What Vangst does

Vangst is a Denver-based, venture-backed staffing and recruiting platform purpose-built for the cannabis industry and adjacent regulated verticals. Founded in 2018 by CEO Karson Humiston, the company operates an AI-assisted two-sided marketplace that connects vetted job seekers with cannabis employers, supplemented by employer-of-record services including W-2 payroll, workers' compensation, insurance, state-specific badging, and day-to-day employee management. Its products include the Vangst GIGS job-matching platform, the Pikl mobile workforce-management app, a public job board, a state-by-state cannabis regulations guide, and a "Proud to Work in Cannabis" podcast. The platform reportedly supports 15,000+ active job listings, 150,000 workers, and 1,800+ customers across all 50 US states, with claimed coverage of 90%+ of US multi-state cannabis operators.

The company's revenue model is anchored in a temporary-staffing markup: employers pay an hourly bill rate plus a Vangst markup that covers payroll taxes, workers' comp, insurance, compliance, and employee support, with Vangst serving as the legal W-2 employer. Permanent placements generate direct-hire and conversion fees, with a "no buyout fee" structure after 360 hours worked that functions as a try-before-you-hire arrangement. Distribution blends enterprise field sales targeting large MSOs with self-serve portals for SMBs and a mobile-first candidate experience. Beyond cannabis, Vangst has extended its staffing services into agriculture, manufacturing, and industrial verticals.

Vangst's growth has been driven by capital deployment and inorganic consolidation. The company has raised approximately $31.5M in disclosed funding across a 2018 seed ($2.5M), a 2019 round ($10M, co-led by Casa Verde Capital and Lerer Hippeau), and a January 2022 Series B ($19M, led by Level One Fund). Between April 2024 and June 2025 Vangst completed three acquisitions — CannabizTemp (April 2024), GreenForce (September 2024), and Se7en Staffing (June 2025) — each integrated as a retained subsidiary to deepen regional density and customer reach. The company employs 51-100 staff and was recognized on Fast Company's 2024 Most Innovative Companies list.

Name

Vangst

Legal name

Vangst, Inc.

Website

https://vangst.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Vangst is a Denver-based, AI-powered staffing platform specializing in the cannabis industry, serving 1,800+ employers across all 50 US states as a W-2 employer of record. It also extends into agriculture, manufacturing, and industrial verticals via temporary and permanent placement services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cannabis Staffing Services

NAICS

Temporary Help Services (56132), Professional Employer Organizations (561330), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Temp-to-Hire Staffing (BPACACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional Employer Organization (PEO) / Co-Employment Services (BPACAHAB), Workforce Management & Scheduling Outsourcing (Non-payroll) (BPACAKAJ), Onboarding, Offboarding & Employee Lifecycle Administration (BPACAHAL)

Keywords

• Cannabis staffing
• Talent marketplace
• Workforce solutions
• Temp-to-perm hiring
• Recruiting platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Temporary Staffing Markup: Vangst charges employers based on an hourly pay rate plus an upcharge covering payroll taxes, workers' comp, insurance, compliance, and employee support. Vangst hires and manages W-2 employees on behalf of client employers.
2. Direct Hire/Conversion Fees: When employers want to permanently hire a Vangst temporary worker, conversion is free after 360 hours worked - no buyout fees. This creates a 'try before you hire' model that reduces friction for permanent placements.
3. Permanent Placement: Direct hire recruiting services for long-term roles across farm management, operations, agronomy, logistics, and more.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Vangst is a Denver-based staffing and recruiting platform purpose-built for the cannabis industry. The company hires W-2 employees on behalf of client employers and contracts them out as temporary workers, while also operating an AI-powered job matching platform (Vangst GIGS) that connects job seekers with cannabis, agriculture, industrial, and manufacturing employers across all 50 U.S. states. Vangst handles the full employer-of-record responsibilities including recruiting, onboarding, payroll, taxes, workers' compensation, insurance, and state-specific compliance and badging, and offers free conversion to permanent employment after 360 hours worked with no buyout fees.

