Matt Hawkins

Matt Hawkins is the founder and managing principal of Entourage Effect Capital (EEC), formerly known as Cresco Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused specifically on investing in the legalized cannabis industry. Since 2014, the firm has invested out of two funds co-investment vehicles and special purpose entities and has over $160MM in AUM, and is currently raising its third fund. Prior to the founding of EEC, he was a partner and President of a private real estate investment company which acquired REO and NPL from banks and financial institutions across the country, with particular interest in multifamily residential and self-storage assets. The company completed more than 55 bank-direct acquisitions, deploying over $500MM of capital since Q4 2008. In 2013 alone, the company bought close to 10,000 Class B and Class C value-add multifamily units across the Sunbelt of the United States. 

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Michael Apstein

Michael Apstein is the Principal Founding Partner at Primary Growth Partners (PGP). As a CEO and strategic business operator he has a track record of success including building two “Top 1000 Brands” in the US, several companies to mid-market revenues, and multiple exits. Recognized as a national branding and marketing expert, Michael has been profiled in the WSJ, Success, Money, and NBC’s Dateline. Having often operated in the Health & Wellness sector, Michael began looking at the California cannabis market in 2017, and formed PGP with two partners in 2018 in response to a direct need he saw in the marketplace - lack of cohesive strategies, under-developed brands, inexperienced operators, and marketing and distribution challenges. PGP fulfills those mission critical roles for select legacy, early stage, and emerging cannabis companies as a hands-on stakeholder, mitigating risk through deep operating expertise. PGP works with investors seeking direct investment opportunities in PGP Clients. 

 

Mitch Kulick

Mitch Kulick is a co-founder and partner of Feuerstein Kulick and is the head of Feuerstein Kulick’s Cannabis, Securities and Corporate Departments. Mitch brings a wealth of practical experience and knowledge to his practice and clients as a result of the many hats that he has worn during his 25-year legal career. Mitch’s current client base is primarily comprised of companies, funds, and investors focused on the cannabis industry both in the U.S. and abroad. Mitch advises his clients in all aspects of the cannabis space ranging from corporate governance to capital markets transactions to regulatory compliance. Mitch has also worked directly with state regulatory and licensing bodies in Alaska, California, Connecticut, Maryland, and New Mexico.

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Prior to co-founding Feuerstein Kulick, Mitch was the General Counsel of Steep Hill Labs, Inc., the country’s first commercial cannabis lab (Oakland 2007) and a current Feuerstein Kulick client. At Steep Hill, Mitch was the Company’s liaison to Steep Hill’s investors and government regulators and also served as the in-house investment banker and lawyer for the Company. Mitch is a charter member of the International Cannabis Standards Board and has been a featured speaker in numerous Cannabis seminars and other industry group functions.

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Ryan Ansin

Ryan Ansin is an entrepreneur, early-stage investor, and philanthropist focused on using the combination to generate returns and positive impact for those in the targeted communities wherein he works. Today, Ansin splits his time between multiple entities. As an investor and advisor, Ansin has built a portfolio of industry-changing start-ups and growth stage companies in the tech, health tech, ethical fashion, and real estate.  Ansin currently spends most his time leveraging abandoned mill buildings in Massachusetts to aid in the fast-expansion of the medicinal marijuana industry while revitalizing strained, post-industrial era cities across the state. He has invested in both the cultivation and dispensary networks, as well as the advanced technologies to bring the outdated cannabis cultivation practices into the 21st century.