22 successful cannabis startups leading the way (2025)

What are cannabis startups?

Cannabis startups are working on creative solutions related to the manufacturing, growth, sales, automation, and research related to the cannabis industry, with to goal to increase cannabis consumption and finding additional uses for cannabis.

Ardent

Founded in 2013, Ardent designed a simple electric device that automates decarboxylation. It looks like a thermos – just put your cannabis inside and touch a button. Ardent designed a simple electric device that automates decarboxylation. It looks like a thermos, just put your cannabis inside and touch a button. The Ardent precisely heats the cannabis for the perfect amount of time.

Ardent’s goal is to allow people to harness the full benefits of cannabis compounds easily at home. Their technology handles the complicated decarboxylation process with the touch of a button.

Dutchie

Dutchie operates an e-commerce platform streamlining how consumers discover and order from cannabis dispensaries online. Via web and mobile applications, Dutchie connects shoppers to local dispensaries and statewide delivery services to browse real-time store menus and facilitate same-day pickup or on-demand delivery.

For the dispensaries themselves, Dutchie provides point-of-sale software and a business management suite to simplify in-store sales, compliance reporting, supply ordering, and customer retention. By powering seamless integration between consumer-facing online cannabis marketplaces and back-end dispensary operations, Dutchie enables enhanced accessibility and convenience for procuring legal cannabis while helping dispensary partners enhance operations, save costs, and extend their brand reach.

Green Thumb

Founded in 2014, Green Thumb’s strategy intertwines business expansion and corporate citizenship to progress the cannabis industry responsibly. They partner with local non-profits while providing equitable employment opportunities and sustainability leadership in the space.

By setting higher standards around ethical growth, Green Thumb aims to uphold cannabis’s health and societal potential against lingering controversy. Backed by leading institutions like Charles Koch Ventures, Green Thumb proves it’s possible to balance profitability and public service when rebuilding communities in a post-prohibition era.

Jushi

Founded in 2018, Jushi has rapidly grown into one of the leading US cannabis operators supporting licensed brands and stores across medical and adult-use markets. Their portfolio spans cultivation, processing, and retail dispensaries.

Jushi provides a range of services to affiliated businesses including funding, financial planning, supply chain management, compliance, store buildouts, marketing, and operations oversight. This full-service approach enables their brands to scale smoothly and successfully.

Cresco

Founded in 2013, Cresco operates in over 10 states, distributing their house of cannabis brands to hundreds of dispensaries as well as operating dispensaries themselves. Their footprint spans cultivation, production, wholesale distribution, retail stores, and delivery.

By controlling operations across the value chain, Cresco can optimize for quality, efficiency, and consistency in their products as cannabis market share keeps increasing nationwide. Their growth reflects maturing cannabis industry practices.

Springbig

Founded in 2017, Springbig’s solutions empower cannabis companies to increase sales and build customer relationships through SMS marketing, email campaigns, customer loyalty programs, and analytics.

By providing the digital marketing tools needed in the highly-regulated cannabis space, Springbig helps retailers and brands drive traffic, boost repeat purchases, and track results. Their platform is designed around industry nuances.

Ascend Wellness Holdings

Founded in 2018, Ascend spans regulated adult-use and medical markets, producing a variety of branded cannabis products sold through company-owned stores and wholesale networks.

By managing cannabis operations end-to-end, Ascend aims to optimize for product quality, consistent consumer experiences, and scalability as they expand into new states.

Jane Technologies

Founded in 2015, Jane offers dispensaries turnkey webstores, real-time analytics, SEO, customer engagement tools, and integrated loyalty programs to boost online sales and visibility. Their goal is simplifying digital for cannabis.

Jane’s platform optimizes the consumer purchase experience while providing actionable data insights for retailers. This aims to drive new customers and higher transaction sizes as cannabis purchasing moves online.

Holistic Industries

Founded in 2018, Holistic Industries brings a values-driven approach cementing cannabis as a mainstream wellness product and engine for positive economic and social change. With operations in five states and Canada, they demonstrate scalable best practices.

Skymint dispensaries cater specifically to high-expectation consumers and medical patients requiring knowledgeable guidance. Holistic aims to convey the new face of cannabis focusing on demystifying wellness applications through trust and transparency.

Connected Cannabis Co.

Founded in 2009, Connected Cannabis Co. has grown from a licensed medical operator to now serving California’s broader adult market following legalization. Their expansion demonstrates scaling best practices in compliance, manufacturing and brand experience.

Connected’s in-house genetics program develops strains catering to evolving consumer preferences across effects, flavors and formats. As legalization progresses, their infrastructure and capabilities enable meeting demand growth reliably.

