Socrates Rosenfeld has gone from flying combat missions for the U.S. Army to pioneering online technologies that are changing the way marijuana dispensaries do business.
Rosenfeld, a West Point grad, former captain and combat pilot of an Apache helicopter, has made it his post-military goal to “help consumers become more confident in the way they shop for cannabis.”
With the introduction of Jane, an online cannabis marketplace, Rosenfeld and his team aim to revolutionize the way customers and dispensaries interact. Launched in May, Jane started with eight partner dispensaries in the Santa Cruz, Calif., market, with plans to quickly expand to other areas of California and into Colorado.
Jane connects dispensaries to consumers by integrating search functions, recommendations and delivery into a single seamless online package that simplifies the process for all involved.
The goal of the technology is to use a familiar, modern online storefront to give customers greater choice in the products they are going to buy, and to provide dispensaries a level playing field and platform to sell their products.
“(Dispensaries) are tired of relying solely on expensive advertising to reach new customers,” Rosenfeld says. “By partnering with dispensaries who pride themselves on providing the highest quality products and services to their community, we help consumers become more confident in the way they shop for cannabis.”
It was while studying at MIT, where he and his team got their start, that Rosenfeld discovered the benefits of cannabis.
He was inspired by the stories of veterans unable to find relief for symptoms of post-traumatic stress. “Cannabis provides me with a sense of well-being and balance that I can’t find anywhere else, and we created Jane to ensure that others like me can find exactly what they need without any confusion or uncertainty.”
The legal marijuana industry was estimated to represent about $6.7 billion in 2016 by Forbes, and is expected to top $20 billion by 2021. Currently 21 states have laws allowing some form of legalized medical or recreational marijuana use.
