th12:00PM - 5:00PM
Founders will be provided with an in-depth look into the cannabis ecosystem including the regulatory regime federally and in each province, the large, medium and small businesses, organizations and influencers that should inform your decision making, a full understanding of the cannabis value chain to find opportunities and the banks and investors that can make and break you.
- Bootcamp Introduction
- Company Intros
- History of Cannabis in Canada
- Cannabis 101
- Understanding the ACMPR
- Understanding the Cannabis Act
- Provincial Regulation
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Day 2: Entrepreneurship 101
July 21st9:00AM - 5:00PM
Founders will dive in to the world of entrepreneurship, to build an understanding of what it takes to start and build a business. The group will get into the fundamentals of business planning and strategy, a crash course in legal 101, understanding the pitfalls that sink business off the start and what makes them successful.
- Leadership Panel: Building a business within regulations
- Understanding the Cannabis Ecosystem
- Market Data
- Leadership Panel: What I wish I knew when starting my first business
- Business Plan 101
- Accounting 101
- Legal 101
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Day 3: Brand, Marketing, and Sales
July 22nd9:00AM - 5:00PM
Entrepreneurs will be instructed on the foundations of a strong brand and where to start building your own, finding your target market and the best ways to communicate with customers.
- Problem Solution Fit
- The Lean Start- up
- Designing for Growth
- Breakouts - Cultivation, Edibles, Hardware and Tech
- Leadership Panel: Building a cannabis brand
- The fundamentals of a strong brand
- A winning sales strategy
- Social media marketing for cannabis
- Advertising in a strictly regulated market
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Day 4: Fundraising
July 23rd9:00AM - 12:00PM
Founders will build the essential toolkit to raise money in the cannabis industry. This includes everything from the legal lingo of finance to putting together a kick-ass pitch deck and everything in between.
- Leadership Panel: Raising money from the pros
- Fundraising 101
- How to find and select the right investors
- Understanding your valuation
- Mastering your pitch

Leaf Forward x 48North are partnering to support female founders
Leaf Forward is partnering with our friends at 48North Cannabis Corp, Canada’s premiere female-focused health and wellness cannabis company, to award five women-led cannabis businesses with a scholarship to the upcoming Leaf Forward Cannabis Startup Bootcamp.
Learn moreYou'll learn from top industry professionals and experts
We have brought together a collection of top pier talent from across industries to provide first-class teaching and mentorship to bootcamp founders.
John Prentice
President & CEO, Ample Organics
Max Zavet
President, Emblem Cannabis
Robyn Rabinovich
VP, Business Development and Marketing at TerrAscend Corp.
Mike Elkin
Vice President Partner Channels, Cannabis Compliance Inc.
Scott Walter
Founder and Director, Molecular Science Corp
Rachel Colic
VP, Brand Strategy & PR at PureSinse
Mike Perron
Senior Manager, MNP
Brad Poulos
Instructor, Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University
Greg Pantelic
Founder and CEO AHLOT
Lee Silverstone
Founder and CEO, 3Leaf Edibles
Dr. Olga Chernolz
Founder, OmniBiotecha
Kirsten Gauthier
48North, Chief Marketing Officer
Amy Wasserman
Canopy Growth Corp., Director of Marketing
Sung Kang
ABCann Global Corporation, Chief Marketing Officer
Saira Saleem
MSc., Manager, Licensing and Compliance
Zara Munir
Senior Quality and Regulatory Consultant
Shaun McGowan
Senior Quality and Regulatory Consultant
Jayson Goodale
Senior Cultivation Consultant
Karina Lahnakoski
VP Pharmaceutical Cannabis Services
Joel Yatscoff
Product Designer
Jonathan Lowenstein
Senior Consultant, Navigator Ltd.
Kim Lawton
Associate, Dentons
Eric Foster
Partner, Dentons
Chris Jones
CannaRoyalty
Alex Anthanapoulos
Vice President, Investment Banking, Mackie Research Capital Corporation
Mohammed Ghalayini
Angel Investor and Serial Entrepreneur
Michael Miller
White Sheep Corp.
David Geffen
Cannabis Marketing Consultant, Postmedia
Leaf Forward is and was an excellent resource for our team. The networking within the industry was incredible along with the knowledgeable mentors who provided opportunities for individual meetings as well. The course offerings surrounding investor relations and deck preparation are assets our team now uses daily. We highly recommend the programSimon Grigenas, CEO & Co-Founder, BRNT Designs
Equipping you for your startup journey
Your startup journey doesn't end after the bootcamp. That's why we provide tools, relationships, and resources to help you grow your business after completing the bootcamp.
Consideration for funding from capital partners
Priority consideration for acceptance to the Leaf Accelerator
Access to the global Leaf Forward Network
One year of free membership in Leaf Club ($180 value)
Leaf Startup Bootcamp certificate of completion
Unlimited access to our library of trainings, webinars, and online courses for 1 year.
Registration for this bootcamp has now closed.
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