Stealth Monitoring

Founded in 2015, Stealth Monitoring recognized the complex security needs of the emerging legal cannabis industry. Their specialized solutions aim to establish enterprise-class security standards for an industry long dependent on informal approaches.

Stealth now secures hundreds of licensed operators across multiple states. As the cannabis industry matures into an attractive target, their offerings safeguard owner and customer interests against criminal threats.

Cann

Founded in 2019, Cann fulfills an underserved market thirsting for cannabis social elixirs. Their microdosed beverages apply culinary and dosing techniques perfecting cannabis for unwinding and connecting much like a glass of wine.

Now sold in over 250 California dispensaries, Cann is mainstreaming cannabis through beverages appealing to influential health-conscious millennials and beyond. As tastes mature, Cann elevates cannabis to its rightful place alongside wine and craft beer.

3Chi

Founded in 2019, 3Chi saw unique potential in the emerging discovery of hemp-derived Delta-8 THC for enjoyable, functional cannabis products. Their success signals growing appetite for cannabis’ benefits in accessible new forms.

Rapid growth led by word-of-mouth sales validates 3Chi’s vision for Delta-8 THC as the logical next chapter in cannabis. By innovating production and applications, 3Chi unlocks prosperity through hemp.

Wurk

Founded in 2017, Wurk provides a suite of HR tools tailored to the unique needs of the cannabis industry. Their platform handles compliance, payroll, benefits and more for THC companies.

By centralizing HR solutions designed around cannabis workforce challenges, Wurk aims to save clients time, minimize risks, and support growth. Their vertical focus provides tailored optimization.

Olla

Founded in 2019, Olla offers white label e-commerce solutions tailored for cannabis dispensaries and delivery services. Their platform provides the backend tools to quickly launch branded storefronts.

By providing DIY customization, Olla empowers merchants to own their entire digital presence and customer experience. This aims to drive greater engagement and conversions compared to generic templates.

Delta Extrax

Founded in 2019, Delta Extrax manufactures and distributes hemp-derived Delta-8 products in permitted markets. Their offerings provide legal alternatives to Delta-9 THC used recreationally.

By developing specialty extraction and infusion processes for Delta-8, Delta Extrax makes potential wellness applications more accessible to consumers where approved. Their capabilities and compliance suit the evolving cannabis marketplace.

Fyllo

Founded in 2019, Fyllo provides technology solutions to manage regulatory workflows around cannabis marketing and operations. Their platform remains updated as rules evolve across jurisdictions.

By centralizing compliance tools and data, Fyllo keeps companies abreast of complex legal requirements involving digital ads, keywords, targeting, and more. This aims to reduce compliance risk and maximize marketing impact.

Confident Cannabis

Founded in 2015, Confident Cannabis provides a platform connecting testing labs, producers, and regulators to centralized, validated cannabis data. Their tools facilitate sample tracking, COAs, and recall management.

By standardizing data reporting processes, Confident Cannabis aims to bring consistency and confidence to the evolving cannabis testing landscape. Reliable market insights empower stakeholders to advance safely.

New Frontier Data

Founded in 2014, New Frontier Data offers market intelligence reports, federal and state policy analysis, and data-driven consulting services to help cannabis businesses, investors, and policymakers navigate the complex emerging landscape.

Key offerings include data on consumer demand, product preferences, demographics, purchasing trends, supply dynamics, regulatory changes, and regional market sizes. This market transparency helps customers identify risks and opportunities.

Headset

Founded in 2015, Headset offers a retail data analytics platform providing real-time market intelligence on cannabis sales, shopper insights, and product trends. Their dashboards help retailers and brands optimize assortments, promotions, and innovation.

Key data dimensions cover sales, product attributes, consumer segments, pricing, and market share down to the zipcode. Users gain visibility into leading indicators and opportunities not available elsewhere.

Petalfast

Founded in 2018, Petalfast offers cannabis brands an outsourced sales and marketing team to accelerate growth. Their expertise spans branding, sales, marketing, and distribution across dispensaries and wholesale channels nationwide.

Key capabilities include commercial strategy, product launch management, digital marketing, and a team of sales reps specializing in cannabis. This enables brands to quickly gain traction and scale without staffing up internally.

Cannalytics

Founded in 2019, Cannalytics has built technology to optimize inventory and supply chain decisions for cannabis retailers and distributors. Their algorithms forecast demand and product availability accounting for unique industry constraints.

Key platforms include PULSE for dispensary planning and ENVOY for distribution planning. Users gain insights to adjust assortment, steer production, and set competitive pricing – all backed by data science.

Conclusion

The future of cannabis entrepreneurship lies not just in making the most of the market growth, but in building sustainable, professional operations that can thrive in an increasingly sophisticated and quite competitive industry. Those who can balance these elements while maintaining agility and compliance will be best positioned to capture the tremendous opportunities that lie ahead.