Privateer Holdings secured the first institutional investor to enter the cannabis industry, Founders Fund.[4]
In 2019, Privateer Holdings was merged with Tilray.[5][6]
The company was founded by Brendan Kennedy, Michael Blue, and Chris Groh on October 20, 2011.[6]
Portfolio companies
Privateer Holdings portfolio companies include: Leafly, Tilray, and Marley Natural, a partnership with the Bob Marley estate launching a line of cannabis-focused goods.[7]
Privateer Holdings acquired Leafly in 2011. In 2014, Leafly became the first cannabis company to place an advertisement in the New York Times.[8]
Privateer owns 76 percent of Tilray Inc.,[9] a company federally licensed by the Government of Canada to produce, process, package and distribute medical cannabis. The company operates a 60,000 sq. ft medical cannabis research and production facility in Nanaimo, British Columbia. As of 2016[update], Tilray supplied pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis products and had raised $122 million.[10] Tilray's primary market is Canada, where it serves more than 20,000 patients, but the company also exports medical cannabis products to other countries. Tilray was the first company to legally export medical cannabis products from North America to Australia, Brazil, Chile, the European Union, and New Zealand.[11][12][13][14]
Tilray became the first medical cannabis producer in North America to be GMP certified in December 2016.[15] GMP certification is the most rigorous standard that manufacturers of medical products must meet in their production processes. GMP certification allows Tilray to create products for clinical research. As of 2016[update], Tilray supplies pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis products for three different clinical trials in partnership with hospitals and universities in Canada and Australia.[citation needed]
In November 2014, Privateer Holdings and Bob Marley's daughter Cedella launched the cannabis brand Marley Natural developed by the Marley family in conjunction with Privateer.[16] Marley Natural launched its inaugural collection of cannabis products, body care, and smoking accessories in Los Angeles, California in February 2016.[17]As of April2017[update], the brand sells cannabis in California, Oregon, and Washington.[18]
