Partners & Mentors
Validation Pilot Partners
We build long term, collaborative relationships to increase probability of success.
We build long term, collaborative relationships to increase probability of success.
Our partners commit to support the entrepreneurs who are driving change in the medical cannabis industry.
Our validation pilot partners commit time, workspace, equipment and other resources to help entrepreneurs map out and validate a scientific, technology or business milestone.
Our validation pilot partners
Benefits
- First access to the most exciting innovations in the industry and remarkable entrepreneurs
- Identify products and processes that can be integrated into your operations
- Strengthen your market position as an innovator in the industry
- Invitation to our in-person pitch night - where you will have the opportunity to network with our global comprehensive professional ecosystem
Interested in becoming a partner?
Click on the button below to get started filling in our online submission form!
Apply to be a strategic partnerYour scouting starts with us.
Mentor
Use your expertise to help startups grow
Our mentors are an awesome group of global experts in their field who are committed to supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs with the ideas and potential to significantly improve our industry and allow more patients access to the medicinal impact of cannabis.
Our mentors provide guidance and inspiration, close knowledge gaps, help in setting goals, strategic introductions, and identifying resources.
A front-row seat to the next generation of businesses in this emerging market.
Use your expertise to help startups grow!
Our Mentors
Dr. Yakir Rottenberg
Bio
Yakir Rottenberg, MD. MPH
Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Department of Oncology, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
Academic committee of the Multidisciplinary Center for Cannabinoid Research
Inventor of a few patents in the field of drug delivery.
Celia Daly
Bio
Celia Daly
Celia has 12 years of experience with growth strategy, marketing and fundraising in
new markets and startup ecosystems. She began her career in economic
development with a focus on entrepreneurship, but has spent the last 5+ years
working in marketing and operations at various cannabis firms.
Currently, Celia contracts with cannabis technology companies to improve
processes that support rapid top-line growth. Her recent work includes go-to-
market plans, marketing strategy, content development and fundraising design.
Most recently, she was also the Director of Operations for Poseidon Asset
Management, the longest running cannabis venture capital firm. In her role, she
conducted due diligence on growth-stage cannabis companies. Prior to joining
Poseidon, Celia was Director of Development and Operations at CanopyBoulder
where she coached founders to implement effective fundraising, marketing and
sales strategies with companies like Abaca, Happy Cabbage and Weller.
Celia holds a Masters of Business Administration in Impact Entrepreneurship from
Colorado State University and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from American
University.
Dr. Robert Foldes
Dr. Robert Foldes
Dr. Robert Foldes has been active in the cannabis industry since 2018 and was formerly Vice President of Product Development at VIVO Cannabis Inc., a publicly traded company with operations through several wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada, Australia and Germany. At VIVO, Robert led new product strategy and coordination of all activities from concept to launch. He was mostly focused on oils, vapes, topicals, edibles and new delivery formats and succeeded in the development and launch of several new cannabis products in Canada.
Dr. Foldes is an accomplished leader with strong business development and R&D background and is currently an industry consultant. In his career, he has worked with research institutes, start-ups, private, and public companies. He has negotiated and managed partnerships with multinational pharmaceutical companies. He has a record of success in securing financing from venture capital, industry, and government sources. Dr. Foldes has spent most of his career in the bio/pharma sector where he has also managed drug discovery and preclinical development efforts leading to first-in-human clinical trials. Dr. Foldes holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and an M.B.A. from the Schulich School of Business.
Narkis Tessler
Bio
Narkis Tessler
Narkis Tessler is Chief Strategy & Business Development Officer at Medocann Pharma – a best-in-class indoor cannabis cultivation company located in Israel. Narkis is also active in the cannabis industry as a strategic consultant, a conference speaker, an advisor to the student run cannabis entrepreneurship program at Israel’s Reichman University and former co-host of CannaCAST-IL, a podcast that provided global exposure to Israel’s medical cannabis technologies and innovations. She’s also managing partner of a small private investment group.
Prior to her work in Cannabis, Narkis held executive positions in leading organizations and built numerous companies and P&L divisions, in retail, consumer goods, biotech technologies and medical services. Additionally, she has served on the boards of directors in both public and government companies in industries ranging from infrastructure to tourism to security systems.
Narkis is a member of the Israel Government Companies Authority pool of qualified directors. She holds an MBA from Tel Aviv University in Israel, and a BA from Emory University in the U.S.
In her volunteer work Narkis established ‘Directors for Change’, an activist group promoting diversity in the boardroom, and has volunteered as a mentor in non-profit organizations, providing strategic consulting to Israel’s social non-profits.
Andrew Miller
Bio
Andrew Miller,
VP business development at Clever Leaves.
Irit Avisar
Bio
Irit Avisar
Irit Avisar, is a registered nurse and a lawyer with BA in Nursing, Law, MA in
Health Systems Administration and a mediator graduate of a practicum at the Labor Court.
