Dana Duarte, Priyum Macwana, Maria Altet

Cannabiz Legacy is an incubator program designed to help entrepreneurs from communities disproportionately affected by the War on Drugs launch legal businesses in the cannabis industry. The program offers mentorship, coaching, business support, training, a network, and sales assessment to help legacy operators (people formerly incarcerated for cannabis possession) build successful and sustainable businesses. The program focuses on three kinds of opportunities: ancillary businesses that help in creating an ecosystem of products and services that support leading retail companies; trauma-informed mental healthcare, offered in the recognition that entrepreneurialism may involve stressors that exacerbate the distress resulting from the violence and discrimination that many legacy operators have experienced; and business literacy tools, designed to complement the entrepreneurs' existing knowledge of the industry with information about accounting and logistics. The program offers ongoing activities focused on leadership building and networking. It also involves a selection process, basic education about the industry, support in market research, and assistance with creating business plans, testing prototypes, pitching and raising funds, and launching the minimum lovable product. The program differs from other incubators in its attention to entrepreneurs' mental health and its provision of a safe space where entrepreneurs can interact with like-minded people. It also integrates design thinking, agile methodologies, and coaching along with traditional business training. The project involved a partnership with Cannabronx and other Bronx organizations aimed at developing innovative ways to promote social equity and inclusion through cannabis legalization. Local communities and leaders in the industry also played a role in developing the program. The project received the Aronson Fellowship award from the Tishman Environment and Design Center, which promotes social and environmental justice initiatives led by New School students.