Higher Learning Institutions

What Higher Learning Institutions does

Higher Learning Institutions (HLI) is a for-profit cannabis vocational school founded in 2019. The company delivers workforce training and social equity programs for the legal cannabis industry through three interconnected products: ELEVATE, a 10-week live, cohort-based Cannabis Equity Accelerator for individual career seekers delivered via weekly Zoom sessions at a $5,000 tuition; CULTIVATE, a 12-month implementation partnership that helps cities, municipalities, community colleges, and workforce boards design and launch turnkey cannabis workforce and small-business ecosystems at $75,000–$150,000 per year; and Consulting & Social Equity Plans, done-for-you application support, workforce pipelines, and strategic advisory for cannabis license applicants and operators. Curriculum content covers compliance, operations, retail, cultivation, processing, and business launch, and is augmented by implementation workbooks, VIP email support, and a Slack-style private online community. The technical platform is intentionally light: live video (Zoom), web forms (JotForm), an email newsletter, and an online community portal — with no disclosed APIs, integrations, mobile apps, or proprietary software products.

The business model blends a self-serve direct-to-consumer motion for individuals (website-driven enrollment, free career readiness quiz as a top-of-funnel tool, organic and social channel traffic) with a consultative enterprise/B2G sales motion for institutional buyers (strategy calls, CULTIVATE overview document requests, proposal-driven engagements aligned to municipal budget cycles). Reported outcomes include an ~85% job placement rate for ELEVATE graduates into roles paying $40,000–$100,000, and project-level claims of 75–200 new cannabis jobs and 10–30 new locally owned businesses per CULTIVATE municipal partner with a claimed ~600% ROI through tax revenue, job creation, and economic development. The City of Muskegon, Michigan partnership — a closed-loop social equity ecosystem funded by cannabis excise tax revenue — is the company's flagship reference account and underpins the "Muskegon Blueprint" packaged for replication. HLI is privately held, headquartered at 13475 Atlantic Blvd, Jacksonville, FL, with 1–10 employees. No revenue, cap table, AI capabilities, patents, certifications, or formal awards were disclosed in available sources beyond a 2019 reference to Merida Capital Holdings.

Name

Higher Learning Institutions

Legal name

Higher Learning Institutions

Website

https://yourhigherlearning.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Founded in 2019, Higher Learning Institutions is a cannabis vocational school delivering the 10-week ELEVATE accelerator for individual career seekers and the 12-month CULTIVATE implementation partnership for municipalities. It serves individuals, cities, community colleges, workforce boards, and license applicants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Pontiac

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. ELEVATE — Individual Training Tuition: 10-week cannabis equity accelerator for individuals. Participants pay a $5,000 tuition, either in full upfront or via a payment plan ($1,000 down + 4 monthly payments of $1,100). One-time revenue per cohort participant. ~85% job placement rate drives demand through outcomes and referrals.
2. CULTIVATE — Municipal/Institutional Implementation Partnership: 12-month implementation partnership with cities, community colleges, workforce boards, and economic development agencies. Tiered pricing of $75,000–$150,000 per year, structured as 40% at contract signing, 30% at launch, 30% at mid-point. Recurring annual contract revenue with expansion potential into new jurisdictions.
3. Consulting & Social Equity Plan Services: Done-for-you social equity plans, application support, and strategic advisory for cannabis license applicants and operators. B2B/B2G consulting engagements, likely project-based or retainer.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Higher Learning Institutions is a cannabis vocational school that sells professional training and social-equity program design services. Its core offerings are ELEVATE, a 10-week cohort-based cannabis equity accelerator for individual career seekers ($5,000 tuition), and CULTIVATE, a 12-month implementation partnership for cities, community colleges, and workforce boards ($75,000–$150,000 annually) that designs turnkey cannabis workforce and social-equity ecosystems. A done-for-you consulting line provides social equity plans and license-application support for cannabis operators.