Irit has three decades of experience as a nurse as well as experience in the field of clinical trials globally. She is a leader in the field of medical cannabis and one of the most clinically knowledgeable nurses in
the field of medical cannabis. She conducts lectures to doctors, nurses,
pharmacists, and various therapists. She also initiated and developed a
curriculum for nurses-as-consultants, in the field of treatment by medical
cannabis. To date, she has trained hundreds of nurses and teaches courses
in leading nursing schools at Sheba medical center, Kaplan medical center,
Sapir medical center and Ben Gurion University. She is also a world-wide
lecturer at international conferences around the world. In her pursuit to
take the world of healthcare services a step further, Irit co-founded of an association dedicated to the advancement of knowledge among medical
staff. In recent years, Irit runs a cannabis counseling clinic which accompanies and advises patients and doctors in various medical fields, including rare diseases.
Her current endeavor focuses on the development of protocols for clinical trials in the field of medical cannabis education for health professionals.
Dr. Ran Abuhasira
Bio
Ran Abuhasira, MD PhD
Department of Internal Medicine B, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus.
Completed his PhD at the Cannabis Clinical Research Institute (CCRI) under the supervision of Prof. Victor Novack. His study focused on assessing the safety and efficacy of medical cannabis in the elderly population.
Has vast experience in design and execution of clinical studies and clinical trials.
Lilac Mandeles
Bio
Lilac Mandeles
Lilac has years of experience as a business development and marketing executive in the pharmaceutical sector at Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly and Teva Pharmaceutical, where she led the global strategic marketing of Copaxon, a $4B MS medicine. After surveying as a VP global marketing, research and development for medical cannabis firm Better, she founded TechForCann, a Tel Aviv-based company that specialized in adaptation of innovative technologies into the Cannabis Industry.
Lilac is currently the CEO of TechforCann Europe Accelerator, a Malta based company that identify and accelerate IP/tech based start-ups in the medical cannabis industry.
She is also a member of the Board of Directors in Nezer Hasharon – formerly Israel Military Industries and a board member in startups companies from the Cannabis industry: Cannafoam and ImmunoCann.
Lilac has extensive global experience developing strategies worldwide in global marketing positions at Kafrit (Chemical industries) and Teva Pharmaceutical and as a consultant of the Israeli export institute. She holds an MBA from Hebrew University in Jerusalem an a Bachler in Chemistry with honor.
Dr. Oded Wachsman
Bio
Oded Wachsman, M.D., M.B.A
Dr. Oded Wachsman is a very experienced entrepreneur with extensive experience in founding and managing Medical device and Biotech start-up companies leading them through all stages of technology and business development as founder and CEO .
Dr. Wachsman is involved in founding and managing life science startup companies, business development, strategic planning, and due diligence and fund raising to life science start-up, academic institutions, venture capital funds and investment banking firm to public companies and he is a mentor to startup companies.
Chris Busuttil
Bio
Chris Busuttil
Chris is a passionate entrepreneur, curious scientist and creative leader as well as a proven businessman. He has built Evolve Ltd. within the Attard & Co. group from scratch as a business vehicle to offer services such as Designing, Equipping, Maintaining of scientific workspaces as well as Training of many industry professionals.
He recently successfully internationalised the Evolve brand, becoming the first company in the world to design and build an EU-standard GMP laboratory in West Africa. In fact, Evolve now employs 36 professionals based in Malta, also serving sub-Saharan Africa. Evolve, led by Mr Busuttil Delbridge, also played a pivotal role in the design and build of the first medical cannabis processing facility in Malta, the design, build, equipping and maintaining of the largest independent GMP testing lab in Europe and the introduction of molecular biology diagnostic testing methods in the Maltese healthcare industry. Mr Busuttil Delbridge has been a leading supporter of Malta’s switch to higher technological ventures like the production of pharmaceuticals, state-of-the-art technology in healthcare and semiconductors.
He also set up and Chairs two units within the Malta Chamber of Commerce, the ‘Medical Cannabis Operators business section’, as well as the ‘Quality Committee’, to bolster the highest quality standards in all aspects of business and the Maltese economy. The entrepreneurial spirit was always present in Chris since his youth when he represented Malta twice in International scientific competitions, was a cofounder of the Junior section of the Malta Chamber of Scientists, sat on the organising committee of Science Week and served as the student representative of the Faculty of Science during all his tenure at the University of Malta.
Vinícius Moraes de Carvalho
Bio
Vinícius Moraes de Carvalho
Vinícius has over ten years of experience working as an investor, founder, and operator at the intersection of finance and tech. He has been an active venture capital investor at leading funds in Europe and Latin America and holds an MBA from ESADE (Spain).
Benefits
- Access the most exciting entrepreneurs in the industry
- Be presented as an optional board director or chairperson for the startups
- Strengthen your market position as an innovator in the industry
- Invitation to our in-person pitch night - where you will have the opportunity to network with our global comprehensive professional ecosystem
Interested in becoming a mentor?
Click on the button below to get started filling in our online submission form!
Apply to be a mentor