Interviews
Lisa Harun, Chief Marketing Officer at Grenco Science- Interview Series
Dosing unlocks the most benefits and least adverse effects of any medicine and brings it from the fray into mainstream.
-Lisa Harun
For cannabis to gain full acceptance as mainstream treatment, it has to meet the threshold for conventional drug development and administration. As Lisa Harun puts it, cannabis is medicine and consequently it has to function within the limits of “medical grade” quality and dosing. And that's where Grenco Science comes in; to engineer solutions for administering medical cannabis in metered doses while taking into account aesthetics, portability, and user experience
In this brief yet revealing interview, we get to learn that Grenco Science acquired Vapium Inc in 2020 and Lisa Harun, the chief marketing officer, became the first female board member of Grenco. And that’s just a tip of the iceberg. Join us as Lisa narrates her journey through the legal cannabis industry in Canada, key lessons learnt and most importantly, women leadership in the cannabis industry.
Meet Lisa.
The cannabis industry is one that many would rather not associate with. How did your career path lead you here?
I have experience with and knowledge of the plant coupled with a burning desire to cement the foundation of this industry.
We started with what we know – technology. Along with my partner Michael, we transitioned from robotics into vaporizers. Being Canadian, we founded a med tech company in a country who was compassionate, on the cusp of legalization. There were risks but we believe in the power of the plant and its ability to transform lives. I want to see a bright future, lit or lined by cannabis.
Introduce Grenco Sciences and the relationship it shares with Vapium Inc, briefly.
The common thread between Grenco Science and Vapium is that it shares values with respect to creating products. Our approach to innovation, design thinking and the industry is sympatico; we believe in driving innovation, creating unique and protectable platforms and that there are still miles to go in build a sustainable future for our industry.
Little known fact, in 2020 Grenco Science acquired Vapium. The collective team has been busy re-imagining the future for Vapium and Hyer and will be launching new products later this year! We closed the deal at the beginning of COVID and needed to focus on the business, so this is the first time we are announcing it officially. I am now the CMO of Grenco and its first female board member.
The importance of accurately dosing THC cannot be overstated. Here's a chance to blow your trumpet.
We have dedicated the better part of half a decade to research and development of accurate dosing and titration regimes. We believe that cannabis is medicine and within the realms of novel drug development, accuracy regarding dosing, the emergence of a regulated framework for medical cannabis will have significance to those who need it most. Moreover a standard dose would help guide consumers towards safer patterns of cannabis use. Dosing unlocks the most benefits and least adverse effects of any medicine and brings it from the fray into mainstream.
Due to the strict regulations, marketing cannabis is anything but straightforward. What can be done to make things easier on this end?
Regulations will change (often) — make sure you are equipped for compliance. Our creative visions changed quickly when Canada released packaging guidelines. You must be agile enough to adapt, otherwise it can be very costly.
Real stories.
We live in an age where transparency and honest values are revered. I must build with integrity and marry that with innovation. In an era of falsehoods and misinformation, telling stories in good faith matters more than ever. This means that brands that tell a story about the ecology or empowerment should imbue that ethos into every aspect of their organization. Own your story and this will build your community- fearless, sophisticated advocates of your brand.
Word of Mouth.
Stunt marketing, flashy campaigns and big parties won't be what your brand is remembered or recommended for. No one brand will be all things to all people. Carving your niche and weaving that ethos through your strategy and execution will earn coverage and engagement.
Be an Ally.
Each sector of this industry is unique, but I think what sets it apart is the friendships it cultivated around the single goal of legalization. I count my competition as actual friends and that I would even go as far as defending and applauding their tech. Build up not down and rival companies can partner up for good.
Build for lifetime value.
Build products that transcend demographics and instead grow with your community throughout their lifetime. You must build strategy that continues to connect and resonate with your core audience and this is how you capture hearts and minds.
The “safety” of vaping is controversial. Are you persuaded that this is a safe and effective way to medicate with cannabis? Is it the best way?
Vaping is the fastest means of titration making it an effective way to medicate. Heat not burn technology is harm reductive; and while I cannot make health claims, I believe in the innovation our team is creating will allow future users ease of use and peace of mind as we build with a consumer centric approach.
As an entrepreneur in the legal cannabis space, what is the one thing that you wish you knew before you took the big leap?
I think there are four major lessons I learned…
- It can be difficult and take time to raise capital. When we started the company (in 2013), it was hard to raise capital from conventional sources and we had no choice but to bootstrap the company — we believed in what we were building, so we raised funds from friends and family, reinvested every dollar we made. Since then the stigma around the industry has been reduced (especially in Canada) — and we've been able to able to raise as much capital as we need — but we still have a revenue-focused “eat what we kill” mentality.
- Start lean with a strategy to scale. Being too top heavy can mean you have no operators or executors. Luckily we are of the roll up your sleeves and dive in kind. We are makers and started as a management team of three who thankfully were all talented and able to execute. We ran that way until 2017.
- You must focus, grind and stay true to your vision. We started Vapium with a focus to build medical grade equipment, setting standards where there were none. We were often told that recreation was the future and that is how we should build- but what we saw was that legalization would bring this plant into the light as true medicine and that many people would ultimately benefit from access to medical products and medical manufacturing would stand the test of time.
- Choose your partners wisely. I took a consulting role at a small investment firm years ago. The portfolio was diverse and I learned so much from a set of very successful people. There was a “come to Jesus” moment when I saw the true colors of one of the principles and then I decided that I would severely vet anyone I worked with. Anyone you partner with or employ is a direct reflection of you- people are inherently flawed but you must chose people who you are proud to work with. I can happily say that I am very proud of the people I work with. Best team in the business with partners I trust.
Women in cannabis leadership. Are women adequately represented and what are some of the challenges that female leaders in the industry often experience?
The short answer is no. This has traditionally been a male dominated market. With access to capital, we will see more women and female identifying persons in this market. They share the same desire to teach, share and inspire because of what they know, what they have accomplished and what they plan to do.
It was a great pleasure to have this one-on-one with Lisa, CMO at Grenco. Readers who wish to learn more about Grenco and the future of medical cannabis tech are welcome to visit their website.