Product overview

Higher Learning Institutions operates as a vocational school for the cannabis industry offering three interconnected programs: ELEVATE is a 10-week Cannabis Equity Accelerator for individual career seekers and entrepreneurs delivered via live weekly Zoom sessions; CULTIVATE is a 12-month Cannabis Equity Implementation Partnership providing municipalities and institutions with a turnkey framework to build workforce and social equity ecosystems; and Consulting & Social Equity Plans delivers done-for-you application support and workforce solutions for license applicants and operators. Together, these programs form an integrated pipeline from individual training to city-wide ecosystem implementation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ELEVATE: 10-week Cannabis Equity Accelerator for career seekers and entrepreneurs, providing compliance-first training, hands-on learning, and industry connections with an 85% job placement rate.
• CULTIVATE
• ELEVATE (For Individuals)
• CULTIVATE (For Cities)

Products and services

• ELEVATE – Cannabis Equity Accelerator A 10-week live, cohort-based Cannabis Equity Accelerator for individuals that transforms legacy market experience, career changers, and aspiring entrepreneurs into professionally credentialed cannabis professionals through weekly Zoom sessions covering compliance, operations, cultivation, retail, and business launch. Includes implementation workbooks, VIP email support, and a private online community, with an ~85% job placement rate into roles paying $40,000–$100,000.
• CULTIVATE – Cannabis Equity Implementation Partnership A 12-month implementation partnership for cities, municipalities, community colleges, and institutions that designs, builds, and launches turnkey cannabis workforce and social equity ecosystems using a four-phase framework (Discovery, Program Development, Implementation, Scaling) with reimbursement-based, receipt-verified funding structures to protect public funds. Priced at $75,000–$150,000 per year.
• Consulting & Social Equity Plans Done-for-you social equity plans, license application support, workforce pipelines, compliance training, and strategic advisory services for cannabis license applicants and operators, designed to meet state and municipal requirements and integrate equity and community impact into business models.

Quantifiable outcome

• ~85% job placement rate for ELEVATE graduates; entry-level roles $40K–$60K, experienced roles $60K–$100K; 10x ROI on $5,000 investment within first year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• City of MuskegoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019HLI's flagship reference partner and proof-of-concept case study. The company helped the City of Muskegon, Michigan design and implement a closed-loop social equity ecosystem funded by cannabis excise tax revenue. This included structuring tiered grants and interest-free loans for education, business start-up, and equipment; graduating local residents through workforce training programs; and supporting graduates in securing licenses. The resulting local businesses now serve as hands-on training sites for future cohorts, completing the loop. This partnership is the foundation of the CULTIVATE program offering and the 'Muskegon Blueprint' that HLI sells to new municipal partners.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• THC University: THC University is an online cannabis training school offering certificate programs covering cultivation, extracts, business, and compliance — directly overlapping with HLI's ELEVATE curriculum. Both target individuals seeking entry into the cannabis industry via online, self-paced or cohort-based learning.
• Cannabis Training Institute: Cannabis Training Institute offers online cannabis industry education and certification programs for entrepreneurs, employees, and patients. It is a direct peer to HLI's ELEVATE program, serving the same career-seeker and small-business operator customer base.
• Green Flower: Green Flower is a leading online cannabis education platform offering courses, certificates, and training programs for individuals and businesses. It directly competes with HLI's ELEVATE program for the same career-seeker audience and cannabis industry employers seeking credentialed hires.

Others

• Merida Capital Holdings: Merida Capital Holdings is a cannabis-focused private equity firm that is listed as an investor (advisor relationship) in HLI's funding record. As a capital partner, it is adjacent to the cannabis ecosystem and could be considered an investor/ecosystem peer rather than a direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Minorities for Medical Marijuana: Minorities for Medical Marijuana is a nonprofit focused on cannabis education, social equity, and workforce inclusion for disproportionately impacted communities. It is an emerging peer that overlaps with HLI's social-equity and workforce-development mission and competes for the same grant and government funding pools.
• Minority Cannabis Business Association: MCBA advances diversity and inclusion in the legal cannabis industry through advocacy, education, and certification programs. It is an emerging peer in the social-equity cannabis education space, with overlapping mission and customer base (aspiring minority operators and policy makers).

Broad incumbents

• National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA): NCIA is the largest U.S. cannabis trade association offering policy advocacy, networking, and education programs to operators. As a broad incumbent, it competes indirectly with HLI by offering industry training content to employers and municipalities at a larger scale and via association membership economics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/higherlearninginstitutions
• Instagraminstagram.com/higherlearninginstitutions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/higher-learning-institutions-llc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@higherlearninginstitutions
• Xx.com/HLI_420

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Higher Learning Institutions