Canna Advisors
Canna Advisors is a Boulder, Colorado-based cannabis business consulting firm serving entrepreneurs and operators with license applications, compliance, operations readiness, M&A advisory, and exit strategy across 40 U.S. states and seven countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersBoulder, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Canna Advisors does
Canna Advisors is a Boulder, Colorado-based cannabis business consulting firm founded in 2013 by Jay and Diane Czarkowski, both of whom helped shape Colorado's Amendment 64 and held the first license in Boulder and the seventh license statewide. The firm advises cannabis entrepreneurs and operators across the entire business lifecycle — from license applications, business planning, and financial modeling through operations readiness, FDA/GMP compliance, staff sourcing, and brand development, to exit strategy and M&A advisory for cannabis licenses and operational businesses. It operates through a professional services model combining high-volume entry-level hourly consultations ($125 for 30 minutes, $250 for one hour, with fees applied to project engagements) and project-based engagements spanning license applications, growth and optimization, staff sourcing, and exit planning, including a structured Start Right Program built on a 90-point checklist.
The firm serves a horizontal set of cannabis business types across the supply chain — cultivation, dispensary/retail, manufacturing/processing, hemp, full supply chain/vertically integrated operators, multi-state operators, and psychedelics — across more than 40 U.S. states and seven countries (Canada, Europe, Guam, Puerto Rico). Delivery occurs from three offices (Boulder HQ, New York, Los Angeles) directly to enterprise and mid-market cannabis clients, supplemented by strategic partnerships with award-winning cannabis-experienced brand designers. The firm has served 500+ clients since inception, with the founding partners and a senior team (including VP of Business Development Bob Wagener and Partner Kris Krane focused on M&A) leveraging 100+ combined years of regulated cannabis industry experience as its core differentiator.
Canna Advisors firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Canna Advisors
- Legal name
- Canna Advisors
- Website
- https://thinkcanna.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Canna Advisors is a Boulder, Colorado-based cannabis business consulting firm serving entrepreneurs and operators with license applications, compliance, operations readiness, M&A advisory, and exit strategy across 40 U.S. states and seven countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Canna Advisors is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boulder
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Canna Advisors business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hourly Consultation: Entry-level consulting service priced at $125 for 30 minutes or $250 for 1 hour. Consultation topics include market overview, legal/regulatory overview, staffing, cannabis science, finance/M&A, hemp, and brand development. Hourly fees are applied toward future project-based engagements.
- Project-Based Consulting Engagements: Comprehensive consulting services for specific projects including license applications, business development, brand development, financial services, compliance, operations readiness, staff sourcing, and exit strategy. These engagements are custom-scoped based on client needs.
- Start Right Program: A structured startup assistance program using a 90-point checklist covering ownership, real estate, regulatory compliance, operations, finance, contracts, labor, security, and risk management. Includes service options like Start Right Boot Camp, document packages, facility diagrams, and operational endorsement documents.
- Monthly Retainer / Ongoing Advising: Ongoing consulting services available on a monthly retainer basis for continued business guidance and support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | 30-minute consultation session |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | 1-hour consultation session |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Canna Advisors product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Canna Advisors is a cannabis business consulting firm that advises entrepreneurs and operators on license applications, business planning, brand development, financial modeling, regulatory compliance (including FDA/GMP), operations readiness, staff sourcing, and mergers and acquisitions. The firm serves cannabis cultivators, dispensaries, manufacturers, hemp businesses, multi-state operators, and psychedelics entrants across 40+ U.S. states and 7 countries. Engagements are sold as hourly consultations, custom project-based scopes, structured programs (e.g., Start Right), and ongoing monthly retainers.
Product overview
Canna Advisors is a cannabis business consulting firm offering a comprehensive suite of advisory services for entrepreneurs and companies entering or expanding in the cannabis industry. The service portfolio includes strategic consulting (Mergers & Acquisitions, Exit Strategy, Business Development), regulatory compliance (License Applications, FDA/GMP Compliance, Operations Readiness), operational support (Start Up, Growth & Optimization, Staff Sourcing), financial services (Financial Services, Financial Models, Pitch Decks), and the Start Right Program as a structured startup assistance package. Additional offerings include Brand Development and Hourly Consultation for targeted advisory needs. The firm operates across 39+ U.S. states and internationally, serving various business types including cultivation, dispensary, manufacturing, hemp, psychedelics, and multi-state operations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory Cannabis industry M&A advisory connecting sellers with buyers, including exclusive and non-exclusive representation for license or operational business sales, for cannabis operators pursuing exit or acquisition.
- Business Development Consulting Comprehensive cannabis business planning including industry and market analysis, operations planning, and financial modeling for license applications, for cannabis entrepreneurs entering the market.
- License Application Services Cannabis license application preparation and submission services for cultivation, processing, and dispensary licenses across multiple states, for cannabis operators seeking new or additional licenses.
- Brand Development Services Cannabis brand development including naming, logo development, branding, go-to-market strategy, and brand licensing with compliant product formulations and packaging, for cannabis and hemp operators launching or refreshing brands.
- Exit Strategy Advisory Cannabis business exit planning including valuation optimization, acquisition preparation, consolidation, merger planning, and public offering strategy, for cannabis operators preparing to sell or go public.
- Financial Services Cannabis financial planning including financial modeling, written business plans, presentation-based finance plans, investor pitch decks, and hourly financial consulting, for cannabis operators seeking capital or financial structure.
- FDA/GMP Compliance Consulting Regulatory compliance services for navigating cannabis-specific regulations, FDA/GMP standards, and state cannabis laws, for cannabis manufacturers and operators requiring compliance readiness.
