#247: Creating a Cutting-edge Company at the Intersection of Cannabis and Blockchain with Greg Anderson, USMA ‘92, and Charlie Uchill, USMA ‘92

Service Academy Business Mastermind

“We were able to take the technology associated with blockchain and cryptocurrency and use that as a fundraising mechanism, initially, to help support cannabis operators.” -Greg Anderson, USMA ‘92

Both 1992 graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Greg Anderson and Charlie Uchill came together to create CeresCoin, a financial services company for the highly regulated legal cannabis industry. Ceres is a blockchain compliance and transparency solution that provides a peer-to-peer methodology for conducting secure, auditable, financial transactions. As CEO, Greg brings leadership experience from his time in the military and over 20 years in the real estate development industry. With a background in alternative structured finance, Charlie brings his industry expertise to the Ceres team as COO.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The development of a financial services platform that bridges the gap between two highly regulated spaces—cannabis and blockchain
• How Greg and Charlie worked with the SEC to become a regulated security
• The challenges Ceres faces due to the uncertainty in both the crypto and cannabis industries
• How Ceres is a unique solution for a significant problem in a growing $70 billion industry
• Greg and Charlie’s goals for Ceres

Greg and Charlie explain how choosing to become a regulated security before it was the industry standard, although a long and difficult process, was the right path for Ceres. They also share how they are raising awareness about their business and how it is the perfect solution for both cannabis companies and crypto investors. We were inspired by the tenacity Greg and Charlie demonstrated while building their company in a space surrounded by a lot of uncertainty and admire their growth and success.

Connect with Greg and Charlie:

• Greg’s LinkedIn
• Charlie’s LinkedIn
• CeresCoin

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Special thanks to Greg and Charlie for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA ’01