Local cannabis business owner makes bid to bring diversity to booming industry
By Stetson Miller
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TIMONIUM, Maryland (WJZ) — Wendy Bronfein is hoping to pave the way for more women to lead in the booming medical cannabis industry.
“The medical cannabis industry is a place that’s ripe for female participation,” she said.
Bronfein is the co-founder of Curio Wellness, a medical cannabis company based in Timonium. Her business has launched the Curio Investment Fund which is providing $30 million dollars in capital funding for women, minorities and disabled veterans to open their own Curio Wellness franchise location.
“What we did was create an investment fund to allow the diversity of this industry to expand,” said Bronfein.
A 2021 MJBizDaily report found that female executive representation in the cannabis business is about 22 percent.
“The fund really was designed around this need for increasing the number of business owners within the cannabis industry that come from the diverse backgrounds that reflect the broader community that the cannabis market serves,” said Jerel Registre, Fund Managing Director for Curio Wellness.
The fund will invest in up to 50 entrepreneurs who want to open a Curio franchise location, known as Far & Dotter.
“We’re opening up the opportunity for women, BIPOC and disabled veterans to have more meaningful access to owning and operating their own business,” said Bronfein.
The fund is available to people in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Illinois and Ohio.
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