Privateer Holdings is an American

private equity Private equity (PE) is stock in a private company that does not offer stock to the general public; instead it is offered to specialized investment funds and limited partnerships that take an active role in the management and structuring of the co ...

company that invests in the legal

cannabis industry The cannabis industry is composed of legal Cannabis cultivation, cultivators and producers, consumers, independent industrial standards bodies, ancillary products and services, regulators and researchers concerning cannabis and its industrial deriv ...

. It is headquartered in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

and employs more than 350 people in seven countries. Privateer Holdings secured the first institutional investor to enter the cannabis industry,

Founders Fund Founders Fund is an American venture capital fund formed in 2005 and based in San Francisco. The fund has roughly $17 billion in total assets under management as of 2025. Founders Fund was the first institutional investor in Space Exploration T ...

. In 2019, Privateer Holdings was merged with

Tilray Tilray Brands, Inc. is an American pharmaceutical, cannabis-lifestyle and consumer packaged goods company, incorporated in the United States, headquartered in New York City. Tilray also has operations in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin ...

History

The company was founded by Brendan Kennedy, Michael Blue, and Chris Groh on October 20, 2011.

Portfolio companies

Privateer Holdings portfolio companies include:

Leafly Leafly is a website focused on cannabis use and education. The company says it has more than 120 million annual visitors and over 10 million monthly active users. Leafly provides a wide range of information on cannabis including 1.5 million cons ...

, and

Marley Natural Marley Natural is the official cannabis brand of Bob Marley, developed by his estate in conjunction with the private equity firm Privateer Holdings, which develops cannabis industry brands. The brand is based in Seattle, Washington. Marley Natur ...

, a partnership with the

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

estate launching a line of cannabis-focused goods. Privateer Holdings acquired Leafly in 2011. In 2014, Leafly became the first cannabis company to place an advertisement in the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

. Privateer owns 76 percent of Tilray Inc., a company federally licensed by the Government of Canada to produce, process, package and distribute medical cannabis. The company operates a 60,000 sq. ft medical cannabis research and production facility in Nanaimo, British Columbia. , Tilray supplied pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis products and had raised $122 million. Tilray's primary market is Canada, where it serves more than 20,000 patients, but the company also exports medical cannabis products to other countries. Tilray was the first company to legally export medical cannabis products from North America to Australia, Brazil, Chile, the European Union, and New Zealand. Tilray became the first medical cannabis producer in North America to be GMP certified in December 2016. GMP certification is the most rigorous standard that manufacturers of medical products must meet in their production processes. GMP certification allows Tilray to create products for clinical research. , Tilray supplies pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis products for three different clinical trials in partnership with hospitals and universities in Canada and Australia. In November 2014, Privateer Holdings and

's daughter Cedella launched the cannabis brand ''

'' developed by the Marley family in conjunction with Privateer. Marley Natural launched its inaugural collection of cannabis products, body care, and smoking accessories in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in February 2016. , the brand sells cannabis in California, Oregon, and Washington.

References

External links

Privateer Holdings official site
{{Cannabis in Washington Financial services companies established in 2011 2011 in cannabis Cannabis companies of the United States Cannabis in Washington (state) Cannabis law reform in the United States Companies based in Seattle Medicinal use of cannabis Private equity firms of the United States