Jason Wang

2026 is the year Cannabis CPG builds bridges with Consumers. Not by renting their retail partners' subscriber lists. By building their own. Today, most cannabis CPG brands aren't doing much to build a consumer database they can tap directly. Retailers do. The smart ones are making the most of systems like AIQ.com (Alpine IQ) Springbig Klaviyo The game for CPG is changing. Sneaky big news: I saw a post last week by Jeff Rawson about how the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission is rolling out a new product catalog powered by Metrc. The idea is for consumers to be able to: • Search by strain • Search by brand • See which stores have products in stock • View certificates of analysis before they buy This puts Lab results / Certificates of Analysis front and center. Once consumers are taught to expect transparency, they gravitate towards platforms & brands that provide it. More info. More context. More connection. Smart brands already see this coming. We work with a CPG brand that has had a QR code on its packaging for years. That QR code brings shoppers back to the brand’s own website. There, consumers can look up their exact batch and see the COA. That lab results page? It’s the third most visited page on the entire site. Because consumers care. Now we’re taking it a step further. • Making the page shoppable by connecting each batch to a product in the Hoodie Analytics Where to Buy tool • Building Product Detail Pages with all related batches' COAs, plus Shop buttons Now shoppers can not only look up their exact batch, they can find the product in stock, nearby, directly on the Brand's website. And the kicker is that the same WTB tool is helping power the Brand's CRM: • We listen to shopping behavior. • We build CRM audiences automatically. • We send highly relevant emails that actually matter to each person. Zooming out, if a CPG Brand can: • Put their own QR code on packaging • Bring consumers to their site • Collect emails • Help them re-buy what they loved You’re building a direct consumer relationship. Quietly. Passively. As you scale your wholesale biz. The days of only talking to consumers through retailers are over. The brands that win in 2026 and beyond will have their own audiences to leverage. Will yours?

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The delivery/pickup boom is telling on the whole industry: consumers have decided cannabis is an errand, not an experience. Brands built on novelty and shelf appeal alone are in trouble… Brands built for the ‘Buy It Again’ screen are about to win big. This doesn’t mean boring brands will win, it means brands who offer consistent value will. That value can come from a lot of things: Quality of product Product experience Packaging quality Brand story Cool/Cout factor Novelty …all of which are relative to price. Brands that win long term will check allmost all of the boxes above, not just one or two.

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🌱💲Affordability is a turning point. New data from ProVeg shows that a plant-based grocery basket is now about 5% cheaper than one with meat, dairy, or seafood across 7 of Germany’s 8 largest grocers — flipping last year’s price premium. That’s a major signal for mainstream adoption. Price signals + better product experiences compound over time. We expect more retailers to sharpen private label strategy, improve availability, and use pricing levers to grow share of plant-forward baskets. #altprotein #consumertrends #foodsystems #grocery Great reporting by Green Queen Media 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eTY9c9Tc

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One thing I’ve learned operating restaurant platforms: Growth rarely fails because of strategy. It fails when execution cadence breaks under pressure. Whether founder-led or PE-backed, unit-level discipline, leadership rhythm, and clarity around priorities are what protect EBITDA. The work isn’t flashy — but it is repeatable. And when execution holds, everything else compounds.

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CPG FUND RAISING TIPS 1. ABF (Always Be Fund-raising). Get comfy as a founder that you’ll be always fund-raising. Over 25 years of doing this id say that ive easily spent 50% of my time fund-raising. 2. 4-month timeline to secure funding.  Start at least 4 months in advance. It takes every bit of that time and the closer that you get to running out of cash, the more vulnerable you are. 3. Keep your Investor Pipeline Full.  Understand the concept of keeping a pipeline full of potential investors and at different stages. 4. Angels Flock Together.  When you find a committed investor from a new circle of people, you can often find 2-4 friends of the new investors 5. Roll play and practice. This isn’t hard but prepare for it as if it were an interview. Get a few practice pitches under your belt before you do your high potential investor target meetings. 6. Numbers that tie out.  Numbers that tie out. are legible and with no decimal places. 7. Understand the “art” of not over pushing for an answer.  Be careful to not over push to get an answer as to whether someone’s going to invest or not. Give yourself enough time. 8. Use advisor units to buy down the valuation price of strategic investors. 9.     Dig deep into the Founders personal network as that’s generally where investor capital comes in at an early stage. 10.  Recognize the Rule of 2’s. That everything in business seems to take twice as long and cost twice as much $ If you enjoyed the tips above, just wait until you learn the tools and techniques to finally get the fund raising put in place for your brand then please join our FREE workshop on all things CPG fund-raising! I’m thrilled to announce a FREE Virtual 2-Day CPG Fundraising Workshop designed specifically for founders and teams of early to mid-sized CPG brands. Over 2 days (90 minutes each day), I’ll guide you through the exact strategies I’ve used to raise capital across 50+ successful fundraising rounds—including 9 rounds in 10 years while scaling Suja Juice to $100M.  sign up: https://lnkd.in/gR3GXH_5 Please sign up and learn more:  📅 Dates: Tuesday & Wednesday, January 27–28, 2026 ⏰ Time: 9:00 AM PT (90-minute sessions) 🌐 Virtual via Zoom 🔗 Sign up for FREE: https://lnkd.in/gR3GXH_5 🎁 Bonus: Free resources like a proven investor pitch deck template, 2 financial mini-models, and actionable insights to simplify your fundraising journey. #CPG #ConsumerGoods #CPGStartups #Fundraising #Entrepreneurship Tiffany Tatom, Sean McDonald, David Martin, Danny Stepper, Max Baumann, Taylor Foxman

