Last week, we headed to Austin for SXSW 2023 in order to present our panel "Can the Union of Equity and Tech Save Cannabis" on the Cannabis Track. We were joined on stage by some of the most respected names in the industry and we were honored to share our insights with such an engaged and passionate audience.

The goal of presenting our panel was to identify the pain points in the cannabis industry that could be resolved through equity-based tech solutions, with actionable takeaways cannabis and tech companies alike can implement today to drive forward momentum in both industries.

Pictured: Vince C. Ning, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Nabis, Michelle Mendoza, Vice President of Innovation at Sweet Flower, Tanisha Robinson, and Steven Jung, Chief Operating Officer at Pax

In addition to presenting our panel, we also had the opportunity to attend other presentations and talks from some of the top experts in the industry. Here are some our key takeaways:

• Diversity and inclusion are important topics, with many sessions and events focused on creating more diverse and inclusive workplaces and communities.
• Social impact and activism are increasingly prominent, with discussions and workshops focused on how technology can be used to address societal issues and promote positive change.
• Cannabis and psychedelics are steadily becoming more prominent topics of interest, with discussions on how to best intersect technology with these two emerging industries.

We were humbled to have the opportunity to sponsor two different events during SXSW 2023, which included the SXSW 2023 Outlaw Party, hosted by Last Prisoner Project and Psychoactive Rising, hosted by Grasslands and Vicente.

The Outlaw Party was put together in support of Last Prisoner Project’s mission to free tens of thousands of individuals currently incarcerated for cannabis in the US.

Psychoactive Rising aimed to fundraise for the microdosing collective and provide a space for connection amongst cannabis and psychedelic professionals.

Overall, SXSW provides a unique platform for innovators, creators, and thought leaders to come together and explore the latest trends and ideas in a variety of fields. We hope to see ya’ll again there next year.