Investors scrutinize marijuana startups at Canopy Boulder, CO

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BOULDER — Nascent cannabis entrepreneurs from Canopy Boulder’s fall class faced a tough crowd of investors at eTown Hall on Wednesday, fielding questions about unproven business models and inflated valuations during an investor preview round of pitches.

Teams from nine companies presented in private sessions to groups of local investors, a warm-up of sorts to the public event Wednesday evening. About 30 investors were in attendance, full of advice for the green businesses.

“Don’t pitch me a product; pitch me the market,” said Don Grede, chief capital officer for California-based Aquarius Cannabis, a marijuana branding company. “You should be able to tell me why I should invest without even identifying the product.”

Grede was one of several investors who criticized the structure and content of company presentations.

“There were some real do’s and don’ts in those presentations,” said Bill Decker with data analysis firm Cliintel. “All of these guys were...

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