Chris Furnari
Chris Furnari is an award-winning business writer covering complex and highly-regulated industries. He joined THCnet as editor-in-chief in October 2019. Prior to covering the cannabis sector, he spent nearly a decade as the driving force behind Brewbound, a leading online beer business trade publication. Furnari also writes about the alcohol business for Forbes. He is frequently tapped to provide commentary on the beer and cannabis industries, and his analysis of industry trends has been referenced by The New York Times, CNBC, USA Today, The Boston Globe, and Cincinnati Public Radio, among others. Furnari is a proud graduate of Santa Clara University, where he was a two-sport Division I athlete and served as the sports editor of the university's official weekly newspaper.
Posts by Chris Furnari
Boston-based cannabis delivery startup Zip Run has secured $2.3 million in funding in a seed round led by Mollitiam Capital. In a news release, Zip Run co-founder and CEO Gabe Vieira said the raise “accelerates the product development of our consumer-friendly e-commerce platform and advances our mission of helping social equity companies gain ownership in the cannabis industry.”
Cannabis data and analytics company Headset predicts that U.S. cannabis sales will eclipse $28 billion next year. According to the firm, which this week announced the launch of a comprehensive long-term forecast for the U.S. and Canadian markets, U.S. cannabis sales are expected to grow around 24% in each of the next two years.
To help fund its national expansion, California-based Connected Cannabis Co. has raised $30 million from a group of new and existing investors. The debt and equity round included existing investors Navy Capital and One Tower group, as well as new investors Emerald Park Capital and Presidio View Capital.
California-based cannabis firm Glass House Group will go public on Canada’s NEO exchange in a SPAC deal valued at more than $1 billion. The transaction, announced last week, includes over 500,000 sq. ft. of existing cultivation space, four dispensaries, and a robust wholesale business.
Canopy Growth Corporation announced Thursday plans to acquire Toronto-based Supreme Cannabis Co. in a cash-and-stock deal valued at nearly $346 million (C$435). Under the terms of the deal, Supreme shareholders will receive 0.01165872 of a Canopy common share and $0.0001 in cash in exchange for each Supreme Cannabis share held.
A new advocacy group with ties to billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch has joined the fight to legalize cannabis. Announced Tuesday, the Cannabis Freedom Alliance (CFA) has a stated goal of ending the “prohibition and criminalization of cannabis in the United States.”
Illinois dispensaries are on pace to sell more than $1.5 billion worth of cannabis in 2021 after retailers across the state combined to sell nearly $145 million of adult-use and medical marijuana in March. According to data from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), adult-use cannabis dispensaries sold a record $109.1 million of recreational cannabis last month.
Curaleaf Holdings has completed its acquisition of Europe’s EMMAC Life Sciences and brought on a new minority partner in the process. In a news release, Curaleaf said it raised $130 million from an unnamed strategic institutional investor by selling a 31.5% equity stake in its newly established Curaleaf International Holdings business, which holds the EMMAC investment.
Florida-based Trulieve Cannabis Corp. announced Monday plans to purchase Pennsylvania dispensary chain Keystone Shops in a deal valued at $60 million. According to a news release, Trulieve will spend $20 million in cash and $40 million in subordinate voting shares to acquire three Keystone Shops from parent company Anna Holdings.
It was a busy week of dealmaking, as several top cannabis firms announced major deals in notable markets like Chicago, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
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