The Largest Capital Raise in US Cannabis History
Guest post by KCSA Strategic Communications
In the latest edition of the Green Rush Podcast, Lewis and Anne sit down with George Allen, President of Acreage Holdings, the U.S.’ largest national cannabis operator and brand, to discuss the company’s $119 million funding round, the largest private equity round in U.S. cannabis history. George touches on how raising capital for the cannabis space differs vs. traditional industries and why the company was able to find greater success during this round of funding with high net worth individuals vs. institutional investors. In addition, George provides more insights on the recruitment of Former Speaker John Boehner to join the Acreage board, the valuation of licenses across the country and the pressure Wall Street is putting on the White house to move towards rescheduling cannabis.
George Allen is a seasoned executive with extensive financing and transaction experience, who was previously Chief Investment Officer of Cambridge Information Group (CIG), where he managed a portfolio of private and public direct investments as well as a collection of indirect investments, and founded an internally managed hedge fund focused on global growth equities.Mr. Allen managed corporate development at Blucora, a CIG Investment, guiding the company as it transformed into a successful public leader in its vertical that now operates independently, securing an extremely profitable investment for CIG on its four-year investment. Prior to Blucora, Mr. Allen spent nine years at Warburg Pincus, managing investments in the communication, media and technology sectors, and Goldman Sachs in New York and Hong Kong, where he invested capital in distressed securities.
Listen to the interview of George Allen of Acreage Holdings, hosted by Lewis Goldberg and Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications:
