Green Acre Capital just announced today that they have had the first close for Green Acre Capital Fund I, and they are on pace to raise their goal of $25 Million CAD (equivalent to roughly $19,082,500 USD) this quarter. The fund's focus on the Canadian cannabis market had drawn attention and investment from some of the industry's top names.
According to the fund's website, "Green Acre Capital is a private investment fund dedicated exclusively to the Canadian medical and recreational cannabis industry." Regarding Green Acre Capital's strategy, they invest "in sectors across the cannabis value chain including production, research, consumer products and retail."
The Investors
According to Green Acre Capital's press release this morning, Green Acre Capital Fund I has attracted funding from some of the top executives in the cannabis world, as well as fellow cannabis companies. A handful of the most noteworthy investors include:
Aphria Inc. (TSXV:APH) (OTC:APHQF) - One of the lead investors in Green Acre Capital Fund I, Aphria is a major player in the Canadian ACMPR Licensed Producer landscape. Aphria has been making more investments recently, such as their $8.4 Million CAD investment in Canabo Medical (TSXV:CMM) (OTC:CAMDF).
York Plains Investment Corp. - According to their website, York Plains Investment Corp. has more than $125 Million under management and is currently closed to new investment. Regarding York Plains' investment strategy, "the firm leverages a risk/reward proposition for idea generation and to evaluate assets [they] consider undervalued." York Plains is also a lead investor in the Green Acre Capital Fund I.
W. Brett Wilson - The third lead-investor of the Green Acre Capital Fund I, W. Brett Wilson is the co-founder of FirstEnergy Capital. In addition to being a successful investment banker and well-known philanthropist, Wilson was also on Season 3 of Dragons' Den.
Shawn Dym - Another investor in the Green Acre Capital Fund is Shawn Dym, managing director of York Plains Investment Corp (listed above). Prior to his position at York Plains, Dym served in senior management positions fro companies including Totally Green, Inc. and Just Energy Exchange Corp. Shawn Dym is also on the Board of Advisors for Green Acre Capital.
Lorne Gertner - Lorne Gertner is the co-founder of Tokyo Smoke and Cronos Group, formerly known as PharmaCan Capital Corp. (OTC:PRMCF).
Vic Neufeld - Vic Neufeld is the CEO and President of Aphria Inc. Prior to getting on board the Aphria train, Neufeld was a partner at Earnst & Young.
For more information on Green Acre Capital, be sure to check out their website. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter and check back soon as we will be adding a directory/database of cannabis focused private equity funds. This will be a helpful resource for those seeking investment in the cannabis space as well as for investors to watch where these funds are putting their money.
