420 CPA
420 CPA (Verdant Strategies) is a US-based professional services firm founded in 2009 that provides tax, accounting, advisory, and fractional CFO services exclusively to licensed cannabis businesses, with offices in California, New York, and France.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersBeverly Hills, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What 420 CPA does
420 CPA, legally operating as AB FinWright LLP and recently rebranded to Verdant Strategies, is a US-based professional services firm founded in 2009 that provides tax, accounting, advisory, and financial statement services exclusively to cannabis businesses. Its service catalog spans tax preparation and planning (with particular specialization in IRC Section 280E and 471c cost accounting), full-cycle bookkeeping and controller services, IRS and state tax resolution, financial statements at preparation through audit levels, advisory and business consulting, and fractional CFO engagements aimed at operators with $5M-$20M in annual revenue. The firm is led by Managing Partners Rachel Wright and Abraham Finberg, supported by a CFO (Jonathan Tull), a tax attorney advisor (Andrew Gradman), and a blended US-Philippines client accounting services team. Geographically the firm operates from Beverly Hills, Rolling Hills Estates (California), Midtown Manhattan, and Nice, France.
The firm generates revenue on a professional services basis, with engagement-specific pricing quoted after an initial consultation and longer-term advisory relationships structured as multi-year packages. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and the firm does not raise external capital. Its go-to-market combines a sales-led consultation model with a heavy content and event presence: a 'Financing Your Cannabis Future' video series, a Dutchie co-hosted webinar, free downloadable ebooks (the 'Cannabis Finance 360' series in partnership with Highly Capitalized Network), a Constant Contact newsletter, and active participation in cannabis industry conferences including Benzinga, MJBizCon, Hall of Flowers, the Cannabis Summit in the Netherlands, and Beard Bros Friday Sesh. The technology stack is a standard professional services toolkit — TaxDome for client portal and document exchange, QuickBooks for accounting, Gusto for payroll — rather than proprietary software.
The firm's value proposition rests on a narrow but defensible vertical specialization: cannabis operators face IRS tax treatment (280E denies normal business deductions) and state compliance burdens (CDTFA audits, excise and cultivation taxes) that generalist CPAs are typically unwilling or unable to handle. Documented client outcomes include a reduction of an IRS audit liability from over $4M toward a 70-85% reduction, and a multi-million-dollar litigation exposure reduced to a few hundred thousand dollars through forensic financial review. The firm is independently owned, serves hundreds of cannabis clients annually, and is in the early stages of repositioning its brand from a CPA practice toward a broader strategic advisory identity under the Verdant Strategies name.
420 CPA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 420 CPA
- Legal name
- AB Finwright, LLP
- Website
- https://420cpa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- 420 CPA (Verdant Strategies) is a US-based professional services firm founded in 2009 that provides tax, accounting, advisory, and fractional CFO services exclusively to licensed cannabis businesses, with offices in California, New York, and France.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where 420 CPA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Beverly Hills
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
420 CPA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Tax Preparation and Planning: Tax return preparation and filing for individuals, businesses, partnerships, trusts, estates, S-Corps, C-Corps, LLCs, sole practitioners, and nonprofits in the cannabis industry. Includes proactive tax planning to reduce tax liability, tax projections throughout the year, and assistance with filing back tax returns.
- Accounting Services: Full-service accounting including bookkeeping, chart of accounts optimization, internal controls, vault controls, cash management, controller services, and CFO-level oversight. Services are tiered based on business revenue size, from basic bookkeeping to full CFO engagement.
- Advisory Services: Business consulting covering tax planning, cash management improvement, financial review and performance analysis, strategic planning and budgeting, capital expenditure analysis, fraud detection, internal control review, business valuation, technology consulting, and talent acquisition. Offered through regular consultation packages for ongoing client engagement.
- Tax Resolution: IRS and state tax representation services including Offer in Compromise negotiation, installment agreements, late return filing, penalty abatement, and IRS audit response and management for cannabis businesses.
