What The 9th Block does

The 9th Block is a Denver, Colorado-based, full-service marketing agency founded in 2020 that serves cannabis, hemp, and other highly regulated industry clients across multiple U.S. states. The firm offers a tightly bundled service stack — public relations, brand strategy and identity, digital marketing, and website development — packaged for operators in verticals where generalist agencies typically lack regulatory fluency. Active client engagements span Colorado, Arizona, Arkansas, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Oregon, and the firm operates a secondary office in Phoenix, Arizona to support that geographic reach.

The business model is project- and retainer-based marketing services revenue, sized primarily for SMB and growth-stage operators including cultivators, dispensaries, product manufacturers, and ancillary service providers. The 9th Block is privately held and organized as an LLC, with reported headcount of 1–10 employees, consistent with a boutique, partner-led delivery model rather than a scaled agency platform. Notable work includes the 2021 ADCANN Award-winning Pride Guide campaign, which functions as a third-party credential for new business development in a buyer base that is risk-averse around brand-safe execution in regulated categories.

The primary internal asset is the leadership team's combined 30+ years of marketing experience, particularly the cannabis-and-regulated-vertical depth that is scarce among mainstream agencies. Competitive differentiation rests on niche specialization, regulatory familiarity, and a multi-state go-to-market footprint rather than on proprietary technology, scale economics, or data assets.

Name

The 9th Block

Legal name

The 9th Block, LLC

Website

https://the9thblock.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The 9th Block is a Denver-based, full-service marketing agency founded in 2020 that provides PR, branding, digital marketing, and website development services to cannabis, hemp, and other highly regulated industry clients across multiple U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketing & PR Services: Full-service agency providing branding, public relations, digital marketing, website development, and related professional services to cannabis and hemp industry clients. Revenue generated through project-based engagements and ongoing retainer relationships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The 9th Block is a full-service growth marketing agency that delivers branding, public relations, and digital marketing services to cannabis and hemp industry clients. Its offerings span communication strategy, press release writing, media training, logo and packaging design, photo/video production, SEO, email/SMS marketing, digital advertising, and custom WordPress website development including ecommerce platforms and dispensary sites with live menu integrations.

Product overview

The 9th Block is a full-service growth marketing agency specializing in the cannabis and highly regulated industries. The agency offers three core service pillars: Public Relations (communication strategy, press releases, media management, media training), Branding (logo design, style guides, packaging design, photo/video production), and Digital Marketing (email marketing, SEO, digital advertising, website development). The agency builds custom WordPress websites for clients, including ecommerce platforms and dispensary websites with live menu integrations. Their portfolio includes case studies spanning dispensary websites (Hash&Co.), CBD ecommerce sites (Carbon Cannabis, O2Holistic), packaging design (Silver Stem Fine Cannabis), brand video production (Gofire), company rebranding (Core Print & Packaging), and various PR campaigns for cannabis industry clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Relations Services PR services including communication strategy, byline and press release writing, inbound media management, media training, and thought leadership positioning for cannabis and regulated industry brands.
• Branding Services Comprehensive branding solutions including strategy and positioning, logo design, style guide development, packaging and design, and photo/video production for cannabis and hemp brands.
• Digital Marketing Services Digital marketing capabilities including email marketing and SMS, SEO optimization, digital advertising, and website development for cannabis and CBD businesses.
• Website Development Custom WordPress website development including ecommerce websites, dispensary websites with integrated live menus, and SEO-optimized platforms for cannabis and CBD businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65+ million addressable audience reach for Volunteer Botanicals campaign
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ProliferanotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Volunteer Botanicals resulted in groundbreaking new product release called Prolifera, enabled by Volunteer Botanicals' Lipid Neutralization System (LNS) technology.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Edelman: Global communications/PR holding-company firm with a dedicated cannabis practice. Represents the kind of large incumbent that increasingly bids on cannabis brand PR mandates, competing with The 9th Block on enterprise accounts.
• Weber Shandwick: Large global PR agency with regulated-industry expertise and growing cannabis-relevant work. Competes for higher-end cannabis brand PR and communications strategy engagements.

Direct peers

• Cannabrand: Cannabis-focused branding and marketing agency serving dispensaries, growers, and ancillary cannabis brands with packaging, web, and PR services. Closely mirrors The 9th Block's branding + digital + PR stack for the same cannabis client base.
• Cannabis Creative Movement: Cannabis-specialist creative and PR agency behind the Pride Guide campaign for which The 9th Block won the ADCANN award. Operates in the same niche and competes for similar creative briefs.
• GreenLane Marketing: Digital marketing agency focused on cannabis, CBD, and hemp brands offering SEO, paid media, and web development. Direct overlap on the digital marketing pillar of The 9th Block's stack.
• Marijuana Marketing Xperts (MMX): Cannabis marketing agency providing SEO, web design, content, and paid media to dispensaries and cannabis brands. Comparable in service mix (digital-first) and target vertical.
• The Novelty Group: Creative agency specialized in cannabis, hemp, and psychedelic consumer brands, offering branding, packaging, and digital marketing. Direct head-to-head competitor for cannabis brand mandates.

Emerging players

• Viridian Capital Advisors: Cannabis-focused advisory and marketing firm serving public and private cannabis companies with investor relations and corporate communications. Overlaps with The 9th Block on the PR/corporate communications side of cannabis mandates.

Others

• MJBizDaily (Emerald): Leading cannabis industry B2B media and events company (now part of Emerald). Not a direct agency peer, but a key channel where The 9th Block secures earned-media placements for clients like O2VAPE and Silver Stem.
• High Times Media: Iconic cannabis media company that also runs branded content, events, and marketing programs for cannabis advertisers. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct agency competitor, but shares the same client advertisers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/The9thBlock
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-9th-block

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 The 9th Block