As the cannabis industry continues its unprecedented growth, so will its various uses and demands on a local, national, and global stage. Having weathered over seven decades of sanctions and prohibition, the cannabis plant is finally emerging, with undeniable societal influence. This pivotal moment calls for the need of comprehensive solutions to make up for lost time in terms of innovation, wealth generation, and reaching the full potential of the cannabis/hemp plant. Embracing technology within the cannabis industry presents a promising pathway to cultivate a sustainable ecosystem that fully capitalizes on the multiple benefits offered by this versatile plant, and surpasses conventional industry practices. 

Among these conventional practices in the technology sector are product marketplaces, inventory management platforms, and strain databases. CEED Inc is breaking into the cannabis industry as a first of its kind, with a focus on elevating ownership for entrepreneurs, returning citizens, and industry employees and professionals within the Black community. The platform distinguishes itself from the pack by combining similar elements of Groupon and Fiverr, centered on personalized services and experiences offered to the public. 

Below is a detailed profile of what CEED Inc does, and how it relates to cannabis industry employees and entrepreneurs.

What Is CEED? 

CEED Inc is an e-commerce technology company based in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia), with a platform reach servicing a global audience. The name was inspired by the seed itself, symbolizing a vital resource that nurtures sustenance and growth. CEED reflects our deep-rooted commitment in developing a thriving community with unwavering belief in its potential to sucCEED in the cannabis industry. As a website with mobile functionality, CEED acts as a one-stop-shop marketplace that provides a diverse range of freelance services and products that contribute to the education, navigation, and the showcasing of emerging opportunities and experiences in the hemp, ancillary, medical, and adult-use cannabis markets. The CEED marketplace features a comprehensive ecosystem of plant-touching and non-plant touching (ancillary) offerings provided by expert consultants, mentors, and advisors. 

When Was CEED Started? 

CEED Inc was founded by Tre’Von A. Dorsey in 2019. The founder was not only a medical patient and industry employee managing a medical dispensary when the idea was formulated in 2018, but also an entrepreneur, determined to change the landscape of the industry. After being denied a Maryland social equity license the same year; he understood the difficulties of finding reliable resources within the value-chain to satisfy the requirements of his state's cannabis governing agency, in such a short timeframe. Armed with a background in technology and inspired by the transformative teachings of Dr. Claude Anderson's PowerNomics, Tre'Von set out to make a meaningful difference in his community. His vision aligned perfectly with the upcoming launch of social equity cannabis licenses in his state and beyond.

Social Equity Blind Spots

Addressing social equity concerns has become a focal point nationwide as states introduce social equity programs to support communities disproportionately affected by the war on drugs. However, despite the introduction of these new initiatives and legislation, they are generating deceptive outcomes and overlooking key groups impacted by the drug war. The reality is, state officials have failed to clearly define, prioritize, and implement measures to assist those classified under this term. In the upcoming sections, we will detail our proposed solution for implementing measures that prioritize communities affected by the War on Drugs.

How Does CEED Work For Legacy Entrepreneurs? 

First, let's establish an understanding of the concept "legacy entrepreneurs", from a cannabis point of view. This includes individuals who have been involved or charged in activities such as possession, distribution, cultivation, or the transportation of cannabis. A disproportionately large number of individuals from the Black Community are currently incarcerated and disciplined for these actions, while states continue to profit billions, for these same transactions in the medical and recreational market. To add to insult, many of these states actively restrict formerly incarcerated individuals from participating in cannabis business ownership, even within the legal framework to work as employees. This observation suggests that there are underlying factors causing reluctance within the legal industry to coexist in the same market. 

A notable challenge faced by many states is the ongoing struggle to confront the enduring presence of the illicit cannabis market. For instance, in states like New York, the delay in rolling out recreational licenses led to a surge in legacy products due to technical setbacks and legal disputes. This presses the question; How can states prevent the legacy market from thriving on setbacks, while simultaneously establishing a framework that allows these entrepreneurs to actively participate in the industry?

The solution lies in recognizing and rectifying the glaring gap in the evolution of the cannabis industry. By excluding legacy entrepreneurs who played a pivotal role in fueling its origins and expansion during prohibition, we overlook rich offerings of expertise and experience crucial for industry advancements. Legacy entrepreneurs bring unparalleled insider insights, extensive industry know-how, and groundbreaking ideas to tackle the pressing issues facing the cannabis sector. These challenges include banking, quality standards, sustainable cultivation methods, distribution logistics, and robust product tracking mechanisms and beyond.

