IN THE NEWS
CFN MEDIA INTERVIEWS GAYNELL ROGERS AT NWS5
A CFN exclusive with Gaynell Rogers, Founder of Treehouse Global Ventures, a fund founded by #women, designed to identify, mentor, & grow women & minority-founded #cannabis-related businesses and those companies led by women.
Women of weed rise high in Philly
by Sam Wood and Erin Arvedlund
The Philadelphia Inquirer
October 30, 2019
Snider is considered Philadelphia’s first-mover in cannabis investments. She became interested in the business of medical cannabis while she developed LindiSkin skincare products. It was while studying available treatments for cancer patients, she said, that she saw a need to develop best practices for an industry hampered by a dearth of science-based research.
Snider was at the vanguard of the legal cannabis expansion in Pennsylvania. She has been actively investing since the days when medical cannabis was legalized in only a handful of states. She co-founded Treehouse Global Ventures investment firm and also is involved with the Arcview Group, Greenhouse Ventures, and Manna Capital; property-focused Stem Holdings; Kind Financial, which provides banking services to cannabis businesses; And companies such as Lenitiv Scientific, founded by Montel Williams.
These Investors Are Looking for Women-Led Cannabis Companies
by Elise McDonough for Leafly
April 1, 2019
To succeed in capitalism, you need capital.
Unfortunately, women and people of color historically don’t have equal access to large sums of money.
That makes it difficult to build and scale up a business. This is especially true in the cannabis industry, where most banks and traditional lenders still refuse to work with companies that remain technically in violation of federal law.
The existence of this pronounced funding gap has also inspired a team of experienced investors to create Treehouse Global Ventures. Treehouse is a women-led private equity firm focused on investing in cannabis companies founded by women and minorities.
For the firm’s founders, it’s a way to give these traditionally disadvantaged groups a fair shot at success in a still emerging industry—and a way to find smart investments.
Putting Their Money Where Their Mouths Are: Meet Six Ladies Behind This Women-Only Cannabis Fund
by Javier Hasse for FORBES
Apr 26, 2019
Being a feminist is easier said than done. But these women are putting their money where their mouths are: in front of women.
As cannabis really penetrates the mainstream, an increasing number of highly skilled, intelligent people are getting into the industry. And, while most of these characters generate the utmost respect, very few are really, really impressive – at least in my book.
Two ladies who have certainly earned the latter description are cannabis-focused investment managers: Tahira Rehmatullah, chief financial officer at Nasdaq-traded cannabis tech company MTech Acquisition Corp. – which recently merged with MJ Freeway, and Emily Paxhia, co-founder and managing partner of what is often seen as the first long-short, cannabis-focused hedge fund in the world, Poseidon Asset Management.
Super Bowl Champions Talk About The NFL's Stance On Cannabis
by Javier Hasse for FORBES
Feb 1, 2019
Research has demonstrated CBD, a non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis, hemp, and hops, can help with pain, inflammation, and anxiety, among other ailments. In fact, on Friday, Forbes contributor Tom Angell reported that the World Health Organization recommended re-scheduling the entire cannabis plant and several of its key components, including CBD, effectively recognizing marijuana’s medical potential and the need to study it further.
Notwithstanding, the National Football League continues to bar players from medicating with CBD, even though the World Anti-Doping Agency, which is charge of setting the criteria for anti-doping in most of the world’s sports, allowed for its use in late-2017, and several other professional sports leagues in the U.S. have already taken that step.
Treehouse Global Ventures Announces Appointment of Jessica Billingsley of AKERNA & Michelle Bodner of CURALEAF to Senior Advisory Board
Philadelphia, PA (Nov 14, 2019)— Treehouse Global Ventures (TGV) is pleased to announce the addition of two top leaders in the cannabis industry to its Senior Advisory Board, Jessica Billingsley and Michelle Bodner. They join advisors Maria Rodale, Tahira Rehmatullah and Emily Paxhia, with TGV founders Lindy Snider, Gaynell Rogers and Lori Ferrara who were named “Women to Watch in 2019” by the leading industry publication trade MJ Business Daily.
"With their expert knowledge and extensive industry experience, we have built an unparalleled female brain trust.We are thrilled to add these phenomenal women to our Senior Advisory Board in order to help move the Treehouse mission forward.” Founder Lindy Snider adds.
Jessica Billingsley is the Chief Executive Officer of Akerna,the first cannabis compliance technology company to be traded on Nasdaq,making her the first CEO from the cannabis market to bring a company to a major US exchange. She co-founded Akerna in 2010 (then known as MJ Freeway) introducing the first seed-to-sale tracking technology addressing the entire cannabis supply chain.
