H2 Talent

What H2 Talent does

H2 Talent LLC is a Boulder, Colorado-based boutique executive recruiting firm founded in November 2018 that exclusively serves the cannabis and emerging psychedelics and natural medicine industries. The company places C-suite, executive, and integral operational talent — including cultivation directors, COOs, chief compliance officers, medical directors, and CEOs — through direct placement, contingency, and consulting engagement structures. It also offers pre-license application staffing to help operators field regulatory-credentialed teams for competitive state license applications, plus a consulting placement model for hourly or project-based subject-matter expertise.

The firm is co-founded by Jay Czarkowski (also co-founder of sister consulting firm Canna Advisors, active in 29 states), Michelle Whitmore (former head of HR and talent acquisition at Sega of America), and John W. Comeau (founder of C-Level Search, recognized by LinkedIn among the 'Most Socially Engaged Staffing Agencies'). H2 Talent's stated competitive differentiation rests on a nationwide network of pre-qualified cannabis industry veterans and outside-industry executives (from tech, finance, HR, sales, and marketing), a consultative rather than volume-based engagement model, and cultural-fit screening. The company has extended its recruiting practice into the psychedelics and natural medicine sector, supporting cultivators, manufacturers, testing labs, and licensed healing centers, and also offers HR support services for psychedelics organizations.

Commercially, H2 Talent earns professional-services fees on each placement; pricing is not publicly disclosed and engagements are quote-based. Go-to-market is direct enterprise engagement with founders, inbound inquiries through the website, LinkedIn content, and earned media in Forbes, Denver Business Journal, Hunt Scanlon Media, and Cannabis Business Times. The firm operates a 2% Giveback Program supporting social-justice and drug-policy reform organizations and maintains an active 'Best Buds Partner Spotlight' ecosystem. It does not develop proprietary software or technology platforms; its capability stack is a curated human-capital network rather than a technical product.

Name

H2 Talent

Legal name

H2 Talent LLC

Website

https://h2talent.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

H2 Talent is a Boulder, Colorado-based executive search firm founded in 2018 that places C-suite, senior management, and key operational talent exclusively for cannabis and psychedelics companies, drawing on a nationwide network across roughly 29 US states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

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

Revenue model

1. Executive Search and Placement Fees: H2 Talent earns fees for placing executive, C-level, and integral operational roles in cannabis and psychedelics companies. Engagements are structured as direct placement, contingency placement, or consulting/project-based placements. The firm interviews candidates extensively and presents only pre-qualified, vetted candidates to clients.
2. Pre-License Application Staffing: H2 Talent assists cannabis license applicants by sourcing key personnel needed to differentiate their application and win a coveted license. This service covers sourcing essential roles from pre-license stage through all phases of business operations.
3. Psychedelics and Natural Medicine Recruitment: The company has extended its recruiting expertise from cannabis into the emerging psychedelics and natural medicine sector, providing specialized recruitment for cultivators, manufacturers, testing labs, and licensed healing centers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

H2 Talent is a specialized executive search and recruiting firm that places leadership, pre-license, and consulting talent into companies operating in the cannabis and psychedelics industries. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, the firm is owned and operated by three founding partners and is structured around deep category expertise in highly regulated, emerging markets rather than broad-based generalist recruiting.

Product overview

H2 Talent is a specialized executive recruiting and staffing agency for the cannabis and psychedelics industries. The company offers a portfolio of services including Cannabis Recruiting Services (core executive search and placement), Psychedelics Recruiting Services, Pre-License/Application Staffing (for license applications), Consulting Placement (hourly/project-based expertise), and HR Support for emerging psychedelics companies. The company also operates a 2% Giveback Program focused on social justice initiatives. The service model combines cannabis industry veterans with talent from outside industries to build executive leadership teams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search
• Pre-License Staffing Specialized staffing service that helps cannabis and psychedelics employers identify and document qualified personnel required to satisfy regulatory license application requirements.
• Consulting Placement Placement of domain-expert consultants into cannabis and psychedelics organizations on a project or interim basis to support specialized initiatives that require outside expertise.

