Consolidation is a natural course for maturing industries and Viridian Sciences is no exception to this. With the recent merger between Akerna and Viridian Sciences, two rivers have come to a confluence and it’s a sign of the times. As the cannabis industry matures, and by proxy the ancillary companies, we are seeing a push across all states by organizations moving to a full vertical model. This movement to vertical integration is just the first major step by the cannabis industry to mature and reflect more mature industries.
As with the consolidation that occurs with vertical integration, the effects of the merger and consolidation benefit the end user. Akerna offers a wide and expansive list of integrations and offers an almost one stop shop for all technology needs in the cannabis space. By joining the Akerna family we are able to offer a wider array of products and services to our clients, as well as pull from a larger knowledge pool to help you with any business needs. While change can be scary, the consolidation of Viridian Sciences into the Akerna family is an exciting opportunity for not just our companies but the cannabis industry as a whole.
With the merger of Akerna and Viridian Sciences the cannabis industry takes another step towards legitimacy. When companies are able to grow and thrive to the point of merging in an industry that means there is growth, and any economist will tell you that growth is good. This growth helps to solidify what many people already knew about the cannabis industry, it’s about as recession proof as it gets. While many other industries, from automotive to retail, suffered and continue to suffer through the pandemic, cannabis has grown quarter after quarter. Now that doesn’t mean that everything has been love and light, but there is empirical data showing that the cannabis industry has fared better than most. This robustness mixed with movement at the federal level to bring legalization to reality will spur a second green rush that will inevitably lead to more mergers and acquisitions. For many consumers this will help to preserve established brands and give them access to new brands and products in the same breath.
Viridian Sciences becoming part of the Akerna family of brands is just a step at the beginning in an industry that continues to develop and we at Viridian Sciences are excited to continue to support the cannabis industry through this time of immense growth.