Product overview

Vangst is a cannabis industry hiring platform offering a unified talent marketplace with multiple integrated services. The core product is the Vangst GIGS platform (AI-powered job board connecting job seekers with cannabis employers), complemented by employer staffing solutions that handle full workforce management including W-2 payroll, compliance, and HR services. The platform serves as a marketplace for both on-demand gig workers and trained credentialed full-time employees across cannabis, agriculture, manufacturing, and industrial sectors. Vangst also provides educational resources including a cannabis regulations guide by state and a podcast series. Recent acquisitions (CannabizTemp, GreenForce, Se7en Staffing) have expanded its market reach to over 1,800 customers and 90% of US multi-state cannabis operators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vangst GIGS: On-demand gig worker platform for temporary cannabis industry opportunities
• Vangst Job Board

Products and services

• Vangst GIGS AI-powered job matching platform that connects job seekers with temporary and temp-to-perm roles in cannabis, agriculture, light industrial, and other industries. Combines experienced recruiters with advanced AI technology to match candidates with suitable positions; supports self-serve gig discovery for workers.
• Staffing Solutions (Employer Services) Full-service temporary and permanent staffing for cannabis businesses. Handles recruiting, onboarding, W-2 payroll, workers' compensation, insurance, taxes, and day-to-day employee management. Offers free conversion to permanent hire after 360 hours worked with no buyout fees; permanent placement recruiting for farm management, operations, agronomy, and logistics roles.
• Pikl App Mobile application (iOS App Store) for cannabis industry workers employed through Vangst to clock in and out, manage schedules, and track their employment. Available under the Pikl sub-brand and integrated with the Vangst workforce management platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hire workers within 24 hours
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered regional and major.

• Se7en StaffingregionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2025Vangst acquired Se7en Staffing, a cannabis staffing agency based in Missouri, to accelerate regional and national expansion. The deal leveraged Se7en's established reputation and growth in the cannabis staffing industry.
• GreenForcemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2024Vangst acquired GreenForce, a cannabis staffing agency in Oregon and Arizona, to support regional and national expansion plans. The acquisition enhanced Vangst's position as a leader in cannabis employment, working with over 1,800 customers and 150,000 workers.
• CannabizTeammajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 April 2024Vangst acquired CannabizTemp, the temporary staffing division of CannabizTeam, in a mixed cash and stock deal. The acquisition enhanced Vangst's market share to service 90% of all U.S. multi-state cannabis operators and increased customer base to over 1,700.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Wonolo: On-demand staffing platform connecting businesses with hourly workers across industries; comparable to Vangst's Vangst GIGS product as a broad-based, app-driven temp marketplace.
• Hyr: On-demand gig staffing platform for hospitality and retail; comparable as a tech-enabled, app-based staffing marketplace serving hourly workforces in adjacent verticals to Vangst's cannabis focus.
• WorkWhile: Tech-enabled temp staffing marketplace for light industrial and hospitality; shares Vangst's model of combining a digital job board with employer-of-record style workforce management in hourly verticals.

Direct peers

• CannabizTeam: Cannabis-focused executive search and staffing firm; Vangst acquired its temp-staffing division (CannabizTemp) in April 2024, making it the closest direct peer by historical overlap in cannabis recruiting services.
• GreenForce: Cannabis staffing agency operating in Oregon and Arizona before its September 2024 acquisition by Vangst; directly comparable as a regional cannabis temp-staffing specialist.
• Se7en Staffing: Missouri-based cannabis staffing agency acquired by Vangst in June 2025; a regional peer offering comparable temporary cannabis workforce solutions prior to integration.

Broad incumbents

• Indeed: Largest generalist job board and recruitment platform; competes with Vangst's self-serve job board and employer portal as the default channel employers use to source candidates outside specialized verticals.
• ZipRecruiter: Public-market incumbent in online employment marketplaces with AI-driven matching; offers broader workforce solutions that overlap with Vangst's SMB employer self-serve channel.
• Robert Half: Large public staffing and consulting firm with deep expertise in temporary and permanent placement across professional verticals; comparable as a benchmark for the staffing business model Vangst operates at smaller scale.
• LinkedIn: Professional network owned by Microsoft with integrated job board and recruiting tools; functions as an indirect competitor for white-collar and managerial cannabis roles Vangst also places.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vangsttalent
• Facebookfacebook.com/Vangsttalent
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vangst
• Instagraminstagram.com/vangsttalent

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors9 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vangst