Tech and Media Industry Disruptors Gathering With Marijuana Investors and Start-Ups For Major San Francisco Summit

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 22, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New West Summit, the first conference to focus exclusively on the game-changing, disruptive developments in technology, investment and media within the cannabis industry, announces initial speakers, panelists and sponsors for their November event.

"The Summit could not occur in a better time or place for our attendees," said Dean Arbit, co-founder of New West Summit and publisher of Smell The Truth, a cannabis-news outlet in partnership with Hearst Media on SFGate.com. "Interest in the cannabis industry is breaking all-time record highs, and San Francisco is ground zero for the world's digital economy."

The legal cannabis space has an estimated $10 billion economic impact in 2015 in the U.S., and the field is rapidly professionalizing and specializing. There is an immediate, unmet need for a marijuana industry conference tightly focused on the most dynamic, and disruptive segments: applications of high technology, deep capital, and professional branding and content.

Jim McAlpine, co-founder of New West Summit, and successful entrepreneur in the Internet and tech space for almost 20 years said, "it's a natural fit to establish a disruptive technology conference in this rapidly growing marketplace. I'm proud to be part of the team doing it."

Dubbed the "TechCrunch Disrupt" of the cannabis industry, New West Summit's expertly curated, two-day, 15-panel conference and exhibition will feature over 30 exhibitors, 50 speakers, and include 1,000 attendees. The Summit will forecast legalization in 2016, funding trends, the next crop of mobile apps, the technologies disrupting cultivation, extraction and vaporization, intellectual property, media and marketing, and more.

Panelists include:

Cy Scott — CEO, Headset; co-founder, Leafly; cannabis data and business intelligence

Steve DeAngelo — co-founder,Harborside Health Center; ArcView Investor Forum; Steep Hill Labs; author, The Cannabis Manifesto

Aaron Justis — President, Buds & Roses; global icon of cultivation

Shabnam Malek — Partner, Brand & Branch LLP; co-founder, National Cannabis Bar Association; co-founder, Women GROW Bay Area

David Lampach — Co-Founder, Steep Hill Labs; national leaders in the analytical testing of cannabis and the implementation of testing regulations

Emily Paxhia — Founding Partner, Poseidon Asset Management; a cannabis hedge fund

Troy Dayton — CEO, The ArcView Group; first successful cannabis industry investor network

Isaac Dietrich — CEO, MassRoots; a leading social network in cannabis industry

David Hua — CEO, Meadow; a medical cannabis delivery platform

David Downs — Editor, Smell the Truth on SFGate.com; Contributor, CULTURE; Columnist, East Bay Express, 7X7 Magazine; Co-Founder, The Hash podcast

Ondi Timoner — CEO, Interloper Films & "A Total Disruption" productions; multi award-winning director recently heralded for her documentary (Russell) BRAND: A SECOND COMING

David Bienenstock — Host and Producer,VICE Media; High Times; co-founder, The Hash podcast

Ben Tulchin — President, Tulchin Research, polling expert in California

Liz Conway — Principal, Gide, national public affairs consultant

Evan Eneman — Director, Casa Verde, Snoop Dogg-affiliated venture capital firm

Lori Schwartz — StoryTech Co-Founder, Content Strategist, Media Advisor

Chloe Harris — CEO, 7X7.com / Metropolitan Media, Inc., a leading San Francisco lifestyle publication

Gaynell Rogers — Director, Bloom Cannabis Group; a national communications consultant

Kip Morrison — Principal, Kip Morrison & Associates; lifestyle PR specialist

Keith McCarty — CEO, Eaze; dubbed the "Uber" of cannabis; market leader in medical products delivery

Frank Marino — CEO, MJIC, a private holding company and investor in Willie's (Nelson) Reserve

Jonathan Valdman — Owner, Forever Flowering; a national leader in consulting and construction for greenhouses

And many more...

For more information, speaker bios and updates, please go to www.NewWestSummit.com.

Tickets to the New West Summit will sell out prior to the event, and sponsorships are nearly sold out. For those traveling to the conference, Parc 55 San Francisco is centrally located in Union Square with easily access to/from public transportation for those who are coming in from out of town. www.newwestsummit.com/get-tickets/

Sponsors include: Steep Hill, Mass Roots, Headset, MJ Freeway, Green Flower Media, VapeXhale, Hello MD, FlowKana, The ArcView Group, Canopy SF/Canopy Boulder, MJIC, SensiChew, Adistry, Eaze, The 420 Games, Stokes Edibles, and Smoke Reports.

Media partners include: CNET, 7X7, Hearst Media, Smell The Truth on SFGate.com, East Bay Express, PROHBTD Media, DOPE, Cannabis Now, Cashinbis, Elite Daily, MG Magazine, Smoke Reports, Mass Roots, and Marijuana Politics.

Connect with us: Facebook and Twitter #NWSSF.
 
Deadline for media credentials application: Nov. 14.