Leading Women Entrepreneurs Ruling the Marijuana Industry

What she does: In 2013, Jane West founded the Edible Events Company, which held cannabis-friendly parties to destigmatize its consumption and celebrate the legalization of marijuana.

Despite the confrontation from the anti-cannabis contingents, bursts from SWAT at her marijuana brunch events, and criminal charges, Jane went ahead to teach about marijuana. With a criminal record and no job, but her dream, Jane West went on to connect, educate, empower, and inspire women to join the marijuana industry.

From the constant media exposure, she taught women how to lead cannabis-driven initiatives. That is when she founded WomenGrow, which had its first meeting in 2014.

She has also taken to the manufacture of sophisticated glassware and accessories to go with the cannabis. From the ground up, she built her company, with 80% of her staff being women and people of color.

Why she’s on the list: Jane West is the Founder of WomenGrow and the Edible Events Company. She is also the CEO of her brand, Jane West. She has collaborated with Red Rocks on a High Note and featured on CBNC to promote the use of marijuana.

Jane organizes, guides, and advises women who wish to join the marijuana industry.

What she does: After realizing how poorly people store weed, Whitney Beatty developed a sleek and sexy storage case for marijuana. The design included features that kept marijuana fresh for longer while maintaining its quality.

The Apothecarry Brands CEO gives you the solution to the stale weed you keep in a shoebox under your bed. Her brand seeks to improve the image of marijuana users. Whitney’s Apothecarry Brands family of connoisseurs makes traveling, smoking, and storage of cannabis classier and more elegant.

Whitney works on her uprising business to create a high-end luxury experience for marijuana consumers. The collection of cases, including the Dabney, Train Case, the Spencer Limited edition cases, has been featured in Forbes, Merry Jane Cannabis, Culture, For All., Los Angeles Times, and Culture Magazine, and many more.

With her brilliant ideas, you can now enjoy your marijuana fresh, like it just came out of the garden.

Why she’s on list: Whitney Beatty is the Founder and CEO of Apothecarry Brands and a cannabis industry consultant. She is also a Media personality, being an experienced content creator and creative development executive.

The lack of secure, safe, and stylish storage materials for marijuana inspired Whitney to develop her brand of storage cases that keep marijuana fresh for longer.

What she does : Jewel Zimmer, a former pastry chef, shifted jobs to the cannabis market, where she provides high-quality CBD and THC products for marijuana users. Her background in the kitchen sets her apart from other manufacturers with her line of tinctures.

She started her entrepreneurial streak in 2009 by introducing Absolute, a collection of cocoa’s purest form. Now, she is the Founder and the woman behind Juna, a cannabis-based company specializing in pleasure, based in San Francisco, CA.

When people kept asking her to infuse cannabis into chocolate, she decided to shift careers from the food world into the cannabis industry. After conversations with the best chemists, doctors, farmers, and neuroscientists about cannabis, she fell in love.

She then founded Juna to introduce marijuana as a wellness, food, and beauty option for anyone looking to use marijuana. Her collection of Juna Ease, Nightcap, Balance will help your body revitalize and stay calm.

Why she’s on list : Jewel Zimmer a serial entrepreneur, fine-dining pastry chef and certified sommelier in San Francisco informs her ingredient-focused approach to plant alchemy. She launched her first functional food {cocoa} absolute, with Barneys New York in 2009, infusing single-origin chocolate with adaptogenic raw cacao extracts to intensify the physiological and therapeutic benefits of the fruit.

What she does : Rosie played a pivotal role in welcoming the new cannabis age. Mattio Communications Agency, located in New York, is one of the longest-running and largest firms to cover marijuana.

By encouraging dialogue between marijuana-based brands, and enthusiasts, Rosie Mattio created a platform that helped usher the new age of marijuana.

After moving to Seattle in 2013, she grew fond of the marijuana industry and upcoming brands, just after it was legalized. That is when she got the idea to open a PR firm to help create awareness and spread the marijuana news.

Mattio’s communication company plans events, influences the market, and creates content that shines more light on marijuana usage in the US.

