GreenSPOT hopes to revolutionize the way people in legal states but cannabis and cannabis related products.
The brainchild of high school friends Tim Island and James Edwards, their kiosk would not only streamline the way dispensaries in legal markets sell their products, but would also be a win for bringing more Black people in tech into the cannabis sector.
14-minutes long, our interview was full of great talking points. Here are 5 you should pay attention to ahead of hearing the full interview.
Interview goes live Monday morning at 10 a.m. Subscribe to the CashColorCannabis Podcast on Google Play Music, Apple Podcast and all major streaming platforms and keep up with all new episodes.
It Goes Back To High School
Island and Edwards actually started off as rivals. Both playing football and other sports at high levels, the two knew of each other because of the names they built on the playing field.
*Fun Fact: Tim went to school with former Houston Texans running back Arian Foster.
You Can Teach An Old Dog, New Tricks
Neither Island or Edwards have a background in tech. James was in real estate at the time and Island worked in sales. When the idea of the kiosk came, the two dove into a new world without lifejackets. So far, they’re swimming pretty good.
One For Us
The two consider their accomplishment with GreenSTOP as a win overall for afro tech. Pushing the idea that ancillary services will prevail overtime, they hope that their breakthrough would lead more people of color in the tech space to try their hand at cannabis.
On the Look
It was a search for weed that sparked the idea for GreenSTOP in Tim’s head.
“From vape pens, to flower to edibles, I just found that it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be” said Tim
“I’d go to grocery stores and they would have kiosks…I’d go to McDonald’s and they have touch screen ordering.”
Why not weed?
Representation Matters
With all the social media platforms and the many apps that clutter our phones and lives, few, if any are created by people of color. Island and Edwards hope that they can change that a little bit with their presence.