Privateer Holdings

Privateer Holdings is a private equity firm focused on the emerging legal cannabis industry. Founded in Seattle in 2010, the firm has raised over $150 million from investors worldwide, aiming to end the harms caused by cannabis prohibition through a legal and regulated market. Privateer Holdings played a meaningful role during consultations undertaken by the federal Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation and as the federal government drafted Bill C-45, An Act respecting cannabis and to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Criminal Code and other Acts (The Cannabis Act). The firm has a global presence, with offices in the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Chile, the European Union, and New Zealand.

The firm's portfolio includes companies such as Leafly, Tilray, and Marley Natural. Leafly, acquired in 2011, became the first cannabis company to place an advertisement in the New York Times in 2014. Tilray, a subsidiary of Privateer Holdings, is a federally licensed producer of medical cannabis in Canada, operating a 60,000 sq. ft medical cannabis research and production facility in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Marley Natural, launched in partnership with the Bob Marley estate in 2014, offers a line of cannabis-focused goods.

In 2019, Privateer Holdings merged with Tilray, further solidifying its position in the global cannabis industry. The firm's strategic investments and acquisitions have played a significant role in shaping the future of the legal cannabis market, emphasizing the importance of brand differentiation, meaningful scale, reasonable taxation levels, distribution controls, product diversification, innovation, and access to capital and consolidation.