Privateer Holdings
| Industry | Private Equity Firm |
|---|---|
| Founded | (October 20, 2011) |
| Founder |
Brendan Kennedy Michael Blue Christian Groh |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Website | privateerholdings |
Privateer Holdings is a private equity firm that strategically invests in the legal medical cannabis field. Privateer Holdings is headquartered in Seattle, Washington and is the first firm in the US to focus entirely on cannabis-related companies. The firm's first investment round closed at $7 million on July 13, 2013. On January 8, 2015, Privateer Holdings announced that Founders Fund, one of the world’s largest venture capital firms with more than $2 billion in assets under management, had made a multimillion-dollar investment in Privateer Holdings’ Series B round. The investment marked the first time a major institutional player had placed capital in the cannabis industry. On April 7, 2015, the firm announced the completion of $75 million in Series B financing - the largest private capital raise in the legal cannabis industry to date. This brings the company’s fundraising total to $82 million.
Privateer Holdings portfolio companies include Leafly, the world's largest cannabis information resource, Tilray - a premium medical cannabis company located in Nanaimo, British Columbia, and Marley Natural - a partnership with the Bob Marley estate launching a line of cannabis strains, topicals and accessories.
Brendan Kennedy, Michael Blue, and Christian Groh founded Privateer Holdings in 2011. During its first investment round, the firm is developing a pool of $7 million for use in acquiring or starting businesses in the cannabis industry.
Privateer Holdings currently invests only in companies that are ancillary to the direct production or selling of cannabis. Companies in this segment of the industry might include media companies, software companies, and financial services such as insurance.
In 2012 Privateer Holdings acquired Leafly.com, a website that provides reviews of cannabis strains and dispensaries.
In November 2014, Privateer Holdings and Bob Marley's daughter Cedella launched the cannabis brand Marley Natural developed by the Marley family in conjunction with Privateer.
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