Quantifiable outcome

• Founders have worked with cannabis clients across 29 states, demonstrating extensive national reach and regulatory knowledge.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Last Prisoner Project (LPP)coreOthers · 1 January 2022H2 Talent awarded its 2% Giveback Program grant to Last Prisoner Project in 2022, supporting the organization's efforts to end cannabis-related incarceration and repair the impact of prohibition on individuals, families, and communities. LPP works to free cannabis prisoners and advocates for criminal justice reform.
• Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP)flagshipOthers · 19 December 2018H2 Talent selected SSDP as the inaugural recipient of its 2% Giveback Program grant, honoring the organization's 20th anniversary and its record of cultivating leaders in cannabis advocacy, education, and business. H2 commits 2% of its income to support SSDP's grassroots organizing and drug policy reform efforts. SSDP is active on 379 campuses in 33 countries.
• VitamminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVitam is a Texas-based hemp beverage company combining hemp-derived cannabinoids with vitamins and minerals. Featured in H2 Talent's 'Best Buds Partner Spotlight' series, highlighting the broader cannabis and psychedelics ecosystem community that H2 Talent engages with.
• NACAT Pros (National Association of Cannabis Accounting and Tax Professionals)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFounded by Naomi Granger, NACAT Pros is a professional organization for cannabis accounting and tax professionals. Featured in H2 Talent's 'Best Buds Partner Spotlight' series as part of the company's ecosystem engagement with ancillary cannabis service providers.
• Eden VenturesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEden Ventures is a full-service cannabis retail and operations consulting firm founded by Sarah Larson. Featured in H2 Talent's 'Best Buds Partner Spotlight' as a collaborative partner in the cannabis consulting ecosystem.
• Grove BagsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGrove Bags, led by Lance Lambert, is an award-winning cannabis packaging company using TerpLoc Technology to preserve cannabis quality. Featured in H2 Talent's 'Best Buds Partner Spotlight' series.
• FishWhistleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFishWhistle, co-founded by Chris Walsh, is a lifestyle cannabis pre-roll brand combining fishing and cannabis culture. Featured in H2 Talent's 'Best Buds Partner Spotlight' series.
• Cannabis Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, led by Executive Director John Svoboda, is a national trade organization focused on B2B networking, education, and member collaboration. Featured in H2 Talent's 'Best Buds Partner Spotlight' series.
• Canna AdvisorsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanna Advisors is a sister company to H2 Talent, founded by Jay Czarkowski (co-founder of H2 Talent). Canna Advisors provides cannabis business consulting and licensing services and has worked with cannabis clients in 29 states. The two companies are deeply interconnected, sharing founders and operating as complementary businesses in the cannabis ecosystem.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Vangst: Vangst is a leading cannabis-focused recruiting and staffing platform placing both hourly workers and professional roles across the cannabis supply chain. Like H2 Talent, it is a vertical-specialist serving cannabis operators nationally, though it skews more toward volume and gig hiring than executive search.
• FlowerHire: FlowerHire is a cannabis-specific recruiting firm placing talent across cultivation, retail, extraction, and ancillary services. It directly competes with H2 Talent for cannabis talent placements and shares a similar vertical-only positioning.
• CannabizTeam: CannabizTeam is a cannabis-industry-focused executive search and recruiting firm placing C-suite, sales, and operational leaders. It is one of the closest direct competitors to H2 Talent in the cannabis executive search niche.
• HireCanna: HireCanna is a cannabis-focused recruiting agency placing talent across operators, ancillary services, and ancillary technology providers. Comparable to H2 Talent in vertical specialization though broader in role level than the executive-only niche H2 Talent targets.

Broad incumbents

• Heidrick & Struggles: Heidrick & Struggles is a global executive search firm with an established Consumer & Industrial practice that increasingly covers regulated and emerging industries. As cannabis and psychedelics institutionalize, it represents the eventual incumbent competitor H2 Talent may face for large operator mandates.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Russell Reynolds Associates is a global executive search firm with established consumer, healthcare, and technology practices. It represents a comparable incumbent for H2 Talent's executive placements, particularly as cannabis MSOs and psychedelics biotech firms institutionalize leadership hiring.
• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is one of the largest global executive search and organizational consulting firms. Its consumer and life sciences practices overlap with H2 Talent's verticals as cannabis operators scale and demand enterprise-grade leadership advisory.
• Spencer Stuart: Spencer Stuart is a global executive search firm with deep board and CEO placement experience. It is a comparable incumbent for H2 Talent's C-level placements as the cannabis industry matures and boards professionalize.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/h2talent

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 H2 Talent