Cannabis is quickly becoming one of the most high-value crops in the United States. However, as more states come online, the price per pound of cannabis continues to drop. This trend is normal - just a symptom of supply and demand - but is obviously concerning for cultivators. While there’s not much a cultivator can do to change supply and demand, they can ensure a high quality product (and thus, more profits) that is both disease free and pesticide free.

Nick Hofmeister and Dr. Jon Vaught understand this need. And, in order to aid in the reduction of pest and disease, founded Front Range Biosciences (FRB), an agricultural biotech company. Their goal is to bring scientific tools to modern agriculture, improving the reliability, efficiency, and safety for cultivators and consumers. While the company is rooted in cannabis, they now serve other high-value crop markets as well.

Despite the company being only a few years old, Vaught and Hofmeister are no newbies. Nick Hofmeister is a fundraising machine, having raised over $270 million for ventures in his career. He has also founded 5 technology startups. Meanwhile, Dr. Jon Vaught has a PhD in Organic Chemistry and has worked on everything from chronic disease mapping to detection of food-borne pathogens. When their forces combine, these founders make an unstoppable team.  

So, how did these two find each other and begin working on FRB?

Hofmeister and Vaught met through a mutual friend who knew they had shared experience in biotech startups and an interest in bringing science to cannabis. After a year of research, corporate structuring and regulatory work, the two founders decided disease was the greatest issue facing the cannabis industry and set out to create a Clean Stock™ tissue culture and varietal development program.

Once Vaught and Hofmeister found their path, they chose to participate in CanopyBoulder’s spring 2016 accelerator program. They, along with Managing Directors Patrick Rea and Micah Tapman, knew the industry was ready for a science-based cannabis company and CanopyBoulder was a no-brainer. Choosing an accelerator helped them move quickly, capitalizing on the opportunity before the industry was too saturated. Their participation in CanopyBoulder also gave them access to an invaluable network of cannabis industry professionals.

“Through the accelerator, we met both cannabis investors and cultivators”, explains Hofmeister. “The relationships we were able to make through the CanopyBoulder network helped us raise the funds we needed and speed up our time to market”

It has been two short years since the team left CanopyBoulder and their growth has been nothing short of impressive. In those two years, they’ve opened a lab, a new office and now a greenhouse in Lafayette, Colorado. They’ve also expanded their team, adding Dr. Cecilia Zapata to the team in early 2017. Dr. Zapata, who now serves as VP of Nursery, is not new to this world. Previously, she served as a Lab Manager at Ball Horticultural and led the tissue culture program for Driscoll’s, the world’s largest producer of berries. With Dr. Zapata at the helm of FRB’s tissue culture program, the company developed its proprietary Clean Stock™ program, which offers disease and pesticide-free plant starts in a sterile environment.

Front Range Biosciences new greenhouse in Lafayette, CO

Most recently, FRB has expanded their reach, restoring and revitalizing a historic greenhouse in Lafayette, Colorado to allow for better lighting and climate control along with easier manipulation of plants life cycles - all while conserving energy. The new greenhouse will be used to expand FRB’s Clean Stock™ program, adding 12,000 sq feet of propagation space to the operation. With the new greenhouse, the company will be able to produce 75,000 additional hemp rooted cuttings per month, increasing production by 400%.

FRB has had a busy two years but we know their growth is just beginning. As the industry moves into a more commercial and regulated world, the scientific tools that FRB are bringing to the table will be increasingly important. We don’t know what’s next for them but we’re excited to watch from the front lines.