This month I am pleased to release the updated CannaTech Ecosystem Chart with additions, modifications and observations.
The original publication of the chart in the January 2021 issue of Marijuana Venture and simultaneous post to my LinkedIn profile resulted in the most views (8,367) by far of any post I’ve ever made. There were 99 reactions (a very large number for me) and 42 comments (which is where I took nominations to add to this updated ecosystem chart). The updated ecosystem chart on the next page has 13 new logos and now features more than 100 total logos.
I’m always open and receptive to additional logos, so send me an email, as I plan to include more technology companies with a significant focus on the cannabis segment in future updates.
The 13 added companies are: Akerna, CannaPoint POS, Cannveya, Enlighten AdSuite, FastSensor, Growtronics, Herbl, Lendica, Peridot, SMARTtill, Vigilix and Zuna.
Highlights
I’m increasingly having direct conversations (via Zoom) with stakeholders at many cannatech entities. Here are two examples.
– FastSensor: I spoke with John Gunn at FastSensor. Gunn said his solution is the first AI-powered, on-site, journey-mapping and human behavior interpreter that delivers actionable analytics to harvest return on investment from your physical environment. Translated by me: Use FastSensor to better understand your dispensary customer’s journey and needs. How do they do it? Basically picking up on “sensors” such as your mobile phone as you walk about the dispensary, etc. You really need to watch the video interview at www.420msp.com (a two-part series) to really understand this cool tool.
– Vigilix: I came across Vigilix through the trade group RSPA and its cannabis community special interest group. Colin Martin explained to me that its technology solution is a remote management and monitoring (RMM) tool focused on the traditional point-of-sale space. Vigilix is purpose-built for the POS systems and that has allowed it to have a significant footprint in cannabis dispensaries and develop domain expertise. That expertise is essential because RMMs produce a lot of infrastructure reporting data (measurements, etc.) and Vigilix has unprecedented visibility into your dispensary operations. That means the remote technicians or managed services providers (MSPs) can remotely provide proactive support that minimizes downtime.
Modifications
The chart is intended to be interactive and dynamic over time, so the feedback I received from Daoud Naouri at Odoo was very welcome. “Odoo is primarily: Seed to Sale/ERP as well as integrator and infrastructure (we have our own platform-as-a-service for the Cannabis Industry),” Naouri emailed me.
I almost made a modification to Surfside under the ad tech category, but after further investigation decided not to. Surfside’s website used to openly promote its cannabis agency services (you can see this on The Wayback Machine, a site that archives old sites). But over the past few months, the site has been updated to remove references to cannabis. Perhaps this is for branding and perception reasons (I get that) but I used another technique to verify that they indeed are still in the cannabis field. The lesson learned was that just because a cannatech firm doesn’t publicly “advertise” it as a cannabis-related solution doesn’t mean it’s not in the cannabis field.
Harry Brelsford is the founder of 420MSP, a community of managed services providers (MSP) and IT service providers that target the cannabis industry. Brelsford is a long-time Seattle-based technology entrepreneur. He can be reached at harrybrelsford@gmail.com or 206-201-2943. Visit www.420msp.com.