NEW YORK – LeafLink, the world’s largest online wholesale cannabis platform connecting over 10,000 licensed cannabis brands, retailers and distributors, today announced Artie Minson is joining as the company’s President and Chief Operating Officer. Minson will also join LeafLink’s Board of Directors. In this new role, Minson will be responsible for managing operations, sales, marketing, customer service, and corporate functions to support the company’s scaling technology services. Minson will report to LeafLink’s Co-Founder and CEO Ryan G. Smith.
Minson brings to LeafLink deep leadership experience in finance and operations, scaling businesses, deepening customer relationships and managing technology-enabled businesses in regulated industries. Prior to joining LeafLink, Minson founded 715 Capital Partners, which provides early-stage capital and advice on strategy and operations to technology-enabled subscription businesses. Minson’s prior roles include Co-CEO, President, COO, and CFO of WeWork, CFO of Time Warner Cable, and COO and CFO of AOL. Minson received a master’s degree in business administration from Columbia Business School and a bachelor’s degree in accounting cum laude from Georgetown University. Minson and Smith are both graduates of Regis High School in New York City.
“Artie has an exceptional track record scaling and operating large-scale complex businesses in dynamic industries,“ said Ryan G. Smith, Co-Founder and CEO of LeafLink. “His partnership comes at a pivotal moment in the cannabis industry as legalization becomes the norm in states from coast-to-coast with LeafLink’s technology powering the space.”
“Ryan and the team at LeafLink have built the industry’s leading B2B technology platform with approximately $5 billion in transaction volume in 2021,” said Matias Van Thienen, Partner at Founders Fund. “Attracting seasoned leaders like Artie is critical to the long-term success of the legal cannabis industry given the complex regulatory environment and expected growth.”
“I am thrilled to be joining LeafLink at such an important time for the company, our customers, the states we operate in and the industry,” said Artie Minson, incoming President and Chief Operating Officer of LeafLink. “As states across the country embrace the health, economic and social gains associated with the normalization of medical and recreational cannabis, it is imperative that the cannabis ecosystem is supported by best-in-class technology products such as LeafLink. LeafLink’s technology solution has established a safe, efficient and compliant marketplace that our customers and the states we operate in can rely on. With over 40% market share and a unified technology platform that empowers operators to specialize and scale, LeafLink has helped bring the cannabis industry into the digital age, revolutionizing the way brands, distributors and retailers manage their operations.”
Minson continued: “LeafLink’s unified technology platform includes the industry’s largest wholesale marketplace, most advanced supply-chain management solutions, best-in-class data and analytics tools as well as innovative payment and advertising solutions. Most importantly, Ryan, Zach, and the world-class investors at LeafLink have a clear goal of building a blue chip technology company with industry-leading customer service and I am incredibly excited about joining the team as we execute against this incredible growth opportunity.”
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About LeafLink
LeafLink is the cannabis industry’s B2B platform and has revolutionized the way thousands of brands, distributors, and retailers manage their operations. Their industry-defining tools make it easier for cannabis businesses to create, manage, pay for, and ship their orders, so they can focus on growing their businesses. LeafLink’s marketplace processed approximately $5 billion in annual orders in 2021, making up an estimated 40% of U.S. wholesale cannabis commerce. Currently, LeafLink serves 30 markets across the U.S. and Canada with a team of 300+ in New York City, Los Angeles, Austin and Toronto. Backed by leading venture capital firms and strategic investors such as Founders Fund, Thrive Capital, Nosara Capital and Lerer Hippeau, LeafLink has raised more than $131 million of equity to date as well as a $250 million credit facility to provide liquidity to the cannabis supply chain. Learn more at https://LeafLink.com/ <https://leaflink.com/>.
