ELLO Insights

04/20/2020

In our work serving the cannabis industry we experience innovation, celebrate positive impact, and find inspiration in every day. Today we are especially grateful to celebrate the industry – Happy 4/20 everyone!

From your friends at the MGO | ELLO Cannabis practice

02/17/2020

MGO | ELLO Cannabis 50 honoree, Al Harrington, CEO of ViolaLabs and a former NBA player hosted a luxury suite and smoke lounge during the NBA’s All-Star weekend in Chicago. See how he and other nominees have positively impacted the cannabis and h**p industry at cannabis50.com

The Cannabis 50 Impact Review by MGO | ELLO

02/07/2020

The countdown begins. Are you ready for the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Miami? Representatives from our Advisory, Audit, Accounting, Tax, Executive Recruiting, Realty, Technology and Creative services will be there, as well as our investment bank ELLO Capital. We look forward to connecting.

02/05/2020

For the next Cannabis 50 Q&A, we sit down with Jim Belushi, founder of Belushi's Farm. We tackle the personal journey that led him to cannabis, his deep commitment to the healing potential of the plant, and his approach to tackling obstacles and opportunities.

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We talk with actor, musician, cannabis entrepreneur and Cannabis 50 honoree Jim Belushi, to discuss his complex and rewarding journey.

02/03/2020

Congratulations to The Kansas City Chiefs for winning Super Bowl LIV. Although cannabis remains on the NFL’s banned substance list, many athletes like Eben Britton, former offensive tackle for the Chicago Bears and current Vice President of Athletes for CARE, are advocating for its medicinal benefits. See what Eben and some of the other athletes had to say at cannabis50.com

01/29/2020

Our next Q&A in the Cannabis 50 series is with Seke Ballard, founder of Good Tree Capital. We discuss how his technology overcomes lending industry bias and is breaking down barriers of entry into cannabis for social equity applicants and other aspiring entrepreneurs.

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Seke Ballard, founder of Cannabis 50 honoree Good Tree Capital, discusses breaking down barriers of entry into cannabis, and the importance of social equity.

01/28/2020

“Big institutional investors are now buying into cannabis, and [other] investors are taking notice.”
Hershel Gerson, CEO of ELLO Capital, and Scott Hammon, Leader of the MGO | ELLO Cannabis Practice shared some insights with Javier Hasse of Forbes as we saw overall deals decline, but venture capital investments nearly doubled in 2019.

Even though overall number of deals declined in the cannabis space over 2019, when compared to 2018, venture capital investments nearly doubled. Here's what you need to know.

01/27/2020

Karl Kispert, CEO of MGO Technology Group, LLC, says "...2020 will show a spike in breaches for a number of reasons; consolidation in the industry, competition is fierce, and there is a lot of money here." See how we can help prevent these breaches at mgocpa.com

Cannabis Data Breach Leaks 85,000 Dispensary FilesThu / Jan 23rd TG Branfalt347SHARESFacebookTwitterA data breach discovered in the cannabis point-of-sale system THSuite has reportedly leaked more than 85,000 files from dispensaries, including patient info, throughout the U.S. Full story after the j...

01/24/2020

Thank you to Che Consulting for sharing our Cannabis 50 Impact report. In our work serving the cannabis industry, we’ve found inspiration in the creativity and fearlessness of our clients, allies, and the leaders we admire. Thank you to all of our honorees for moving the industry forward in a positive light and we're excited for what this year holds in store.

"I believe wholeheartedly in the concept of restorative justice. The potential for this industry to be a catalyst of change is high. We cannot miss this opportunity to build social cohesion and rebuild communities."

Good Tree Capital Founder & CEO Seke Ballard has pushed Illinois into a new era of cannabis legalization & people are noticing his impact. Seke was recently included in Macias Gini & O'Connell LLP & ELLO Insights's "Cannabis 50" for his dedication to "supporting social equity through innovative funding solutions."

See the full report here: https://www.mgocpa.com/cannabis50

01/22/2020

As we continue our Cannabis 50 interview series, our second Q&A is with Cassandra Farrington, Co-Founder of Ma*****na Business Daily. MGO sat down with Cassandra to discuss the past, present, and future of cannabis and the foundational role MJBizDaily has played in helping shape a responsible, sustainable industry. Read it now.

Cassandra Farrington, co-founder of Cannabis 50 honoree MJBizDaily, discusses the future of cannabis and keys to building a responsible industry.

01/18/2020

Liz Connors, Director of Analytics at Headset, was interviewed at at the Passport to Canada booth (an alliance between MNP, Aird & Berlis LLP, CSE - Canadian Securities Exchange, and Macias Gini & O'Connell LLP). In this interview, Liz discusses data on what consumers are buying and where the industry is headed in 2020. Check out Headset and other companies making a positive impact in the Cannabis industry at www.cannabis50.com

Watch this interview: https://bit.ly/365CaZL

The Cannabis 50 Impact Review by MGO CPAs & Advisors