David Friedman

Abstrax is a California-based company that is a leader of cannabis research and product development with a specific focus on the study of botanical and cannabis-derived functional flavors and fragrances (also known as terpenes and aroma compounds). The terpene industry is a rapidly growing segment of the global flavor & fragrance market which is expected to grow to $35 billion by 2024. This market segment includes the cannabis, CBD, skincare, cosmetics, and food and beverage industries. As a leading innovator in the industry, Abstrax offers the largest catalogue of award-winning, botanically-derived terpene flavor and fragrance blends.  With a state-of-the-art type 7 cannabis licensed laboratory located in Long Beach CA and unparalleled customer service, we are dedicated to offering new and precedent-setting terpene flavor systems. We leverage the technical expertise of our scientific staff and our proprietary equipment which is specifically designed to study and extract complex mixtures of botanical aroma compounds via three-dimensional analysis of strain profiles. We work with internationally recognized brands and product developers to create products that thrill our customers. Our custom terpene and product formulations are designed for use in vapes, concentrates, skincare topicals, tinctures, alcohol, food, energy drinks, personal care, and more. We help our partners and brands develop their cannabis inspired products from concept to production.

Semasio, a Samba TV company, is on a mission to harness the power of predictive intelligence now and in the future. We help data-driven marketers connect and build trust with consumers safely by creating access to a world where ads align with the content customers consume - the responsible way to drive growth in a privacy-first world.

Green Check is the leading provider of software solutions for financial and business services in the cannabis industry. Our mission is to support the legal cannabis industry by connecting every operator with the financial and business services that they need to grow – including banking, lending, payments, insurance, HR, payroll and more. We do this through a vast source of data, enabling insights into the rapidly growing market. Our passion for this emerging industry drives our purpose. We are relentless in our pursuit of expanding opportunities both for cannabis operators and the financial institutions that serve them.

PayQwick provides compliant and reliable treasury and payment solutions for businesses in the cannabis industry.

Were a hands-on, collaborative, and entrepreneur friendly early stage venture capital firm. We focus on equity investments in companies with dramatic growth potential, primarily in technology and highly-scalable services businesses.

ORVO is a Technology Resource Planning system, or TRP, that helps IT operators and leaders understand, manage, and improve the technology their organization relies on. As technology is central to every business, leaders need more than disconnected reports, dashboards, and operational tools. They need a clear view of how technology, people, activity, investment, and execution are working together to drive outcomes. ORVO creates that operating layer. The platform brings together signals across the technology function so leadership can analyze performance, diagnose bottlenecks, identify risk, and prescribe the next best action. It helps organizations understand where resources are going, where work is slowing down, where priorities are misaligned, and how technology activity connects to business goals. Built for operators, executives, and technology leaders, ORVO enables better decisions across planning, capacity, execution, governance, and organizational health. It gives companies the clarity to operate technology with greater discipline, accountability, and strategic alignment. ORVO is the planning and intelligence layer for modern technology leadership.

IINEIO - If you know, you know. A new point of view on efficiency, AI, systems, business, and execution.

A new program of Illinois Ventures, the Angel network is a powerful cohort of University of Illinois alumni investors – a network that brings decades of experience in investing, innovating, building strong companies, establishing connections, and encouraging the highest-impact relationships. This network of alumni from all three universities invests in and supports the most exciting startups that have Illinois in their DNA.

Seed Talent is the cannabis industry's leading employee enablement platform.   We are dedicated to creating a higher standard - supporting professional development for the next generation of leaders in cannabis. Seed Talent works to maximize job performance, improve employee-employer relationships, strengthen business impacts and advance careers. This also means committing to helping individuals and communities adversely impacted by the war on drugs find restitution in this thriving market and helping employers connect to historically underutilized talent. 

Abstrax is a California-based company that is a leader of cannabis research and product development with a specific focus on the study of botanical and cannabis-derived functional flavors and fragrances (also known as terpenes and aroma compounds). The terpene industry is a rapidly growing segment of the global flavor & fragrance market which is expected to grow to $35 billion by 2024. This market segment includes the cannabis, CBD, skincare, cosmetics, and food and beverage industries. As a leading innovator in the industry, Abstrax offers the largest catalogue of award-winning, botanically-derived terpene flavor and fragrance blends.  With a state-of-the-art type 7 cannabis licensed laboratory located in Long Beach CA and unparalleled customer service, we are dedicated to offering new and precedent-setting terpene flavor systems. We leverage the technical expertise of our scientific staff and our proprietary equipment which is specifically designed to study and extract complex mixtures of botanical aroma compounds via three-dimensional analysis of strain profiles. We work with internationally recognized brands and product developers to create products that thrill our customers. Our custom terpene and product formulations are designed for use in vapes, concentrates, skincare topicals, tinctures, alcohol, food, energy drinks, personal care, and more. We help our partners and brands develop their cannabis inspired products from concept to production.