ACG 101 2022 Cannabis Panel

Industry leading CEO and Founder who is widely recognized as an expert within the cannabis sector. Leveraging a successful career in institutional finance with a focus on investment banking and private equity, Nishant has been able to build one of the country’s most respected and financially successful cannabis enterprises, “A Golden State” brand. Nishant has been regularly featured in Forbes, Business Insider and Bloomberg and is considered an outspoken advocate of social justice and sustainability. 

Through Nishant’s leadership, Satya Capital has been able to successfully build and operate a vertical multi-state cannabis infrastructure that includes best-in-class cultivations, distribution, retail, a portfolio of premium brands, and an investment fund. 

Prior to Co-Founding Satya Capital, Nishant founded NMR Capital, a full-service investment firm focused on real estate development and early seed investing in the technology sector. Through NMR Capital Nishant has had extensive experience in building, funding, and launching several mobile applications, and technology-based ventures. Prior to NMR Capital Nishant spent over a decade in investment banking and private equity between J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo. 

Serving many of California's leading cannabis brands and retailers, Hirsh guides their expansion strategy, competitive licensing efforts and execution of M&A transactions.

Previously the Director of Government Affairs at Caliva, a leading California cannabis brand, Hirsh assisted Caliva in successfully compete for cannabis licenses across California and oversaw the company's expansion strategy and before that Hirsh was the West Coast Director of Government Affairs at MedMen, where he oversaw 80% of the company's footprint and each of its major West Coast markets, which included California, Arizona and Nevada.

Hirsh serves as Chair of the Los Angeles Cannabis Chamber of Commerce and Vice Chair of the California Cannabis Chamber of Commerce where he advocates for sound public cannabis policy and is on the Board of Directors of the California chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (Cal NORML). Hirsh is also on the Board of Directors of SC Labs, the leading cannabis testing lab in the United States.

Hirsh has a B.A. in Philosophy from UC Berkeley, where he worked as the Cannabis Lead in the Campus Public Defender’s Office, defending students that were accused of cannabis violations by the University and received his J.D. from Harvard Law School, where his focus was the legal and political impacts of The War on Drugs.

Ben is the co-founder of a Fintech company, Bespoke Financial. His companies have raised close to $1B in capital. Previously Ben Directed the Resnick family office for the owners of the largest farming company in the world, The Wonderful Companies. He was CFO of Radlink Inc, a medical software/imaging company and worked for the investment bank Credit Suisse and was Treasurer of the Kelly Shires Breast Cancer Foundation. He holds and MBA from UCLA Anderson and degrees from McGill University, Pepperdine University and Concordia University.

Pelorus Equity Group and Pelorus Fund Co-Founder and President Rob Sechrist Rob is a co-founder and president of Pelorus Equity Group (“Pelorus”), the leading provider of value-add bridge commercial real estate loans to cannabis businesses and owners with cannabis-related real estate, and the co-manager of the Pelorus Fund, a private mortgage real estate investment trust (“mREIT”).

Rob brings nearly 23 years of experience in the real estate finance industry. Since the formation of Pelorus in 2010, he has raised more than $750MM in secured real estate transactions. Rob’s primary role at Pelorus as a manager of the Pelorus Fund, the development of strategic alliances with both private and institutional investors, the formation of equity partnerships, and coordinating the company’s growth into new markets. Today, Pelorus raises tens of millions a month through the company’s investors and equity partnerships. Prior to joining the real estate industry, Rob was the founder and CEO of an international action sports manufacturing company.

Rob earned a BA from San Diego State University. Licenses include California Real Estate Broker’s License, NMLS License, and designated expert witness as an asset-based lender. He is also the Chairman of the Board of JRS Capital USA, Inc., a real estate consulting firm based out of Newport Beach, California. Currently a member of Alder (formerly GenNext) and a donor to the Gen Next Foundation. Rob is married and has a son.

Director of Marketing for “The Atrium Dispensary”, a subsidiary of The Atrium Group’s management leadership responsible for the successful expansion of TAG in Southern California, Destiny is well known in branding and related dispensary issues. 

Mark Levinson has decades of broad, sophisticated transactional experience structuring and closing projects and managing litigation strategies in a timely manner. He is recognized for appreciating what drives parties in a transaction and where agreement resides, enabling his clients to achieve their goals.

In counseling clients, Mark routinely represents clients ranging from public companies to private equity to governments and individuals on a variety of business challenges and arrangements. Mark routinely structures and executes on a range of transactions, including consumer M&A, capital market, real estate (acquisition, disposition, and syndication across a range of asset classes), commercial, and real estate and public finance (as lender, bond, underwriter, trustee, and developer counsel), and in charter school and governmental infrastructure and P-3 financing, cannabis, and transaction and finance workouts from beginning to end.

Mark's practice impacts securities law, capital markets, real estate, financing, litigation, labor, and other emerging areas. In California and across the United States, his work across industries includes real estate (multifamily, industrial, office), consumer, cannabis, governmental, charter school, media, technology, and involvement with boards and committees in a variety of matters. His understanding and ability to see a challenge from all sides frequently reinforces his position when working with company leadership as a trusted legal adviser.

Scott brings 20 years of experience as an analyst and portfolio manager. Prior to joining Roth, Mr. Fortune was an Analyst and PM for Magee Thomson Investment Partners and covering micro, small, and large cap funds. Mr. Fortune also worked at Duncan Hurst Capital Management. Prior to his finance career, Scott was Captain of the 1992 USA Volleyball Olympic Team and competed in three Olympics. He earned his MBA from the University of San Diego, and BA from Stanford University in Economics in 2006 and 1989, respectively. ROTH Capital Partners is an investment banking firm that has raised more than $60 billion for small-cap companies and completed over 350 merger, acquisition and advisory assignments.

A director in the firm’s Woodland Hills, CA office with over 14 years of professional tax and accounting experience in a variety of specialties including tax planning and compliance, financial management, and technology. Over the past five years, Matt has been focused on consulting with clients in the cannabis industry from seed to sale, assisting them with navigating the maze of regulations and taxes.

Matt has helped closely held, inventory-based businesses and high net worth individuals in various industries including restaurant and hospitality, apparel and manufacturing, and professional services. He has established accounting functions, systems and best practices; cost-reduction, automation, and tax strategies, and has built lasting relationships with clients resulting in optimal financial performance.  

Graduated with a BS in Public Affairs from Indiana University – Bloomington, has a Certificate in Business Foundations and Certificate in Accounting, UCLA Extension and is licensed as a CPA in California and Illinois.  In 2021 he was named on the list of "40 Under 40 in the Accounting Profession".