- Financial Statements: Financial statement preparation at four levels: Preparation, Compilation, Review, and Audit. Preparation statements are for internal management use; Compilations include a CPA report for external parties; Reviews and Audits provide varying levels of CPA assurance for investors or financial institutions.
- Wellness Check: A structured, low-cost financial assessment for cannabis businesses to evaluate financial health, identify compliance risks, and develop a clear audit response strategy. Serves as an entry-point engagement for prospective clients.
- Fractional CFO Services: Executive-level financial leadership for cannabis businesses generating over $5–10 million in annual revenue, including strategic decision-making, entity selection, investor preparation, capital raising, and complex financial regulation compliance.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Consultation-based engagement with personalized service packages |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels10 records
420 CPA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
420 CPA is a full-service CPA firm that exclusively serves cannabis industry businesses with tax preparation and planning (including 280E and 471c specialization), full-service accounting, strategic advisory, IRS and state tax resolution, financial statement preparation, and fractional CFO services. Engagements are customized to client revenue and stage, ranging from a low-cost Wellness Check for prospective clients to ongoing fractional CFO engagements for cannabis operators generating over $5–10 million annually.
Product overview
420 CPA is a full-service CPA firm specializing in the cannabis industry, offering a comprehensive suite of accounting, tax, and advisory services. The firm's core offerings include Tax Planning and Preparation, Accounting Services, Advisory Services, Tax Resolution, Financial Statements, and Fractional CFO Services. The firm supports clients with specialized expertise in cannabis tax regulations including 280E and 471c. Additional offerings include a Client Portal (powered by TaxDome), Mobile Accounting solutions via QuickBooks, and educational resources including the Cannabis Finance 360° eBook series. The firm operates offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Nice, France, and has recently rebranded to Verdant Strategies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tax Preparation and Planning Federal, state, and local tax return preparation and proactive year-round tax planning for cannabis businesses, including specialized 280E and 471c planning, tax projections, and back-tax return filing. Targeted at cannabis operators (individuals, partnerships, corporations, LLCs, trusts, estates, nonprofits) facing the unique tax burdens created by federal cannabis prohibition.
- Accounting Services Full-service accounting for cannabis businesses including bookkeeping, chart of accounts optimization, cost allocation, internal controls, vault controls, cash management, controller services, and CFO-level oversight, with service tier scaled to client revenue.
- Advisory Services Strategic consulting covering tax planning, cash management improvement, financial review and performance analysis, strategic planning and budgeting, capital expenditure analysis, fraud detection, internal control review, business valuation, technology consulting, and talent acquisition, delivered as ongoing consultation packages.
- Tax Resolution IRS and state tax problem resolution for cannabis businesses, including Offer in Compromise negotiation, installment agreements, late return filing, penalty abatement, and IRS audit response and management.
- Financial Statements Financial statement preparation at four assurance levels—Preparation (internal management), Compilation (with CPA report for external parties), Review, and Audit—delivered for cannabis operators that need investor-ready or lender-ready financial statements.
- Fractional CFO Services Executive-level financial leadership for cannabis businesses generating over $5–10 million in annual revenue, including strategic decision-making, entity selection, investor preparation, capital raising, and complex financial regulation compliance, delivered on a fractional/part-time basis rather than as a full-time hire.
- Wellness Check Structured, low-cost financial assessment for cannabis businesses that evaluates financial health, identifies compliance risks, and develops a clear audit response strategy, functioning as a triage entry-point engagement for prospective clients facing or anticipating an IRS or state audit.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduced a California cannabis microbusiness's IRS audit liability from over $4 million to an anticipated 70–85% reduction through proper documentation and IRS negotiation.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use 420 CPA
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
420 CPA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
420 CPA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Highly Capitalized Networkcore420CPA partners with Highly Capitalized Network to produce the 'Cannabis Finance 360' ebook series and Ohio's Emerging Adult-Use Market mini-edition ebook. Managing Director Rachel Wright and Trusted Advisor Simon Menkes co-author these publications with Highly Capitalized Network, bringing cannabis finance insights to a broader industry audience.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
420 CPA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Baker Tilly US: Top-10 U.S. advisory firm with a Cannabis Industry Practice providing tax, audit, and consulting services to multi-state operators and ancillary cannabis businesses. Competes with 420 CPA for larger cannabis engagement work.
