StartUs Insights write…
Our Innovation Analysts recently looked into emerging technologies and up-and-coming startups working on solutions for the pharma sector. As there is a large number of startups working on a wide variety of solutions, we want to share our insights with you. This time, we are taking a look at 5 promising medical cannabis startups.
Heat Map: 5 Top Medical Cannabis Startups
Using our StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 1.379.000+ startups & scaleups globally, we looked at innovation in the field of pharma. For this research, we identified 332 relevant solutions and picked 5 to showcase below. These companies are chosen based on a data-driven startup scouting approach, taking into account factors such as location, founding year, and relevance of technology, among others. Depending on your specific criteria, the top picks might look entirely different.
The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights 5 startups & emerging companies developing innovative medical cannabis solutions. Moreover, the Heat Map reveals regions that observe a high startup activity and illustrates the geographic distribution of all 332 companies we analyzed for this specific topic.
BOAZ Pharmaceuticals – Craft Cannabis
Medical uses of cannabis have long been known in traditional medicines across cultures. As regulations on the production and sale of cannabis are becoming less restrictive, startups are working on the medicinal benefits of cannabis in research labs. Besides, craft cannabis growers use highly potent strains and extra curing steps to offer enhanced medical attributes to their customers.
Canadian startup BOAZ Pharmaceuticals produces craft cannabis for medical use. The startup grows, harvests, and trims cannabis by hand, without the use of any chemical fertilizer or pesticides. Then, the cannabis hang-dries and is cured to accentuate the aroma and taste of terpenes. The startup offers both dried flower and pre-rolled products with different concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).
Little Green Pharma – CBD Oil
CBD oil is a popular form of medical cannabis that is legally available in many countries, including the US, Canada, and most parts of Europe. CBD oil is known to relieve pain, help with anxiety and depression, and alleviate cancer-related symptoms.
Australian startup Little Green Pharma offers a range of medical cannabis preparations from different plant varieties. The company produces medical cannabis oil from whole-plant extracts and medium-chain triglyceride oil. The startup’s portfolio includes CBD dominant products, THC dominant products, and products that have an equally balanced ratio of THC/CBD. This allows healthcare practitioners to prescribe a suitable option according to the medical condition of the patient.
Kanabo – CBD Formulations
CBD and THC, the two therapeutic components in cannabis, and their combination help alleviate a wide range of medical conditions such as appetite loss, muscle spasms, and epilepsy. However, doctors often prescribe only one of them in particular amounts to personalize treatment to each patient. To meet this need, startups offer cannabis formulations in varying proportions of THC and CBD to suit individual prescriptions.
Israeli startup Kanabo develops non-THC products for CBD consumers. The startup’s over-the-counter (OTC) CBD formulations contain less than 1mg THC per cartridge. Prepared from full plant hemp extract, these formulations help relieve stress and ease physical discomfort and recovery. Moreover, the startup’s patent-pending compositions enable formulations with more than 70% cannabinoids.
DEMECAN – Climate-Controlled Production
Climate controlled greenhouses are becoming common as a method to control the quality and quantity of the yield for a lot of crops. As the market for medical cannabis expands, climate-controlled production is a potential way forward to meet the growing demand. Moreover, it also ensures that the proportion of CBD/THC by weight does not vary for each batch.
German startup DEMECAN cultivates, imports, and wholesales medical cannabis. The startup grows cannabis plants from tissue culture cells in climate-controlled indoor facilities with phytopharmaceutical quality standards. The startup also ensures a reliable supply of medical cannabis for patients in Germany and Europe by sourcing from international producers, including Little Green Pharma.
STENOCARE – Pharmaceutical-Grade Quality
As more and more pharmaceutical companies explore the use of medical cannabis, they are required to test their medicinal benefits with the same level of rigor as other drugs. Pharma-grade manufacturing necessitates that cannabis production meets the requirements of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification. Further, with climate-controlled production, sterile water, and other steps, startups and scaleups are adopting pharmaceutical-grade methods for medical cannabis.
Danish startup STENOCARE is a medical cannabis producer. The startup holds a license from the Danish Medicines Agency allowing it to cultivate, import, and handle cannabis for medical use. The startup grows cannabis in high-tech and hygienic climate rooms to ensure pharmaceutical-grade quality.
What About The Other 327 Solutions?
While we believe data is key to creating insights it can be easy to be overwhelmed by it. Our ambition is to create a comprehensive overview and provide actionable innovation intelligence that enables you to achieve your goals faster. The 5 medical cannabis startups showcased above are promising examples out of 332 we analyzed for this article. To identify the most relevant solutions based on your specific criteria, get in touch.
