LAVA Healthcare Presents: 

Medical Cannabis: Blazing the Trail For New Healthcare Startups

Date: 23 October 2018

Time: 6:30pm - 9:00pm PDT

ASU California Center - 725 Arizona Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Free for paid LAVA Members   $40 for non-members

For decades the physical effects of chronic, life-threatening and terminal illnesses like cancer, MS and epilepsy have been treated with pharmaceutical drugs. However, the side effects of many pharmaceutical products used to manage pain have a significant negative impact for many users. The legalization of medical cannabis have not been legally available to patients worldwide. 

Medicinal Cannabis is one of the hottest emerging sectors attracting early stage investors hoping to capitalize on the potential growth and high returns. The $2.757 billion in legal California marijuana sales are expected to grow more than 18 % annually to hit $5.6 billion by 2020.

Our distinguished panel will discuss the growth of this market in the U.S. to support startups with ambitious goals to deliver medically compliant cannabis products and manage the global demand.

The Panel will:

1. Cover key topics in building a cannabis-related business in the U.S.
2. Challenges and opportunities in the current investment environment, and
3. What it will take for founders and entrepreneurs to establish their start-ups as an attractive investment.

Please join us on October 23^rd for an informative, interactive session and networking.

Panelists:

Daniel Yi

Daniel Yi is senior vice president of corporate communications and investor relations for MedMen Enterprises, the nation’s preeminent cannabis company and the most recognized brand in the emerging marijuana industry.

Mr. Yi is a seasoned communications executive with more than two decades of experience, including management roles at Edison International and the Port of Long Beach. He was also a staff writer and editor at the Los Angeles Times. He serves as the company’s principal spokesperson and is responsible for articulating MedMen’s "mainstreaming marijuana" message to various audiences. Mr. Yi speaks Portuguese, Spanish and Korean.

MedMen brings class leading operational expertise and unprecedented investment to the fast changing and fast-growing cannabis industry as it moves from its gray market legacy to a fully regulated, legitimate and commercially viable market. MedMen is also one of the nation’s largest financial supporters of progressive marijuana legalization efforts at local, state and federal levels.

 Dr. Nicco Reggente, PhD

Dr. Reggente is a neuroscientist and entrepreneur with a passion for building technology that bridges the gap between the scientific community and the public. He is particularly interested in leveraging machine learning to foster a personalized medicine approach within the cannabis industry.

Dr. Reggente is a co-founder of and certainly serves as CEO for WoahStork and Strain Genie, companies whose focus is to provide personalized cannabis recommendations to users based on their buying behavior and DNA, respectively. Dr. Reggente received his PhD from UCLA in Cognitive Neuroscience and two B.A degrees from NYU in Psychology and Philosophy.

Harry Nelson

Harry Nelson, co-chairman of the Adaptive Health Capital board and member of the investment committee, is a leading healthcare advisor best known for the eponymous law firm he founded, Nelson Hardiman, LLP.  At Adaptive Health Capital, he specializes in healthcare transaction advisory services and funding—Mergers & Acquisitions, bridge financing, etc.  Beyond his healthcare, life sciences, and legal expertise, Harry is known nationally as a consummate leader at the intersection of healthcare law and business, as evidenced by his role in co-founding five healthcare-related start-ups in the last decade.  Deeply immersed in healthcare transformation and innovation; he frequently speaks on cutting edge issues and the future of the industry itself.  Proactively tackling timely healthcare issues, Harry is the co-author of the recent book, “From Obamacare to Trumpcare,” a survey of healthcare policy leading up to the Affordable Care Act and a prediction for the future direction of U.S. healthcare. 

Harry’s thought leadership around the healthcare and life sciences industry has driven many next-generation healthcare ideas and initiatives to realization, including telehealth and other modalities of digital health and behavioral health.

Panel Moderator:

Paul Dinsmore

Mr. Dinsmore is a regular contributor the Los Angeles Venture Association (LAVA) Healthcare Strategic Interest Group. He is active in the global medicinal cannabis market through his work with LeafCann, the Australian-based Medicinal Cannabis firm and its North American partners.

Mr. Dinsmore earned his B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University his MBA & MSIA from Carnegie Mellon University.

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