Smoke 'Em if Ya Got 'Em: The Business of Weed Special Guests: Sean Stiefel and Brian Jones

Five Dollar Buzz

The Buzzards go round two on the commodification of marijuana in the United States. Previously we spoke with Patrick Ryder and Brian Jones about the few insurance companies that will cover growers, distributors and sellers on Five Dollar Buzz Episode 10, "Cannabis Cultivation to Corporation" (audio only on Spotify and iTunes). On this episode, we discuss the world of cannabis hedge funds with the leader of the finance industry Sean Stiefel, the CEO of Navy Capital (navycapital.com) and returning guest Brian D. Jones, who is the Executive Vice President of QuadScore Insurance Services. Navy Capital was founded in 2016 with Sean becoming its CEO in 2019. Prior to founding Navy Capital, Seanl was a research analyst and trader for Northwoods Capital Management Partners, a TMT-focused global long/short hedge fund. He had previously served as an associate within an equity long/short fund at Millennium Partners, and he began his career as an equities trading analyst for Barclays Capital. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. As mentioned before, Brian D. Jones joined QuadScore Insurance Services as the Executive Vice President in 2021. He contributes a wealth of diverse insurance industry experience. His depth of knowledge in handling a broad array of complex operational, regulatory, underwriting, management, and actuarial matters also added value to his previous roles at Hartford Life, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Hartford Investment Management Company, and AXA XL, a division of AXA. Most recently, he was on the front lines of the cannabis insurance market from its infancy in 2017 through its maturation. He developed an underwriting strategy for the cannabis account portfolio and kept his team up to date on changes in the market. Mr. Jones developed a thorough distribution channel of brokers who work with cannabis clients, and he regularly meets with executive-level stakeholders to design solutions and innovative ways to insure their risks.
We are at the forefront of turning marijuana into an industry as respectable as any produce you'd find in your average grocery store. It's big business and as more states climb aboard its legalization and these businesses require the fiduciary support that finance strategists and insurance companies provide. So, pack it, light it and take another hit from the bong as FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ keeps relevant with our namesake (probably more like TWENTY DOLLAR GUMMIES in modern times) and goes straight to the lungs of an ever-growing - and reputable - business. The future looks bright but we're only wearing shades so you can't see our red-stained eyes. We keep a healthy supply of Visine in our war chest (wonder how that business has flourished in recent years). And please remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel and/or our audio-only versions on iTunes and Spotify. If you have any questions, comments, potential topics or guests please email us at [e-mail]. We'll answer you back shortly after we finish eating that entire dozen of Krispy Kremes we had delivered because we can't really get off the couch