Flares: Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll

We uncover hidden opportunities in music NFTs, CRMs and events as well as cannabis packaging and distribution
APR 20, 2021
by Trends Team
Entertainment and Media NFT transportation

Cannabis distribution is set to explode. We spoke to Vince Ning, the founder and CEO of Nabis, a distributor that ships ~10% of all cannabis products in California. 

In the 3.5 years since Ning started the company, Nabis has grown a portfolio of 100+ brands, which collectively ship ~$300m worth of cannabis products per year.

There are 3 areas where Ning sees white space in the cannabis distribution niche:

  • D2C Delivery: Cannabis delivery is expected to be the fastest-growing cannabis sub-market. The proportion of cannabis delivery and curbside pickup sales soared during COVID and are still 10% higher than pre-pandemic levels. It’s not surprising that Uber wants its piece of the pie. 
  • D2C software: There are opportunities to create plug-and-play software solutions that help brands and dispensaries create a D2C experience for their customers. “Whether it be tackling it from a logistics angle or enabling brands to market better… There’s a real opportunity for companies to build D2C models with software,” Ning told us.  
  • Data consolidation: According to Ning, “One of the biggest things right now is providing the next layer of depth to the industry by connecting everyone’s disparate data silos.” There are plenty of players both upstream and downstream (e.g., from raw materials to POS providers) with datasets that could be combined and leveraged to help brands grow faster. 

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