Why she’s on list : Rosie Mattio is a public relations graduate from Boston University. The Founder and CEO of Mattio Communication is involved in marijuana PR worldwide. According to Forbes, Rosie is among the top 15 innovative and powerful women in the cannabis field. At the same time, Mattio Communication Agency secured a spot on the top 10 most effective cannabis PR firms in the Green Market report.

What she does : Wasteful cannabis packaging is what inspired Mimi Lam to try something different. Despite the interest in the marijuana industry, high-quality medical marijuana cultivation did not appeal to her. Instead, she joined Tokyo Smoke, where she helped build a brand.

Along with offering a comfortable shopping experience in her stores, the Superette co-Founder wanted to inspire and empower her clientelle. She even launched a commitment to donate food to the Ottawa Food Bank for every recycled cannabis bag.

She is creating waves in the industry and trying to help manage all the waste associated with marijuana packaging.

Why she’s on the list : Mimi Lam graduated from Carleton University for international business. She then saw an opportunity to venture into the marijuana industry. She then joined hands with Drummond Munro and co-founded Superette, a marijuana outlet, to bring back the human connection when buying marijuana.

What she does : Tisha is a pharmacognosist/ formulator specializing in phytochemical products and supplements. With her approach to disease therapy, CBDiva focuses on the neurological application of marijuana.

She has helped thousands of patients with her research on medicinal plants, ethnomedicine, cannabinoids, and terpenes.

Tisha M.’s brand, CBDiva, has helped improve her patients’ lives dealing with PD, ALS, TBI, PTSB, ALZ, and Dementia, among others. She also invests in developing protective and preventative care for people susceptible to neurological conditions.

Why she’s on the list : Tisha M. is the Founder of CBDiva Health, a phototherapy line specializing in high-quality and advanced nanoparticles, fitness, and skincare products.

She majors in Phytochemicals and wholly integrates cannabis into developing her line of formulation for patients with neurological conditions.

She studies medicinal plants, terpenes, and cannabinoids to help improve her patients’ quality of life.

What she does : Gomez, a proud Canadian ambassador of marijuana, joined the industry to help women use cannabis to improve their sexual life. As a role model, she is passionate about marijuana and is continually encouraging women to venture into the industry.

Using her public speaking platforms, she motivates and helps women develop marijuana-based businesses in Canada. She also helps them understand the compliance rules and how to find investors. She is also a consultant on women’s interaction with marijuana and how it affects your sexual health.

Why she’s on the list : Antuanette Gomez is the Founder and CEO of Pleasure Peaks, a company involved in improving women’s sexual health using cannabis. The young entrepreneur was featured on Forbes 30 under 30 for helping women develop business plans, attract investors, and launch their businesses in 30 days through her Green Rush Program.

She is a former member of WomenGrow and is an active member of the Canadian Cannabis Community.

What she does : Maya delivers a holistic health approach to the consumption of marijuana. The Om Edibles partnered with Whoopi Goldberg to create Whoopi & Maya, a product line targeting women battling menstrual cramps.

Maya has repeatedly won High Times Cannabis Cup awards for her supply of edibles in the market. With her new venture, you can expect a range of products, ranging from THC-only, CBD-high, THC-low, and edibles.

So, if you are a woman and have the worst time of the month, maybe Maya could help you out. With the Rub brand of products, you get THC and CBD in the right proportions to offer the healing effect intended.

Why she’s on the list : Maya Elisabeth is the Founder and owner of Om Edibles. She recently partnered with Whoopi Goldberg to open Whoopi and Maya, where she serves as CEO.

Om edibles, an all-female collective, has one Emerald Cup and eight cannabis cups. Her view on cannabis as a healing herb is her inspiration towards making your menstrual cycles less painful and more manageable.

What she does : Laurel started as an environmental chemistry student at Northwestern University. She later joined Eden Labs, where she learned about the CO2 extraction of marijuana. After founding Heylo, she committed to educating the public on the use of marijuana.

Through her social meetings, public tours, concert series and educational events, she provides members of the public with information on how to interact with marijuana. Laurel’s goal lies in seeing more people embrace and engage in marijuana in their lifestyles.