- K·Coe Som: U.S. accounting and advisory firm (formerly K·Coe Isom) with deep agribusiness and cannabis industry expertise, serving cannabis operators with tax, advisory, and assurance services. Comparably positioned on the intersection of tax specialization and cannabis vertical depth.
- BDO USA: Global accounting network's U.S. member with a Cannabis Industry Practice covering tax credit studies (Section 280E), audit, and advisory for cannabis operators. Comparable on the technical tax planning dimension that is core to 420 CPA's value proposition.
- Armanino LLP: Top-25 U.S. accounting firm with an active Cannabis Industry Practice providing audit, tax, advisory, and technology services to cannabis operators nationally. Comparable to 420 CPA on cannabis-specific advisory and outsourced CFO work.
- CohnReznick LLP: Top-30 U.S. advisory and accounting firm with a Cannabis Industry Practice providing tax, advisory, and assurance services to cannabis operators, ancillary businesses, and investors. Directly competitive on cannabis-specialized engagements at enterprise scale.
- Withum Smith+Brown: National accounting and advisory firm with a Cannabis Services Group offering tax planning, accounting, audit, and CFO advisory to cannabis businesses. A clear comparability point for 420 CPA's cannabis-focused tax, accounting, and fractional CFO offerings.
- Eide Bailly LLP: Top-25 U.S. accounting firm with a Cannabis Industry Practice serving cultivators, dispensaries, and MSOs with audit, tax, and advisory services. Comparable to 420 CPA's cannabis-specialized service suite.
- Marcum LLP: Top-15 U.S. accounting firm with a dedicated national Cannabis Services practice serving cultivators, processors, retailers, and MSOs. Overlaps with 420 CPA across audit, tax, and advisory work for cannabis operators, but at national scale and broader industry focus.
- MGO (Macias Gini & O'Connell): Top-100 U.S. CPA firm with a Cannabis Industry Group providing audit, tax, and advisory services to licensed cannabis businesses, particularly in California. Direct geographic overlap with 420 CPA's California base and similar cannabis-specialized service mix.
Emerging players
- CannAcuna (CannAcuna.com / Dope CFO / CannAmerica-style cannabis finance advisory): Cannabis-specialized fractional CFO and accounting services firm serving operators nationwide. Directly comparable to 420 CPA's fractional CFO and accounting offerings for small-to-mid-market cannabis operators, though typically without the same tax resolution or audit depth.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
420 CPA social profiles
Digital presence420 CPA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
420 CPA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
420 CPA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
420 CPA 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 420 CPA
What does 420 CPA do?
420 CPA is a full-service CPA firm that exclusively serves cannabis industry businesses with tax preparation and planning (including 280E and 471c specialization), full-service accounting, strategic advisory, IRS and state tax resolution, financial statement preparation, and fractional CFO services. Engagements are customized to client revenue and stage, ranging from a low-cost Wellness Check for prospective clients to ongoing fractional CFO engagements for cannabis operators generating over $5–10 million annually.
Is 420 CPA a public or private company?
420 CPA is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 420 CPA founded?
420 CPA was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is 420 CPA based?
420 CPA is headquartered in Beverly Hills, United States, in the North America region.
How does 420 CPA make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Tax Preparation and Planning is the primary driver. The others are accounting Services, advisory Services, tax Resolution, financial Statements, wellness Check and fractional CFO Services.
Who are 420 CPA's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Baker Tilly US, K·Coe Som, BDO USA, Armanino LLP, CohnReznick LLP, Withum Smith+Brown, Eide Bailly LLP, Marcum LLP and MGO (Macias Gini & O'Connell). CannAcuna (CannAcuna.com / Dope CFO / CannAmerica-style cannabis finance advisory) is listed as an emerging player.
Does 420 CPA have an API?
No public API is recorded for 420 CPA.