We Have a Problem: The Cannabis Industry Is Losing Women Leaders
by Penny Green for GreenEntrepreneur
Mar 8, 2019
Big money flooding into the cannabis industry brings with it the male dominated culture of the capital markets
The cannabis industry has historically been applauded for its relatively high participation of women, and while it can boast a higher number of female executives than the average for all U.S. businesses, the number of female leaders fell by 9 percent from 2015 to 2017. That means in 2018, just 27 percent of cannabis business leaders were female.To understand why, we need to look at the entire industry and what’s changed about it over those two years. Recreational legalization has obviously been the most drastic change. The majority of businesses prior to recreational legalization were focused solely on the medical use of the substance -- and women tend to dominate the emerging wellness space.
Where are the women?
Battling Sexism In A Male-Dominated Industry: Meet Top Cannabis CEO Krista Whitley
by Iris Dorbian for FORBES
Jan 28, 2019
As head of an emerging cannabis business, it was probably the lowest point in her career. Krista Whitley was pitching to a prospective investor. When she was done, the man whom Whitley will only identify as a “big angel investor and from one of the largest publicly-traded consulting firms in the industry,” responded, “I think it’s cute you want to make money like the big boys.” Whitley was shocked.
“I thought it was so disheartening because I had taken this seriously,” she recalled. “It was clear he wasn’t taking me seriously.”
WOMEN TO WATCH
by Lisa Bernard-Kuhn
Marijuana Business Daily
Jan 29, 2019
BACKSTORY
The roots of Treehouse Global Ventures began more than five years ago, when Rogers, Ferrara and Snider first met during the Arcview Investor Forums in Boston and Denver. Each had a unique story that had drawn her to the cannabis industry.
Rogers, a three-time cancer survivor, used her publicity and media relations acumen to propel a number of cannabis firms into the national spotlight—a feat that included landing cover stories in Fortune magazine for cannabis companies including Hoban Law Group, 420 Games ArcView.
These 90 Pro Athletes Are Taking Their Cannabis Activism From The U.S. To Canada
by Javier Hasse for FORBES
Apr 8, 2019
The cannabis community loves philanthropy.
So, when New Leaf Canada, a Canadian cannabis wellness brand, announced last month that it would donate C$75,000 ($56,400) to nonprofit Athletes For CARE, the news was well received. To make the deal even sweeter, New Leaf committed to support ongoing fundraising initiatives to sustain A4C’s research and education initiatives.
Before moving on, it’s important for readers to get familiarized with Athletes For CARE – or A4C for short. This nonprofit was created by former professional athletes seeking to promote education, research and compassion around cannabis, hemp and other therapeutic alternatives for athletes and the general public. Or, as NHL Philadelphia Flyers enforcer and Athletes for CARE co-founder Riley Cote explained in an exclusive conversation recently
Treehouse Global Ventures Announces Maria Rodale to Advisory Board
Philadelphia, Pa. - March 6, 2019
(Press Release)
Women and minority focused fund welcomes global leader in healthy lifestyle publications
Treehouse Global Ventures (TGV) is pleased to announce the addition of Maria Rodale to their Advisory Board. Maria is a writer, activist, and former Chairman and CEO of Rodale Inc., a global health and wellness lifestyle media company. She has won numerous awards including the United Nations Population Fund’s “Award for the Health and Dignity of Women.” TGV founders Lindy Snider, Gaynell Rogers, and Lori Ferrara -who were named “Women to Watch in 2019” by MJ Business Daily -are excited to add a long-standing leader and expert in wellness and organics to their team.
TREEHOUSE GLOBAL VENTURES ANNOUNCES ADDITIONS TO SR. ADVISORY BOARD
Philadelphia, PA. – January 31, 2019 /AxisWire/ Treehouse Global Ventures (TGV) is pleased to announce the addition of two major talents in the cannabis industry to its Senior Advisory Board. With expert knowledge and extensive industry backgrounds, Emily Paxhia of Poseidon Asset Management and Tahira Rehmatullah of MTech join TGV founders Lindy Snider, Gaynell Rogers and Lori Ferrara who were named “Women to Watch in 2019” by the leading industry publication trade MJ Business Daily.“
Meet The 6 Cannabis Leaders Who Received An 'Industry Power Women Award' This Year
by Javier Hasse and Alex Oleinic for
Benzinga
Nov 23, 2018
The emergence of the cannabis industry coincided with a societal trend of empowering women. Combined with the more liberal environment that dominates the industry, it’s easy to understand why cannabis represents an industry were more women are getting involved and more women have leadership positions compared to other industries in the United States.
Over a quarter of cannabis businesses were founded or owned by women, compared to a U.S. average of 20 percent, according to a 2017 survey by Marijuana Busniess Daily.