At the upcoming Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference (CCC), financial news, technology and events company Benzinga is partnering with advocacy organization Women Grow to highlight the importance of women-owned businesses. Women Grow connects, educates, inspires and empowers the next generation of industry leaders. The Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference is taking place on Sept. 13-14, 2022, at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago.

Through this partnership, four women-owned cannabis businesses will have their sponsorship fees waived and several more will get to showcase their products and brands at no cost in the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference exhibit hall. These companies will also have access to Benzinga’s unparalleled network of investors and industry leaders as well as an opportunity to network with them in a face-to-face setting. The Benzinga team will facilitate introductions to jumpstart these conversations.

Gia Morón, president of Women Grow, said the goal of this partnership is to create a broader opportunity for women in cannabis.

“Together we will work on getting women into rooms with investors, investment presentations and high net worth networking circles. Furthermore, we will work to identify women leaders and business owners to present at Benzinga conferences. Look for women leaders on podcasts in the coming months,” Morón said.

“Through this partnership, we hope to celebrate diversity and paint a more equitable picture of the industry across our stages,” added Patrick Lane, senior vice president of partnerships at Benzinga.

Javier Hasse, head of content at Benzinga, called this a positive first step. “While gestures are often not enough, this is a good starting point to place emerging brands on an equal footing with major operators in the cannabis space. By showing how our industry can and should look if we all commit to supporting women-owned brands, we could well inspire others to do the same,” he said.

At the conference:

• Meet with companies representing more than 90% of the cannabis industry’s market capitalization in one place. Find exclusive opportunities for curated networking and unparalleled access to private deal flow.
• Hear directly from executives of top-performing companies and glean priceless insights from the world’s leading cannabis investors. Attend the conference where the Trulieve Cannabis team met Harvest Health & Recreation, ultimately leading to a $2.1 billion acquisition; where countless companies met investors who supported them with tens of millions; and where the cannabis industry meets mainstream finance behemoths like Ricky Sandler, Whitney Tilson and Tim Seymour.

As an investor, the CCC is a unique opportunity to learn from and about companies that are leading the advancement of the cannabis space.

The conference will feature keynotes, panel discussions, fireside chats, networking spaces, company presentations, an exhibit floor as well as investor and celebrity appearances.

A series of scholarships in partnership with WomenGrow, Minorities for Medical Marijuana and the Minority Cannabis Business Association will be provided to enable and support access for women- and minority-owned businesses.

Social equity passes will be offered for those who qualify and a percentage of all event ticket sales will be donated to the Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cannabis criminal justice reform.