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.

Ready to join? Register now

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.

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
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
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
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 more

You'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 program

Simon 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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