Why she’s on the list : Laurel Friesen is the Founder and CEO of Heylo, a company based on the revolutionary extraction of active cannabinoids from marijuana plants. After working with Eden Labs, she developed its FX2 Supercritical CO2 extractor.

With extensive gastroenterology knowledge, she leads her team at Heylo as the chief extractor to provide clean, high-quality cannabis oil for their clients.

What she does : Racheal is a strong activist for cannabis and psychedelic medicine. Over the years, she has shown her support for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). The organization studies and develops legal, medical, and culturally acceptable psychedelics and marijuana products.

She shares her perspective on the potential benefits that these emerging psychedelics and marijuana may have on mental health, being a suicide survivor herself.

Using her blog and social media platforms, she shows support for people struggling with mental health illnesses and addiction.

Why she’s on the list : Racheal Madori, a suicide survivor, is now a mental health spokesperson. She majors in cannabis and psychedelic medicine.

Racheal fundraises for the National Alliance of Mental illness and uses her influence to reach mental health patients. She is the former social media chair of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Greater LA.

What she does : Dr. Michelle has been in the cannabis industry for over 15 years now. She has helped over 10,000 patients find the best plant treatment for their conditions and continues to do so. She leads a consultancy firm that will help you choose and use the right strains of marijuana for your condition.

Dr. Ross is also a consultant for people looking to build and grow wellness brands. She has also written books and created online courses when you want to venture into the marijuana industry.

Why she’s on the list : Dr. Michele Ross is a cannabis and fibromyalgia expert. She has a Ph.D. and a Master’s degree in neuroscience. The author of Vitamin Weed& CBD Oil for Health and creator of the module course, such as Cannabis and Motherhood, offers marijuana consultation services countrywide.

She has helped patients, doctors, and aspiring entrepreneurs find their brand, choose, and use the right strains for their needs.

What she does : If you have struggled with acne at any point in your life, then Sarah speaks to you. After battling acne and trying skincare products without success, she came across CBD oil that changed her life. From that moment onwards, she ventured into the cannabis industry.

She founded MASK to help others like herself to nourish their skins and encourage healthy skin and comfort. Using her hand-picked and plant driven ingredients, Sarah introduced a sheet mask that restores your skin balance and promotes radiance.

Why she’s on list : Sarah Mirsini is the Founder of MASK Skincare. The journalism-graduate from the UK got a graduate degree in digital marketing from New York Tech and ventured into the cannabis market. After discovering CBG and CBN, she included them in her skincare line, among the market’s first ones.

She is currently working on skincare serums and other cannabis-based products for MASK Skincare.

What she does : Lolita was dealing with multiple painful medical conditions when she became an active marijuana consumer. Having to deal with pharmaceutical drugs, she decided to look for alternative treatment plans that offered relief and reduced the pain.

That is when she crossed paths with marijuana, which inspired her to start Cansoom. Despite Lolita being a registered nurse, she struggled to find the right strain of marijuana, which she addresses in her company.

Why she’s on the list : Lolita Korneagay is the Founder of Cansoom. The BSN, MBA, is a registered nurse with over 15 years of experience. She is the first person to write a marijuana educational handbook for nurses: The Medical Cannabis Consultant’s Handbook.

Her company Cansoom offers in-person consultation and marijuana consultancy training programs to help nurses understand marijuana and choose the best strain.

What she does : If you have ever wondered about health and how to access the best of it, then Jessica Knox answers your questions. Dr. Jessica is a board-certified preventive medicine physician.

After studying the endocannabinoid system and marijuana-based medicine, she now passes on the knowledge to patients and other healthcare providers. Her global webcast and televised talks on the impact of marijuana teach on the promise that lies in the marijuana industry.

As a first-time or continuing consumer, you get to connect with verified marijuana healthcare professionals through her platform Dr. Knox Inc.

Why she’s on the list : Jessica Knox is a board-certified preventive medicine physician with her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. She also studied for medical and business degrees at Tufts University.

This endocannabinologist is also the co-founder of Dr. Knox Inc., an American Cannabinoid Clinic, and also the co-founder of ADVENT Academy. Jessica specializes in cannabinoid medicine and has spoken on numerous panels.