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Top 200 Cannabis Accountants Accountant of the Week John Warner - Dark Horse CPAs - Principal ohn Warner knows cannabis tax and accounting from every angle—including the one most business owners lose sleep over: 280E compliance. As a Principal at Dark Horse CPAs, John partners with dispensaries, cultivators, manufacturers, and vertically integrated operators to turn one of the most complex tax codes in the country into a clear, actionable strategy. Before cannabis, John cut his teeth at the IRS (yes, he’s heard all the jokes) and then spent seven years at a national CPA firm building a real estate tax practice for large international investment groups. That mix of inside knowledge and high-level advisory work gives him a unique edge when it comes to structuring cannabis businesses for long-term growth and compliance. Beyond tax strategy, John helps owners get control of their reporting, budgeting, and cash flow so they can run smarter, more profitable operations. His approach is direct, practical, and always focused on one thing: helping cannabis entrepreneurs maximize their bottom line while staying ahead of the IRS. Dark Horse CPAs is a national accounting firm built to serve cannabis businesses of all sizes. From single-location dispensaries to fully integrated, multi-state operators, our Cannabis Division delivers tax and CFO advisory that’s designed for the unique challenges of this industry. https://lnkd.in/euZNweyc

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January always reveals the same pattern in blue economy and food systems work. Significant capital is allocated with good intent, but weak sequencing. The most costly failures I’ve seen aren’t driven by technology gaps or lack of funding - they come from misreading local context, incentives, and timelines. This year, I’m particularly interested in how institutions are rethinking program design to reduce downstream risk rather than accelerate deployment. Curious what others are seeing. #blueeconomy #foodsystems

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BREAKING: Capital One is acquiring Brex for $5.15B. Yes, that’s less than half of Brex’s $12.3B peak valuation. Cue the hot takes. But zoom out 👇 For early investors, this is a monster win: - Ribbit Capital led Brex’s $7M Series A in 2017 - That bet turned into a ~700x return, even after dilution - YC, Kleiner Perkins, DST, Peter Thiel, Max Levchin? All did very well This is venture capital in its purest form: - You don’t need every round to be “up and to the right” - You need one asymmetric outcome early For late-stage investors, it’s a different story: - Liquidity, yes - But nowhere near the outcome implied by 2021–2022 prices The contrast is brutal when you look at Ramp: - $1B+ ARR - 50,000+ customers - $32B valuation (on paper) Same market. Very different trajectories. Brex’s pivot to enterprise, its EU banking license, and ~$13B in deposits made it strategically attractive to Capital One — especially as banks race to modernize their fintech stacks. Congrats to the Brex founders and team! Such a fantastic run!

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Today marks an important step forward for Nabis and for the future of cannabis supply chains to be able to smoothly usher in the next chapter of industry growth brought forth by federal rescheduling. We’ve acquired key distribution assets from Humble Cannabis Solutions in California, and welcomed a strategic investment that strengthens our operational footprint across the largest legal cannabis market in the world under a single regulatory body at a pivotal moment for cannabis regulation. This deal comprises of over $33M in accretive value, consisting of approximately $13M in cash plus assets, and generating roughly $20M in additional sales per year. Furthermore, we will be able to expand our capacity, deepen our operational backbone, and create new service opportunities that help brands and retailers grow with confidence nationwide. As federal legislation eases, the companies that thrive will be the ones supported by reliable, compliant, and scalable infrastructure. We are gearing up to do our part for the next era of market expansion by investing further in technology and operational infrastructure, enabling regulated, compliant cannabis products to reach more everyday consumers. Most importantly, it reinforces our mission to build a more connected, efficient, and resilient cannabis supply chain built for cannabis operators, one that fuels the industry, improves consumer safety, strengthens compliance, and supports criminal justice reform. I’m proud of our team at NABIS, and grateful to the Humble partners who share our long-term vision. Special shoutout to Annie Christel Alyssa Abigail Sal Daniel for all the help! There is significant work ahead, and we’re just getting started. The link to the full announcement is in the comments.

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A BILLION dollars. That’s the valuation Reuters-reported Built explored in 2025 And the wild part? Built didn’t win the protein bar category by “adding more protein.” They won by innovating where the category is most broken: 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 + 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 Here’s the dirty secret of protein bars: Most people don’t enjoy them. They tolerate them. Chalky. Dense. Weird aftertaste. A functional brick you eat because you “should.” Built made a different bet: If we can make a protein bar eat like a treat… we can steal occasions from candy, snacks, and dessert. So they engineered the experience. The Puff: a marshmallow-like center + indulgent positioning. Not “pretty good for a protein bar.” More like: “Wait… this is a protein bar?!” That’s genius product-market fit. That’s taste + texture as the strategy. Now look at the traction signals (Built is private, so use public proxies): →132,000 sq. ft. new manufacturing + distribution expansion in Utah →Up to 500 jobs tied to that expansion →Retail footprint including Walmart, Costco, Sam’s Club, Target, Kroger, Publix →Named a top-ten fastest-growing brand of 2025 (Numerator) →And again: the reported >$1B sale exploration In crowded categories, claims don’t win. Consumption wins. →Better taste + texture → higher repeat →Higher repeat → higher velocity →Higher velocity → retailers lean in (doors, facings, scale) Built didn’t just sell protein. They sold relief: “You can hit your macros without suffering.” 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐝𝐞𝐝, 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐭-𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐚𝐬 “𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥”… …𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐭. Because the fastest way to differentiate isn’t just "better macros" It’s a new tasty sensation. 💬 What category is still waiting for its “taste + texture” breakthrough?

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