Kush.com Names John Lynch as CEO, Acquires Tradecraft Origin and Receives Backing From MacDonald Ventures to Fuel Its National Growth and Expansion
Aug 3, 2022
Kush.com, the nation's largest B2B network of cannabis products, is expanding its reach into restaurants, grocers, convenience stores, and retail sectors. The expansion has received backing from veteran tech entrepreneur and investor Steve MacDonald, whose MacDonald Ventures led the company's latest funding round.
The historic announcement from Kush.com comes after its acquisition of TradeCraft Origin and naming its founder John Lynch Chief Executive Officer of Kush.com. The decision opens the door to Kush.com adding beverages, edibles, skin topicals and vaping products to its lines of CBD and hemp-related products. The vast network of prominent restaurant chains, beverage companies and retailers built by Lynch at TradeCraft since 2019 will fuel the expansion.
Lynch brings a 25-year record of driving market growth in consumer packaged goods for major brands such as Coca-Cola, Boston Beer Company, The Gallo Winery, Zico, and Wtrmlnwtr. Known within the cannabis industry as well, Lynch led the global expansion of prominent Pax Labs, the most recognized global brand in cannabis.
"John's deep relationships in the beverage and cannabis industries will be essential as Kush.com continues to build out the products and services that retailers and consumers need for the legal CBD industry now, and as it grows with national legalization," said MacDonald, who is also a leading figure in the Florida tech ecosystem and supporter of Florida's #1 accelerator Tampa Bay Wave.
"Supply chain and quality control issues are major obstacles to the mainstream adoption of cannabis-connected products. We are the enterprise to solve those problems," added Lynch. "We will do that by connecting consumers to trustworthy, effective brands. Kush.com will serve as the bridge for local businesses to connect to brands that are safe and reliable."
Kush.com's curated network of carefully vetted producers, processors, and retailers of legal CBD and cannabis products includes 50,000 brands and companies. This Kush.com network of verified seed growers, testing labs, and distributors has become the go-to-market resource of more than 6,000 industry professionals. Cannabis, CBD and related brands face the challenge of having trusted channels to connect to consumers, and Kush.com's unique differentiator is solving the industry brand dilemma by being their trusted go-to market strategy source.
Kush.com co-founder Chase Nobles was at the forefront of building the world's largest hemp marketplace and launching the innovative KushCon events. Nobles will now take on the role of Chief Product Officer and President.
"We have spent the past seven years building the industry's largest network of brands," said Nobles. "As more consumers and health professionals recognize the very real benefits of these products, demand will increase exponentially. Our expansion allows us to ensure efficacy, quality control, and safety standards are part of this landscape, as more and more products are legalized, including THC." This leadership team of industry experts is poised to bring vetted brands to mainstream retail and on-premise locations.
Tech entrepreneur and investor Steve MacDonald, whose MacDonald Ventures led Kush.com's latest funding round, has been named Chairman of the board. MacDonald is general partner in the Florida Funders VC fund and has invested in more than 100 startups and has more than $400 million in exits in companies he founded. He previously built and led two tech startups solving similar challenges in the pharmacy industry and is now adding his expertise as an investor and Chairman of Kush.com.
"Kush.com will be the most efficient, reliable route to market for CBD now, and a turnkey path to future THC market authority. It will solve distributors' biggest challenges and I'm grateful to be a part of its growth," MacDonald said.
The company is also proud to announce it is moving its corporate headquarters to Tampa from Seattle, Washington. The new Kush.com headquarters will be located at Embarc Collective — a tech-focused hub in Tampa, which has become one of the leading centers for tech startups and entrepreneurs in the Southeastern U.S.
The expansion at Kush.com fuels its initiatives to educate consumers on the highly regulated industries of hemp and cannabis products and help consumers better understand evolving federal regulations. Florida is one of 37 states that have legalized the sale of select cannabis-related products for medical or recreational use. Currently, the U.S. Congress is considering four bills to legalize marijuana nationwide.
About Kush.com
Kush.com is the nation's largest marketplace and network of cannabis-related companies and brands. With the recent acquisition of TradeCraft Origin, it is building the infrastructure necessary to scale amid the burgeoning cannabis-products industry in retail and direct-to-consumer markets. Learn more at Kush.com.
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Original Source: Kush.com Names John Lynch as CEO, Acquires Tradecraft Origin and Receives Backing From MacDonald Ventures to Fuel Its National Growth and Expansion
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