What she does : With over 20 years of dermatology experience, Ildi Pekar focuses on better and healthier ways to nourish your skin and offer remedies to aging and cellular damage. From her research, she introduced a combination of her home-based treatments and new technologies involving marijuana.

This Budapest-born skin care therapist founded the Ildi Pekar Skin Care line that provides both physical and spiritual healing. Pekar dedicates her time, resources, research, and passion to providing skincare products that restore your natural glow.

Why she’s on the list : Ildi Pekar is an accomplished skincare Guru and the Founder of Ildi Pekar Spa. She has developed a line of skincare products from intense research through her 20 years of experience working with the human body.

She has managed to integrate new and modern technologies and treatments, such as CBD oils, in the traditional skincare routines for radiant and healthy skin.

What she does: The Canadian-born Anja Charbonneau is making big moves with a small Portland team while being careful with CBD. She makes her contribution in a magazine that helps you understand the balance between weed and everything in between.

She covers weed in the magazine Broccoli, alongside other things you might be interested in as a marijuana consumer. Being a cannabis consumer herself, she provides a clear perspective on the things you might find fascinating, both in fantasy and real life.

Why she’s on the list : Anja Charbonneau is the Founder of Broccoli Magazine, a free publication that offers as much information to marijuana users as possible.

While trying to tackle the issue of overhyped CBD, Anja, the former creative director at Kinfolk, brings together her love for print and cannabis to lead her all-female team to publish her view on the use and application of marijuana.

What she does : While Molly worked with people, joined couples, and saw several weddings happen, she decided to leave the matchmaking industry to pursue her passion for marijuana. She worked at Quantum 9 as a marijuana consultant, where she interacted first hand with the growing of legal marijuana.

Soon after, she left Quantum 9 and founded her own company, Highly Devoted Inc., using her psychology background, significant interaction with people, and her love for marijuana.

Now, Molly runs a one-of-a-kind marijuana-friendly matchmaking company around the world for fun interactions.

Why she’s on list : Molly Peckler is the Founder of Highly Devoted Inc., a matchmaking company that embraces marijuana for fun interactions and events.

The psychology graduate from the University of Illinois doubles as a content creator and helps people find love while making marijuana more accessible.

She is passionate about cannabis and claims her stake in the industry while acting on her natural talent in relationship coaching.

What she does : Kimberly has been an active member of one marketing team for one of California’s cannabis brands. Besides her 15 years of experience consulting with firms, individuals, and investors, Kimberly has raised funds to help startups worldwide.

After working with several Blue Chip companies, Kimberly founded Frigg, a fast-growing company dealing with consumer products majoring in beauty. After leaving the industry in 2017, she rejoined the business, only this time, to coach on wellness.

Why she’s on the list : Kimberly, a wellness coach on cannabis, is the Founder of Frigg, a company that looks to provide a warm and educational environment to interact with weed. She also founded the House of Mikko, which is one of the pioneers of beauty influencers. She holds two degrees from the University of Pittsburg and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

She has spoken on startups and the industry of marijuana on TedWoman, SXSW. Huffington Post also listed Kimberly as one of the promising leaders in tech.

What she does : Debra gives you her 20-years’ experience in the financial world through her Green Market Report. After her years as the Bear Steams’ Vice President, she founded the cannabis financial news network to provide insight into the marijuana world.

Using her platform in the media industry, she covers legalizing marijuana from a financial point of view.

Why she’s on the list : Debra is a journalism graduate from New York University. She is also the Co-Founder, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief of the Green Market Report, a magazine covering the financial aspect of marijuana.

Over her 15 years’ experience, she featured in talk shows and has spoken to several celebrities on their take to the legalization of weed.

One of her videos, Where People Want to Buy Pot, even got an AZBEE award.

What they does : Christine Ye and Felicity Chen collaborated to start up a cannabis-infused line of products. This best friend duo decided to venture into hemp and offer more value for your food.

When founding Potli, Christine and Felicity decided to take honey to a new level. After partnering with a generational beekeeper, they developed a new infused honey. Through their love for artisanal products and caution for the adverse side effects of marijuana, they came up with a product that packs many health benefits.

