BOULDER, Colo., Oct. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Canopy™, a venture fund and business accelerator for ancillary products and services companies in the legal cannabis industry, is pleased to announce open registration for its 2nd FREE JumpStart Conference for Entrepreneurs & Startups, as well as Demo Days in 4 cities to mark the graduation of its Fall 2017 CanopyBoulder cohort.

"When investing in cannabis startups, it is important to think about goals and success in the long-term rather than the short-term," said Micah Tapman, co-founder and Managing Director of Canopy's growth fund. "Canopy's accelerator program helps us to find and develop promising new companies, while allowing Canopy's growth fund to foster their future success as the industry continues to mature."

Canopy's nine companies will present their ancillary products and services to an audience of investors, industry VIPs, and select media in San Francisco on October 12th, Boulder on October 18th, Denver on October 19th, and Las Vegas on November 13th. 

In addition, Canopy will produce its 2nd FREE Canopy JumpStart Conference for Entrepreneurs & Startups on October 19th at Cultivated Synergy, a cannabis industry coworking and event space in Denver, Colorado. Further details around all the events are available at www.canopy.vc.

"Our fall cohort of computer vision, IoT, online education, quality management, industrial services, and software companies are focused on solving the pressing business problems of the legal cannabis industry," said Patrick Rea, co-founder and Managing Director of Canopy. "There is no better time to launch an innovative company in the cannabis industry."

Each company accepted to Canopy's 16-week business accelerator program receives $30,000 in seed funding and a chance to earn an additional $50,000 in during in the program. The Canopy investment model prioritizes connecting its portfolio companies with experienced mentors, industry pros, Canopy alumni, and a broader cannabis investor network, including investor members of Canopy partner, The Arcview Group.

The nine companies graduating from the fall cohort include:

• Virtugro has created a cloud-based connected indoor agriculture monitoring system that allows cultivators to cut waste and optimize yield. Founded by Mark Stratton of Silverthorne, CO, Russ Baker of Black Hawk, CO and Leland Sindt of Kansas City, KS.
• BDTNDR.co incentivizes budtenders to engage in a brand-focused learning management system modules and become experts on new products in the cannabis industry. Founded by Ebony Costain from Richmond, VA.
• Cannabis Quality Group is a cloud-based quality management software that reduces risk, streamlines quality processes, and designed to give cannabis companies more transparency and control over their increasingly complex supply chains. Founded by Donavan Bennett of Roswell, GA and Joe Novalany of Edison, NJ.
• Serene is a corporate wellness program for cannabis industry companies. The employees/users are incentivized to digitally record their health and wellness activities, and earn rewards. Founded by Ed Mcllory and Adam Bray, of London, England.
• Redfield Proctor solves efficiency problems in the cannabis industry and monetizes commercial grow waste. Founded by Stephen Martin of Quechee, VT.
• Dispenserly is an online software platform focused on helping dispensaries collect, analyze, monitor, and monetize consumer/customer reviews. Founded by Matt Cooke of Ann Arbor, MI and Kevin Smithwick of Storrs, CT.
• DeepGreen utilizes artificial intelligence and computer vision to identify problems in crops earlier than which can be identified by the human eye to decrease costs and increase margins. Founded by an international team hailing from France and Germany - Maxime Clauss and Maximilian Unfried.
• GreenScreens manages a rapidly growing network of digital flat-screens in dispensaries (and other retailers) that rotate menu information, education, and advertising to target customers in the store at the point of sale. Founded by Ryan Sterling and Martin DeFrance of Aspen, CO, and Jeremy Klammer of Denver, CO.
• 420 Klean is a central distributor of industry-specific cleaning products and services to cultivators, extractors, and dispensaries in the cannabis industry. Founded by John Kelly, Trever Boothby, Greg Pace, and Colin Wells of Steamboat Springs, CO.

Canopy is now accepting submissions for its 16-week Spring 2018 accelerator program in Boulder, CO, which offers up to $80,000 in seed funding for ancillary cannabis startups, as well as mentor and investor connections. Interested applicants can view full details and apply here.

About Canopy
Canopy is a venture fund and business accelerator that invests in companies developing ancillary products and services for the legal cannabis industry. Companies are handpicked to receive up to $80,000 in capital and participate in an intensive 16-week accelerator program. Canopy advisors and mentors work closely with each company, helping define business models, refine unique selling propositions, and focus marketing and fundraising activities. For more information, please visit www.canopyboulder.com.

About The Arcview Group
Founded in 2010, The Arcview Group is responsible for a number of groundbreaking ventures in the cannabis industry. The Arcview Investor Network includes more than 600 accredited investors who have put more than $152 million behind over 162 companies. Arcview Market Research produces the State of Legal Marijuana Markets report, which is the most oft-cited market data report. In 2015, Arcview became a partner in Canopy, the first seed-stage mentor-driven business accelerator in the cannabis industry. Arcview is also co-founder of Cannasure Insurance Services, the leading provider of business insurance to the cannabis industry. For more information, please visit www.arcviewgroup.com.