The South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference & Festivals, a major gathering in Austin, TX that will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year, is known for allowing attendees to discover the newest original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Part of event, which runs from March 11-20, includes the SXSW Interactive Festival, which takes place from the 11th through the 15th and offers compelling presentations and panels from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable lineup of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer.

Last year, SXSW Interactive dipped its proverbial toe into the water with cannabis content, including a panel Cannabis: Past, Present and Exciting Future.  Speakers included Philippe Lucas and Joshua Eades from Tilray, the Canadian licensed producer, Constance Finley, the CEO of Constance Therapeutics and Kevin Chen, the COO and Co-Founder of Hyasynth Bio, which is focused on using DNA synthesis and metabolic engineering to redesign yeast to produce cannabinoids.

This year, the organizers of SXSW Interactive really stepped it up and will offer four panel discussions. Alexander Rodriguez, CEO of Cannar in Washington, will lead a Mentor Session,  Pot Pioneer: Marijuana Opportunities & Pitfalls.  Brendan Kennedy of Privateer Holdings and Geoff Lewis of Founders Fund, which led the Series B investment at Privateer Holdings, and Timothy Yim of Startup Policy Lab, will participate in Enabling Cannabis Innovation with Law and Policy.  Elizabeth Conway of Gide, LLC and Keith McCarty of Eaze will particpate in Ending Cannabis Prohibition: Tech Politics Culture.  Finally, Martin Lee of Project CBD, Annelise Barron of Stanford University, Constance Finley of Constance Therapeutics and  Kevin Chen of Hyasynth Bio will participate Beyond The Leaf: Cannabis Grows Up.

In addition Tradiv, a recent graduate of the CanopyBoulder accelerator program, has been selected to be part of the Startup Spotlight Exhibition on March 14th.  Tradiv operates an online marketplace for the wholesale market, operating currently in Colorado.  The company’s Founder and Executive Chairman, Aeron Sullivan, and its Chief Marketing Officer, Lisa Buffo, will showcase the company’s technology, according to a press release the company issued.

Exclusive article by Alan Brochstein, CFA

Based in Houston, Alan leverages his experience as founder of online community 420 Investor, the first and still largest due diligence platform focused on the publicly-traded stocks in the cannabis industry. With his extensive network in the cannabis community, Alan continues to find new ways to connect the industry and facilitate its sustainable growth. At New Cannabis Ventures, he is responsible for content development and strategic alliances. Before shifting his focus to the cannabis industry in early 2013, Alan, who began his career on Wall Street in 1986, worked as an independent research analyst following over two decades in research and portfolio management. A prolific writer, with over 650 articles published since 2007 at Seeking Alpha, where he has 70,000 followers, Alan is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and a frequent source to the media, including the NY Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fox Business, and Bloomberg TV. Contact Alan: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Email