Why they’re on the list : Felicity Chen is a health enthusiast and a co-founder of Potli. Alongside Christine Ye, they employ their Asian heritage to develop high-quality marijuana-infused foods.

These Northern California based best friends run a premium purveyor cannabis-based pantry. They source their ingredients locally, meaning their clients get high-quality and tasty products.

They also run the Potli Hemp CBD shop that supplies your cannabis needs.

What she does : Olivia is among the biggest influencers in cannabis, with over 2.5 million followers. She has been able to work with various cannabis companies in social media, creative direction, and digital strategy. Since starting at her first dispensary in 2006, Olivia has been able to grow her experience. Now, she ventures in creating her wellness brand and products to represent cannabis culture.

Her passion and belief in cannabis shaped her determination to normalize lifestyle and medical usage for everyone. Alexander is an advocate and an extinguished contributor in the cannabis industry and has developed a name, Kush Queen.

Why she’s on the list : Olivia was born in Donaldsonville, Lousiana. She was a child print model at two years, and at the age of thirteen, she appeared in music videos. Later in life, Olivia acquired massive social followers that later enabled her to start Kush Queen, a brand that celebrates women who love cannabis.

What she does : Jessica is also known as the Wardrobe Whisperer. She thinks non-stop about how people present themselves. Having worked for small and leading media companies, she has also been featured as a stylist of significant events like the NY’S Fashion’s Night Out.

Jessica takes keen note of everything a person puts on and carries as a reflection of who they are. She has designed each version of the Rogue Paq ritual cases. She created the Paq cannabis carriers to be highly functional and exceptionally well made. The design includes details like easy to wipe interior pockets for simple maintenance, and scent suppression. She obtained a US Patent on her design in 2020.

Why she’s on the list : Jessica was born in Eastern Pennsylvania, as the third child in a family of 12. She began her career as an event planner at a local university and evolved in her career when she moved to NY to produce events world-wide for companies like AT&T and IBM. Cadmus has worked twice at Goldman Sachs before leaving to launch her own wardrobe styling business called the Wardrobe Whisperer where she is specializing in dressing the power brokers of Wall Street. Rogue Paq grew out of her styling business when she recognized a need for a sophisticated cannabis carrier.

What she does : Chelsea is an English disc jockey, cannabis and epilepsy activist, and model. She lives with a form of epilepsy called Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), which she has had since childhood. To avoid the severe side-effects of the intense pharmaceutical anti-seizure, Chelsea crossed paths with medical cannabis.

Being a model and fashion star, she controlled many followers, where she campaigned on the destigmatization of both medical cannabis and epilepsy. Through her advocacy, she has spoken to multiple medical cannabis panels conducted to educate folks.

Chelsea has also been hosted in educational podcasts to expound on her take on marijuana and epilepsy.

Why she’s on the list : Chelsea was born in London, England, where she attended Bedales School. She later moved to New York to pursue her acting career. Before being a DJ, Chelsea attended a performing arts school. Now, she fights for the destigmatization of epilepsy and medical marijuana.

What she does : Jennifer is the Founder of the MJ Lifestyle. Here, Jeniffer expresses her love for marijuana by sharing her extensive knowledge and insight into the best CBD. She has created and established a trusting relationship with leading women in the cannabis space.

Her longtime secret cannabis lifestyle has helped her understand the under-representation of women in the cannabis industry. That is when she started an anonymous Instagram account photographing cannabis brands. With self-made, creative, brilliant, and ambitious women, she created the MJ lifestyle magazine.

Why she’s on the list : She used to live in Kansas before venturing into the shooting of cannabis. Jennifer was a photographer by trade. This visual storyteller went by a friend’s idea and ventured into the cannabis world. Due to her love of the name MJ, she started an Instagram account and gave it the name MJ LIFESTYLE

What she does : Having grown up in northern California, Sarah was always around marijuana. She saw and experienced the cannabis industry, and that is when she saw an opportunity to help bring brands into the physical spaces through her interior design experience.

Sarah started doing a lot of research on hemp and its all sustainable possibilities and applications. The idea of hemp being naturally resistant to mold and UV light made her come up with Mooncloth Textile Company, a hemp textile, and product design company.

