What Herb does

Herb is a Denver-based, privately held digital media platform and cannabis marketplace founded in 2008, operating as a content-commerce hybrid serving both consumer and business audiences. The platform combines an extensive editorial content library (2,108+ educational guides, 474+ news articles, and dedicated city guides for Barcelona, London, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York) with a transactional product marketplace spanning 12 categories — Flower, Vape Pens, Edibles, Pre-Rolls, Beverages, Oils, Accessories, Cultivation, Capsules, Topicals, Powders, and Wholesale — and cataloguing 2,905+ products from 198 brands. A dispensary directory of 1,467+ listings across US and international markets functions as a third core surface. The underlying technology is a web-based content management system and product/dispensary directory platform with no disclosed proprietary AI, API, or mobile app components.

Herb monetizes through three primary revenue streams: affiliate and referral fees on product purchases routed through platform listings, advertising and agency services delivered through its Herb Agency arm (a B2B marketing service for cannabis brands seeking audience access), and newsletter subscriptions. The platform is free to consumers, with no subscription or listing fees disclosed. Its go-to-market is content-led and SEO-driven, targeting cannabis-related search queries to capture organic consumer traffic at the top of the funnel, with conversion occurring via affiliate-linked product purchases, brand and dispensary referrals, and bottom-of-funnel advertising CTAs. The primary customer segments are cannabis consumers (recreational and medical users seeking strain information, dispensary locations, and product education) and cannabis brands and dispensaries seeking visibility through a cannabis-native advertising channel constrained by mainstream platforms' restrictions.

Name

Herb

Website

https://herb.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Herb is a Denver-based cannabis digital media platform and marketplace combining an editorial content library (2,108+ guides) with a 2,905-product marketplace across 12 categories and a 1,467-listing dispensary directory, serving cannabis consumers and brands through affiliate, advertising (Herb Agency), and newsletter revenue streams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cannabis Media & Marketplace

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Directory and Mailing List Publishers (513140)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Cannabis Dispensary + Delivery/Online Pickup (Omnichannel Retail) (CRANAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cannabis Dispensary + Ancillary Retail (Accessories, CBD/Hemp, Merchandise) (CRANAFAH)

Keywords

• Cannabis digital media
• Dispensary directory listings
• Cannabis content publishing
• Cannabis marketplace listings
• Cannabis brand marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Affiliate/Referral Fees: Herb earns commissions when users purchase products through featured links or are referred to dispensaries and brands. The platform features product listings with direct purchase links, generating transaction-based revenue.
2. Advertising: The platform operates an advertising program (Herb Agency) offering brand growth services, sponsored content placements, and promotional features for cannabis companies looking to reach the platform's audience.
3. Newsletter Subscriptions: Email newsletter subscription service delivering exclusive insider updates and cannabis industry news to subscribers, potentially with premium content tiers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Herb operates a cannabis-focused digital media platform and marketplace at herb.co that aggregates editorial content (news, strain guides, how-to articles, educational guides), a dispensary directory of 1,467+ listings, brand profiles for 198 cannabis companies, and a product catalog of 2,905+ items across 12 categories including flower, vapes, edibles, pre-rolls, beverages, oils, and accessories. The Herb Agency subsidiary provides marketing, advertising, and brand growth services for cannabis brands seeking to reach the platform's audience of cannabis consumers.

Product overview

Herb is a cannabis-focused digital media platform and marketplace operating as a unified content-commerce platform. The core offering includes a digital marketplace offering 12 product categories (Flower, Vape Pens, Edibles, Pre-Rolls, Beverages, Oils, Accessories, Cultivation, Capsules, Topicals, Powders, and Wholesale) featuring 2,905 products from 198 brands, complemented by extensive editorial content including cannabis news, strain reviews, how-to guides, and a dispensary directory with 1,467 listings. The platform also publishes cannabis brand rankings including annual exotic THCa flower rankings. The Herb Agency subsidiary provides marketing services for cannabis brands. The platform covers content across multiple cities including Barcelona, London, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Herb.co Platform
• Cannabis News & Editorial Content Daily cannabis news, strain reviews, how-to guides, legalization updates, and cultural coverage across categories including News, Strains Sense, Guides, Industry, and Events for cannabis consumers and industry participants.
• Dispensary Directory Directory of 1,467 cannabis dispensaries across multiple U.S. states and international locations including Barcelona, London, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York, enabling cannabis consumers to find local dispensaries by city.
• Brand Rankings & Reviews
• Learn & Guides Library
• Herb Agency
• Newsletter

Quantifiable outcome

• 1467+ dispensaries listed across the platform
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Seeds of KismetcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026Seeds of Kismet, a North Carolina master cultivator, has an exclusive partnership with Sherlocks Glass & Dispensary for their exotic THCa flower genetics. The genetics developed by Seeds of Kismet are available only through Sherlocks, creating an exclusive product offering. This partnership enables Sherlocks to operate an exclusive exotic THCa flower program that contributed to their #1 ranking by Herb.co in 2026.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cannabis Now: Cannabis Now is a cannabis news and culture publication with industry coverage and branded content services, overlapping Herb's editorial and Herb Agency offerings.
• Leafly: Leafly is a leading cannabis media platform and dispensary directory with strain database, brand reviews, and retailer locator—Herb's closest direct competitor with overlapping product/marketplace/editorial model.
• Weedmaps: Weedmaps operates the largest cannabis dispensary directory and marketplace with advertising and listing fees as primary revenue, directly competing with Herb's directory and Herb Agency monetization.
• High Times: High Times is an iconic cannabis culture and news publication with events and branded commerce, comparable to Herb's editorial/media positioning in the cannabis vertical.
• Merry Jane: Merry Jane is a cannabis lifestyle media platform covering news, culture, strains, and products—directly comparable to Herb's content-led GTM and audience targeting.
• PotGuide: PotGuide operates dispensary directories and cannabis editorial content with city/state guides, mirroring Herb's combination of directory listings and educational content library.

Emerging players

• Leafwire: Leafwire is a cannabis industry business network and jobs platform, thematically adjacent to Herb's role as a connector between cannabis brands, dispensaries, and consumers.
• The Cannigma: The Cannigma is an evidence-based cannabis education and science media platform with a strong content library, competing for the same educated consumer audience Herb targets via its 2108+ guides.
• Flowhub: Flowhub is a cannabis retail POS and inventory platform serving dispensaries, adjacent to Herb because both touch cannabis dispensary operations and brand-to-retailer workflows.

Broad incumbents

• Insider (Business Insider): Mainstream digital media publishers increasingly cover cannabis, representing broad incumbents whose cannabis vertical content overlaps Herb's editorial coverage at the top of the funnel.

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/herb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors5 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Herb