Jay Czarkowski’s impact on the cannabis industry is undeniable and stretches back to his building one of the first vertical operations in Colorado in 2009. Since then, Czarkowski’s work as an entrepreneur, investor, and advocate can be seen across the U.S. and beyond. As Canna Advisors’ founding partner, Czarkowski’s work started with winning one of four available licenses in Connecticut in 2014 for Client #1, who later sold their business for $80 million. Czarkowski’s entrepreneurial spark and ability to read trends ahead of the curve also led to the creation of H2 Talent in 2018 as the first cannabis recruiting firm to solely focus on executive level talent. Czarkowski and his investment partners, through their private equity firm Trailhead, see investing as more than a money game and provide the added value of strategic advice and access to Jay’s deep industry connections and network of resources. Jay has played central founding and leadership roles in premier industry organizations such as Arcview, NCIA, and multiple state-level organizations, and has been awarded top accolades from many of these groups. His immediate focus, aside from winning licenses in new markets, is mergers and acquisitions guidance to address issues and needs of existing cannabis industry operators.