Founder’s Field Guide
Episode 2 How Regulation Unlocks Opportunity
Founder’s Field Guide

Episode 2: How Regulation Unlocks Opportunity

How Regulation Unlocks Opportunity

Justin Singer is the founder and CEO of Caliper Foods and Stillwater Brands. We cover how regulation creates or destroys business and investing opportunities, the path of marijuana legalization, and the ins and outs of the cannabis industry.

This episode is brought to you by:

Microsoft for Startups. Microsoft for Startups is a global program dedicated to helping “enterprise-ready” B2B startups successfully scale their companies. If you’re a founder running a B2B company targeting the enterprise, you should definitely check them out.

Vanta. Vanta has built software that makes it easier to both get and maintain your SOC 2 report, at a fraction of the normal cost. Founders Field Guide listeners can redeem a $1k off coupon at vanta.com/patrick.

[00:02:51] – How changes in regulation create market opportunities 

[00:05:38] – Why VC’s need to pay attention to regulatory changes

[00:06:50] – Story of Section 230 of the communication decency act

[00:08:54] – Relationships between rules, laws, and free markets

[00:11:56] – How regulatory changes impacted recent business ventures

[00:13:30] – His initial interest in the cannabis space

[00:17:28] – How the industry participants have changed over time

[00:21:04] – An overview of the cannabis industry and different pieces of the chain

[00:25:51] – What has led to delays in the legalization of the marijuana industry

[00:28:52] – How the dosage of the product impacts the business 

[00:31:34] – CBD vs THC industry differences

[00:32:53] – How much of this industry is left to be unlocked and potential timing

[00:35:55] – Business and investing opportunities in the space

[00:38:16] – Competitive frontier in cannabis

[00:40:37] – The timeline and pending changes coming

[00:43:03] – Margins and business factors of his business

[00:45:51] – First big break for the business

[00:49:47] – What he learned working under Tim Wu

[00:50:34] – Why we are in the golden error for fraud

[00:52:11] – Avoiding fraud 

[00:55:12] – What he wants to learn more about in the cannabis space

[00:56:50] – Kindest thing anyone has done for him

How Regulation Unlocks Opportunity

Introduction

Patrick
My guest today is Justin Singer, the founder, and CEO of Caliper Foods and Stillwater Brands, two leading companies in the cannabis industry. We start our conversation with a fascinating discussion on how regulation creates or destroys business and investing opportunities, and then go on to discuss the ins and outs of the cannabis industry in detail. You’ll be able to tell quickly how high-quality Justin is as a thinker and operator, and you’ll learn a ton about this nascent business. Please enjoy our conversation.

Regulation Changes = Business Opportunity

Patrick
So Justin, I thought that an interesting place to begin our conversation is with your prior life and this interesting view you have around changes in regulation, creating market opportunities. Maybe you could highlight what you mean by that, relative to say new technologies, creating opportunities in the early stage space or in the nascent equity space. Why is regulation so important and what are some of your favorite examples of that?

Access the full transcript
Sign in or register to view episode transcripts.

Contact

Get in touch at help@joincolossus.com