- Start Right Program Cannabis business startup assistance program built on a 90-point checklist covering ownership, real estate, regulatory compliance, operational planning, financial information, contracts, labor relations, security, and risk management, for new cannabis operators.
- Growth & Optimization Consulting Cannabis business scaling services including compliance audits, staff training, inventory control, recordkeeping, and expansion into new markets, for established cannabis operators pursuing growth.
- Operations Readiness Consulting Pre-inspection and pre-opening support including SOP development, organizational chart planning, leadership team staffing, and operational procedures review, for cannabis operators preparing for regulatory inspection or opening.
- Staff Sourcing Services Cannabis industry talent recruitment for key team positions including executive-level talent, Directors of Cultivation, PhD chemists, and operational staff, for cannabis operators building their leadership and technical teams.
- Start Up Consulting Cannabis facility design and setup services including capital planning, owner's representation, front-end planning, engineering, and construction management, for new cannabis operators planning physical buildout.
- Hourly Consultation One-on-one cannabis consulting sessions with experts covering markets, verticals, legal/regulatory overview, staffing, cannabis science, finance/M&A, hemp, and brand development, priced at $125 for 30 minutes or $250 for 60 minutes, for prospective and current cannabis operators seeking targeted advisory.
Companies that use Canna Advisors
Customer profileSegments8 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Canna Advisors technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Canna Advisors partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Award-Winning Designers and Brand Development ExpertsminorCanna Advisors has formed strategic partnerships with award-winning designers and brand development experts who have knowledge of the complex regulated cannabis industry. These partnerships enable the company to offer both custom brand development and brand licensing services to clients.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Canna Advisors competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cannabis Industry Advisors: A multi-state cannabis business consulting firm offering licensing, operations, and M&A advisory to operators across the US. Direct competitor in the cannabis-specialized management consulting niche with overlapping service lines.
- Vicente Sederberg LLP: A leading cannabis-focused law and policy firm providing licensing, regulatory, and M&A legal services. Closely comparable as a multi-state cannabis advisory, with stronger legal depth but narrower business consulting scope than Canna Advisors.
- CannaPlanners: A cannabis business planning and license application consultancy serving cultivation, dispensary, and processing operators. Directly comparable on license application and business plan services targeting the same entrepreneur client segment.
- GreenWave Advisors: Cannabis industry M&A and investment advisory firm matching operators with capital. Comparable on the sell-side and buy-side M&A mandates that Canna Advisors pursues via its Exit Strategy and M&A service lines.
Broad incumbents
- Husch Blackwell Cannabis Group: A national law firm with a dedicated cannabis industry practice covering licensing, regulatory, M&A, and FDA/Food law. Comparable on the regulatory and transactional advisory layer but operates as part of a much broader full-service firm rather than a cannabis pure-play.
- MJ Freeway (Wayv / Akerna): A cannabis technology platform providing seed-to-sale ERP and compliance software to operators. Adjacent rather than direct: serves the same cannabis operator customer base with operational/compliance tooling, complementing rather than competing with consulting services.
- LeafLink: A B2B cannabis wholesale marketplace connecting brands and retailers across regulated markets. Adjacent ecosystem player: targets the same multi-state operators Canna Advisors advises, but via marketplace software rather than professional services.
- Weedmaps: Major cannabis marketplace and software platform serving dispensaries, brands, and consumers nationwide. Comparable ecosystem adjacency to retail/dispensary clients that Canna Advisors sets up and advises, though operating at far greater scale in the tech layer.
Emerging players
- Canna Law Group: A boutique cannabis-focused law firm serving operators in the Pacific Northwest with licensing and compliance work. Compares as a regional direct peer with overlapping client segments in cultivation and dispensary licensing.
Others
- Resource Innovation Institute: Nonprofit providing technical guidance, benchmarking, and best-practices research on cannabis cultivation efficiency and sustainability. Thematically adjacent: supports Canna Advisors' cultivation operator clients with standards and operational data, but is mission-driven rather than commercial consulting.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Canna Advisors social profiles
Digital presenceCanna Advisors financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Canna Advisors leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Canna Advisors funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Canna Advisors M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Canna Advisors
What does Canna Advisors do?
Canna Advisors is a cannabis business consulting firm that advises entrepreneurs and operators on license applications, business planning, brand development, financial modeling, regulatory compliance (including FDA/GMP), operations readiness, staff sourcing, and mergers and acquisitions. The firm serves cannabis cultivators, dispensaries, manufacturers, hemp businesses, multi-state operators, and psychedelics entrants across 40+ U.S. states and 7 countries. Engagements are sold as hourly consultations, custom project-based scopes, structured programs (e.g., Start Right), and ongoing monthly retainers.
Is Canna Advisors a public or private company?
Canna Advisors is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Canna Advisors founded?
Canna Advisors was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Canna Advisors based?
Canna Advisors is headquartered in Boulder, United States, in the North America region.
How does Canna Advisors make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hourly Consultation is the primary driver. The others are project-Based Consulting Engagements, start Right Program and monthly Retainer / Ongoing Advising.
Who are Canna Advisors's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cannabis Industry Advisors, Vicente Sederberg LLP, CannaPlanners and GreenWave Advisors. Broad incumbents are Husch Blackwell Cannabis Group, MJ Freeway (Wayv / Akerna), LeafLink and Weedmaps. Canna Law Group is listed as an emerging player. Resource Innovation Institute is listed as an others.
Does Canna Advisors have an API?
No public API is recorded for Canna Advisors.