Why She’s on the list: Sarah Harf was born in Sonoma, California, the valley of the moon. Her family later moved to New York, where they raised her and her two sisters. In New York, she received experience in interior design skills that would later enable her to start the mooncloth textile company

What she does :  There are only a handful of IFM-certified dietitians in the world. Laura is among them, being a licensed and registered dietitian.

Now, she integrates her knowledge in nutrition and functional medicine, together with cannabis, to heal the body. She approaches the recovery process using essential oils, pharmaceuticals, food, and medical marijuana.

Laura even serves as an advisor to Aeon Botanika, a wellness brand dealing with the consumption of cannabis.

Why she’s on the list : Laura Lagano is an accomplished dietitian and a cannabis practitioner. This registered nutritionist consults with Hemp-derived CBD manufacturers to provide a holistic healing experience to the human body.

As a certified member of the Institute of Functional Medicine, she employs her skills to diversify her patients’ treatment plan.

What she does: If you thought that cannabis is only for human consumption, then Angela Ardolino will change your mind. With over 20 years’ expertise taking care of pets, Angela runs her Fire Flake Farm, rescuing animals.

After her diagnosis with rheumatoid arthritis, she sought out other forms of treatment, which is when she came across marijuana. After experiencing life-changing results from the use of CBD, Angela decided to work hard to destigmatize the use of marijuana.

Why she’s on the list : Angela Ardolino is the co-founder of CBD Dog Health, a clinic serving to provide safe and healthy medical marijuana options for pets. Her experience with medical marijuana sparked her move to increase awareness of cannabis-based treatments.

Angela went to the University of Vermont, where she earned her certification as a professional medical marijuana expert.

What she does : If you only see marijuana as a psychoactive, addictive drug, Monica Lo has a different opinion. Monica uses marijuana in her kitchen as a superior ingredient to her meals. She blends her Taiwanese background and marijuana to make some of the most exciting dishes you can try.

The chef, doubling as a content creator, utilizes cannabis as a wellness ingredient and a source of inspiration. She also uses her talent as a photographer to create awareness and build interest in marijuana as more than a drug.

Why she’s on the list : Monica Lo, the Founder of Sous Weed, is an accomplished photographer and content creator. While working to create awareness and reduce the stigmatization of marijuana, she works as a cannabis chef, with her recipes featuring at KQED Bay Area Bites.

She is also the eye behind the Sous Vide t Home and Sous Vide Made Simple cookbooks. Her recipes have also been published in the Edibles, Small Bites of the Modern Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook.

What she does : Dr. Rachna is a world-renowned CBD doctor and consultant, aiming to improve her patients’ quality of life. Since 2012, Dr. Rachna has been in the medical marijuana industry. She offers consultations that help patients alleviate their symptoms and improve their quality of life.

With her Doc Patel brand, she has offered a reliable and trustworthy supply of CBD products for patients who need marijuana to treat their symptoms.

Why she’s on list : Dr. Rachna Patel is the chief medical officer at Doc Patel. Her medicine background enables her to develop medical-grade CBD products, such as the CBD Oil Solutions, that even features as Amazon’s best sellers.

Dr. Rachna is a medical degree holder from Touro University. After studying emergency medicine, she ventured into cannabinoid medicine, where she has been breaking grounds ever since.

What she does : If you are a marijuana consumer, you must have come across one of the holiday-decorated blunt rolls. The brain behind this idea is Lauren, who made weed festive. With a marketing and leadership background, she created the first KushKard to spell out greetings for the festive season.

And since 2013, she has been breaking through the marijuana industry by applying her extensive knowledge in consumer goods to provide sentimentally and mostly appreciated holiday cards with a personal touch.

Why she’s on the list : Lauren Miele is the Founder/CEO of KushKards, a fun, creative way to share the holiday season’s merry. With a degree in Home Products Development, she uses her marketing, strategies, and social media skills to create awareness and lessen awkwardness that comes with the consumption of cannabis.

The former member of WomenGrow has also published a piece on What happens when cannabis products and love collide.