How Do Cannabis Companies Get Started When They Have No Money? Ask Judy Rinkus At The Cannabis Capital Conference In September

The Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference (CCC) is coming to the great city of Chicago on September 13-14, 2022.

As part of our lineup of amazing speakers, we're pleased to have Judy Rinkus, the founder & CEO of Seed To Sale Funding (STSF), which was founded in Michigan in 2019. Rinkus' entrepreneurial expertise, which she will kindly share, includes being the principal of STSF, a managing director at Bank of America, PNC Bank and Huntington Bank. During her banking career, Rinkus focused on commercial loans ranging from $1.0 million to $100 million across a variety of industries. A graduate of the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, Rinkus was also managing director at Amherst Capital - a boutique M&A, restructuring and consulting firm. 

"I spent 30 years in the commercial lending departments of larger banks. I left the banking industry almost 2 years ago. I was tired of working for The Man—quite literally since most of my managers were men," Rinkus said. "I spent some time finding an industry where I could put my financial skills, business development skills, and extensive network of business professionals to good use."

Seed To Sale Funding: A Leader In Cannabis Debt Financing

Seed to Sale Funding has closed over $70 million in transactions since 2019 and has written loans in 43 US states. The STSF team boasts over 100+ years of combined commercial lending experience.

"When recreational marijuana was legalized in Michigan, I started receiving questions from business contacts regarding financing early-stage marijuana companies. As you probably know, banks won’t lend to these companies. Through a series of connections, I was able to identify a group of about 20 non-bank lenders who were interested in the Michigan market. And before I knew it, I had a pipeline!" Rinkus said in an interview.

Recently, Seed To Sale Funding placed an $11.8 million transaction with Juva Life Inc. JUVAF - a cannabis-focused pharmaceutical research and development and consumer-facing company. That enabled Juva Life to acquire its Stockton, California, facility and continue its clinical research on two novel compounds.

"The primary purpose of the financing was to provide capital to complete the acquisition, appraised at a value of more than $17 million, for a purchase price of $4 million. Additionally, Juva plans to use the funds to further its clinical research development programs on novel compounds Juva-019 and Juva-041, targeting the treatment of inflammation," Rinkus said.
Join us at Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference where cannabis entrepreneurs like Judy Rinkus will gather at the historic Palmer House Hotel on Sep. 13-14 in Chicago.
Get your tickets HERE.

Image by Benzinga