Global Demand for Cannabis Shows Industry Potential Even as Investments Decline

New Frontier Data logo

WASHINGTON — New Frontier Data, the leader in actionable cannabis data and business intelligence, releases Cannabis Capital: 2023 Industry Market Report. The report, sponsored by Viridian Capital Partners, and based on capital markets data from the Viridian Cannabis Deal Tracker, details aggregate top-line investment activity in the legal cannabis sector and its ancillary markets, as well as overall industry growth.

“Investors are in the process of recalibrating their strategies for the cannabis market. By bringing together two of the most-trusted cannabis industry data companies, we provided an unbiased view of the current opportunities and challenges,” said Gary Allen, New Frontier Data CEO. “Simultaneously, the report offers a sobering view of the capital markets for cannabis business owners who must adjust their own expectations for outside investment to construct healthier businesses.”

Advertisement

Key findings from the report include:

  • In 2021 virtually every sector of the industry received blockbuster investments, leading to over $12 billion in capital raises; a combination of economic headwinds and dampened expectations for federal action shrank North American capital raises to $4 billion in 2022.
  • The United States continued to attract the majority of investor capital in 2022, growing as a percentage of total capital raised, from 71.7% in 2021 to 80.6% in 2022.
  • The United States drove the majority of M&A activity in 2022, growing from 59% of M&A activity in 2021 to 68% in 2022.
  • Cultivation and retail remained the leading sectors for M&A activity at 57% in 2022; however, the cultivation/retail sector represented 70% of the activity in 2021.
  • The average size of equity raises decreased 44% from $22.17 million in 2021 to $12.40 million in 2022, whereas the average size of debt raises decreased from $45.72 million in 2021 to $21.48 million in 2022.

Scott Greiper, President and Founder of Viridian Capital, commented “Capital investment and M&A activity in the cannabis industry has become more narrowly focused on those states, countries and operators that have proven management teams, business models, and corporate strategy. This report, buoyed by data from the Viridian Cannabis Deal Tracker, provides the insight and actionable data for investors, lenders and acquirers to make smart capital allocation decisions.”

Download a complimentary copy of Cannabis Capital: 2023 Industry Market Report: info.newfrontierdata.com/2023-cannabis-capital-report.

About New Frontier Data

New Frontier Data is the premier data, analytics and technology firm specializing in the global cannabis industry, delivering solutions that enable investors, operators, advertisers, brands, researchers and policy makers to assess, understand, engage and transact with the cannabis industry and its consumers.

Our mission is to inform policy and commercial activity for the global legal cannabis industry. We maintain a neutral position on the merits of cannabis legalization through comprehensive and transparent data analysis and projections that shape industry trends, dynamics, demand and opportunity drivers. Founded in 2014, New Frontier Data is headquartered in Washington, D.C. with a presence in Europe, Latin America and Africa. For more information about New Frontier Data, please visit us at www.NewFrontierData.com.

About the Viridian Capital Cannabis Deal Tracker

The Viridian Capital Chart of the Week highlights key investment, valuation and M&A trends taken from the Viridian Cannabis Deal Tracker.

Launched in January 2015, and having analyzed more than $60B in deals, the Viridian Cannabis Deal Tracker is a proprietary data service that monitors and analyzes capital raise and M&A activity in the legal cannabis, CBD, and psychedelics industries. Each week the Deal Tracker provides proprietary data and market intelligence on transactions, including:

  • Deals by Industry Sector (To track the flow of capital and M&A Deals by one of 12 Sectors – from Cultivation to Brands to Software)
  • Deal Structure (Equity/Debt for Capital Raises, Cash/Stock/Earnout for M&A)
  • Principals to the Transaction (Issuer/Investor/Lender/Acquirer)
  • Key Deal Terms (Deal Size, Valuation, Pricing, Warrants, Cost of Capital)
  • Deals by Location of Issuer/Buyer/Seller (To Track the Flow of Capital and M&A Deals by State and Country)
  • Credit Ratings (Leverage and Liquidity Ratios)

For more information visit www.viridianca.com.

Advertisement