Anne-Marie Fischer
As everyone who owns a cannabis retail store knows, compliance is key to running a successful legal cannabis business, and tech companies have seriously stepped up to make compliance a seamless process.
Metrc, is a well-known seed-to-sale traceability platform that helps cannabis companies manage their inventory and the movement of cannabis products through the supply chain. Operating in Colorado, Oregon, Alaska, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada and Louisiana, and Washington, D.C., Metrc helps fulfill state reporting requirements and has become known as the “de facto track-and-trace system” for government entities that regulate the legal cannabis markets.
Metrc announced its first outside round of funding in the form of $50 million from Tiger Global Management and Casa Verde Ventures, the 3-year-old, cannabis-focused venture firm co-founded by notorious cannabis enthusiast and investor Snoop Dogg, but managed largely by Goldman Sachs and Nomura Securities alum Karan Wadhera.
The partnership between Tiger Global Management and Casa Verde Ventures, where each entity “shares deal flow quite regularly”, funded Point of Sale software company GreenBits, which is designed to integrate into seed-to-sale systems like Metrc.
Metrc was formerly part of Franwell, focusing on cold chain management and fresh foods, which helped gain the supply chain management knowledge and expertise needed to transition into seed-to-sale traceability for cannabis.
Metrc CEO Jeff Wells says that the over 100-employee company plans to “look to expand our regulatory focus,” with the $50 million investment, including potential expansion into “other regulated markets and products that need the type of tools that Metrc has created.”
“Compliance is the backbone of the cannabis industry. If a license holder isn’t compliant, their business will cease to exist,” said Karan Wadhera.
