The Green Hub, cannabis startups accelerator in Brazil, receives R$ 3 million in investments

The Brazilian cannabis startups accelerator The Green Hub, based in Santo André, Greater São Paulo, recently received a significant investment of R$ 3 million. According to the company's CEO, Marcel Grecco, the funding was provided by a family office (a closed capital company dealing with investment and wealth management), and the amount is being invested in the development of the TGH initiatives and the Cannabinoid Excellence Center.

In an interview with the Sechat portal, Grecco explained how The Green Hub operates, a company founded in 2016 by him and partners Marcelo Sarro, Pedro Pierro Neto, and Marcelo De Vita. The entrepreneur also discussed the opportunity for the company to present the Brazilian cannabis market in Toronto, during a lecture by the Brazil/Canada Chamber of Commerce.

Marcel Grecco also commented on TGH's partnership with the 4H Health Technology joint venture and assessed the Brazilian political scenario for the regulation of cannabis cultivation in Brazil and the registration of medicines.

SECHAT - The Green Hub was invited to give a lecture at the Brazil/Canada Chamber of Commerce in Toronto on the Cannabis market. What can you share in advance about what will be discussed at the lecture?
Marcel Grecco - Yes, our Co-Founder and Business Development Marcelo De Vita will go to Toronto to speak at the sixth edition of the BCCC Healthcare Forum. The lecture's theme will be the trends and opportunities in the medicinal cannabis market in Brazil. We will update on the status of the regulatory processes in Brazil, market projections, entry barriers, cultural challenges, and The Green Hub's role as a business gateway.

The Green Hub is a startup accelerator focused on the cannabis market. What are the main startups you are currently working with and how does this work happen in practice?

We operate on three fronts: venture building, startup acceleration, and corporate consulting. We develop and accelerate startups focusing on improving solutions, growth strategies, and structuring initiatives' processes. We also facilitate innovation programs for corporations, supporting access to this new market, with services ranging from feasibility studies through business intelligence and custom technology development, to commercial and legal consulting.

We are currently preparing a startup call to be made in December of this year, our main areas of interest will be biotech, agrotech, and Digital, but we are not limited to these topics.

You have initiatives like the Cannabinoid Excellence Center and Anella, a software that aims to assist in the medicinal use of the plant. How do these two services work?

The Cannabinoid Excellence Center is a medical platform that takes care of the entire patient journey in treatment with medicinal cannabis, we follow their experience and provide all necessary support.

We train the medical market through an educational platform, consolidate access with consultations and prescriptions in our clinics, and support patients through a support program that ranges from access to medications to adherence to treatment as prescribed by the doctor. Our startup Anella was integrated into the CEC system, and we are repositioning the brand for a new project in 2020.

You recently received a significant financial investment. What is the amount, how did this investment reach TGH, and how will it be invested?

We received Seed Capital for our two initiatives TGH and CEC in the total amount of R$ 3 million, the funding was provided by a Family Office and the amount is being invested in the development of the initiatives.

The Green Hub has entered into a partnership with the 4H Health Technology joint venture. What is 4H and how will this partnership work?

Yes, we have established a joint venture with 4H Health Technology, a spin-off from the Software Engineering Laboratory (LES) at PUC-Rio, 4H's mission is to develop innovative solutions to promote healthcare. The company specializes in developing software for the healthcare sector. The goal of this partnership is to strengthen our initiatives with experienced executives in developing solutions for education and explore the innovation ecosystem in the healthcare sector, bringing the medicinal cannabis topic to the forefront of discussions.

How does The Green Hub assess the political scenario for the regulation of medicinal cannabis?

Despite seeing a government stance against some regulation models, we understand that the movement in favor of patient access to cannabis-based medications is irreversible. Several deputies and senators are engaged in building legislation that benefits patients first, and this is essential for building a responsible law and also speeding up this process.