With predictions that the legal cannabis market will experience non-linear growth in the coming years underscored by ongoing legalization of marijuana worldwide, companies big and small are hustling to build their footprints to capture share in a market that  Grand View Research forecasts will reach $146.4 billion by the end of 2025 (from $7.1 billion in 2016).  Whether companies are touching the once-taboo plant or operating in an ancillary segment, there is no shortfall of growth opportunities as part of an abolishment of eight decades of cannabis prohibition.

For its part, MassRoots (OTCQB: MSRT), a technology and rewards platform at its core, is branching out into different verticals.  Since the start of 2019, the company has penned two substantive agreements that have expanded MassRoots’ portfolio of products and services.

In mid-January, the Los Angeles-based company partnered with We are Kured, a subsidiary of New Age Brands (CSE: NF)(OTC:NWGFF), to serve as the leading online retailer of We are Kured’s best-selling CBD Pen.   The handheld vaporizer pen dispenses cannabidiol, or CBD, a THC-free constituent of hemp and cannabis trumpeted for its therapeutic benefits relating to alleviating inflammation, pain, anxiety, seizures and a host of other symptoms from a variety of maladies without unpleasant side effects or psychotropic buzz often associated with marijuana. 

The pen represents a new revenue stream for MassRoots as the first CBD product to be sold directly through the company’s online platform and social media pages.  MassRoots has more than one million social media followers, in excess of 750,000 email subscribers and hundreds of thousands of unique monthly visitors on its website and application to whom it can market the product.

This month, MassRoots entered a definitive agreement to acquire supply-chain as a service company COWA Science Corp. in an all-stock deal valued at approximately $5.78 million.  The buyout terms are dependent upon COWA Science meeting annual revenue milestones of $2.5 million and $7.5 million, as well as other customary closing conditions.  In short, the terms specify that COWA shareholders are entitled to additional shares if the sales milestones are hit within three years of the effectiveness of the merger.

For 2018, unaudited financials show COWA Science generated revenue of approximately $1.5 million by providing a variety of products and services to its list of about 50 cannabis- and hemp-focused clients.  Upon completion of the transaction, COWA will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of MassRoots.

MassRoots expects the acquisition to be immediately accretive while diversifying its business.  Management expects to build upon the existing COWA Science business to offer a complete cannabis-centric suite covering the full supply chain, including advertising, consumer packaging, process and product development, growing supplements and nutrients, HVAC and more.  On the whole, the new, bigger MassRoots intends to provide a broad mix of offerings to hundreds of licensed cannabis business in key markets across the country.

“Going forward, MassRoots is confident that the addition of COWA Science will increase overall revenues and expand our market presence, with the goal of generating positive cash-flows from operations,” commented MassRoots CEO Isaac Dietrich in the press release on the acquisition.  Dietrich added that the decision to bring COWA Science under his company’s umbrella came after several years of following their business and growth trajectory.

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(FinancialPress) — The biggest e-commerce portal in China is making a strong investment as an Olympic sponsor for the Pyeongchang Olympic games. The imposing pavilion the company put up at the event is in line with the ones erected by giants Coca-Cola, McDonald‘s and Samsung.

With this, Alibaba (BABA) likely hopes that some of the 3 other giants‘ global recognition rubs off on it.

The Jack Ma-founded company made waves with its 2014 New York Stock Exchange IPO – the largest recorded in history. The eccentric frontman is a regular at major international events, and just last year was part of a photo op with US President Donald Trump.

However, despite its massive success in Asia, its  “brand awareness outside China is not commensurate with its size,” according to National University of Singapore marketing professor Junhong Chu. Alibaba‘s market value is larger than Walmart‘s, and the company looks to change that with the Olympic sponsorship.

The requirements of the contract are extensive – minimum commitment of 4 years, and hundreds of millions in investment. While the exact numbers are not required to be made public, a report states that BABA‘s estimated investment will border $800 milion for the duration of the deal, which ends in 2028. This puts the company shoulder-and-shoulder with name giants such as Toyota, GE and Visa.

Alibaba steps in at a critical time – as longtime main sponsor McDonald‘s announced it will end its deal with the Olympics 3 years early. Not only does the new partnership bridge that financial hole, but a spokesperson for the Asian giant also stated that it comes “at a very critical time,” and that it will use its technology to help make the Olympics “more efficient, secure and engaging,”