Recognizing these issues, CEED aims to provide a platform for legacy entrepreneurs to leverage their expertise in the cannabis industry. Bridging this gap, we can achieve a significant milestone in social equity. Legacy cannabis entrepreneurs, governing cannabis agencies, and the general public, stand to gain numerous benefits from this collaboration.

How Does CEED Work For Customers? 

The CEED platform serves a variety of professional and personal needs, allowing users to explore a wide range of industry applications, products, and services from various plant touching and ancillary services. Our users/customers can be classified as licensed cannabis/hemp business holders, entrepreneurs in search of industry licenses, and businesses/individuals with cannabis and cannabis-adjacent needs.

An example catering to cannabis-adjacent needs can be found on the CEED marketplace - scheduled appointment section. There, customers will have the option to book from digital and in-person appointments, in services such as homegrow. With many states permitting indoor/outdoor home grow, this presents opportunities in service providers teaching homeowners to cultivate their own medicine. These services will appear on the marketplace as a one time or routinely scheduled appointment that many cannabis consumers, patients, entrepreneurs, and experience seekers can take full advantage of. This scheduled appointments section represents just one of the many benefits offered on the CEED marketplace. 

Browse the Marketplace 

The CEED marketplace features a matchmaking algorithm in the initial registration process to suggest relevant resources to connect customers with services. These services include, legal, marketing, banking, business operations, security, compliance, and other relevant offerings. While browsing the marketplace, customers can favorite and add services and products to their cart, which contributes to the matchmaking algorithm finding exactly what is needed. Throughout the marketplace, customers will find three separate sections for services, products, and applications.

The following sections feature curated service providers across different categories, highlighting their offerings and product listings. Here, customers have options to discover how they can enrich their business or personal life. The CEED community of service providers possess a deep awareness of the evolving landscape within the cannabis industry and are dedicated to nurturing relationships with customers. Our end goal is to generate early stage discussions that create strong relationships to weather any disruptions in life or business operations that will occur.

Filter Your Experience 

Scrolling down our marketplace, users will have access to our industry applications search engine. This search engine provides filtering for states, business categories, application price ranges, ratings/reviews, and special keyword phrases. The industry applications search engine can be likened to Rotten Tomatoes, but instead of directing you to movie reviews, it serves as a platform to explore licensed opportunities available in the cannabis, hemp, and related industries, including psilocybin. Just as Rotten Tomatoes helps you discover and evaluate movies, our platform assists you in uncovering and assessing business prospects, partnerships, and ventures within the growing fields of cannabis, hemp, and adjacent sectors like psilocybin. Many ancillary, micro-business, and hemp licensed opportunities are overlooked and underutilized by entrepreneurs wanting to enter or transition into the industry because of the highly referenced dispensary, grower, or processing operations and applications made available. 

To begin using the search engine and filters, you can select a state or business type you would like to operate in, choose from our keyword phrases, or simply type your thoughts into the search bar. An example search in our search bar would include terms such as; storage, warehouse, transportation, security, delivery, hempcrete, beauty products, etc. Whatever your interest or current career field is, there may be a licensed opportunity or a service providing exposure to your desire in this emerging industry. We also enhance your search with specific keyword phrases that are tailored to your needs; keywords including, accepting applications, low application fees, social equity, returning citizens, no license limit, online business, and others keywords. These terms make it convenient to find states that offer pathways to traditional and nontraditional cannabis ownership opportunities. 

Rate Your Experience

Furthermore, customers can both peruse and contribute reviews based on their experiences with service providers, products, and Industry-based Applications, with the promise of future incentives, such as exclusive discounts and rewards, for those who generously share their valuable feedback. These reviews offer invaluable first hand feedback, resources, and research to aid in your pursuit of specific products, services, and state licenses; allowing you to gain insights from both the successes and failures of others on your journey. This in turn helps entrepreneurs make sound decisions when considering goods and services, or applying for state licenses. The CEED platform brings convience, transparency, and accountability to service/product suppliers and governing agencies leading, managing, instructing, and providing support for those considering their time, money, and energy, applying for licenses. These businesses can leverage this feedback to implement progressive measures that enhance their products and services to better cater to their markets’ needs. 

In part II of "How CEED Works," we'll get further into the advantages this platform offers, particularly focusing on how business owners can leverage CEED to enhance their operations. Stay tuned and visit us today to experience CEED!