“I found the sector very attractive to invest in, understanding that it is currently developing and that it is still lacking maturity,” said cannabis entrepreneur Facundo Garretón.
By Ulises Román Rodríguez via El Planteo.
Paraphrasing Julio Cortázar, one could say: “Garretón/a model to assemble”. Born in the province of Tucumán, in Northwest Argentina, Facundo Garretón is a model entrepreneur. He’s a man who lives life in cycles that lead him to change his profession every so often. He likes to study, learn and expand everything he does.
He became a famous entrepreneur in the IT world when he created the site Invertir Online. And, in 2015, he ventured into politics and was elected congressman.
At the end of his mandate, he returned to what motivates him the most: creating a company. And not just any company: this time he ventured into the production of cannabis for medicinal use with Yvy Life Sciences, a company based in Uruguay.
But what triggered Facundo to invest in cannabis?
“For several years, I have been an angel investor in different high-risk ventures in sectors such as the life sciences and biotechnology. In 2017, while I was in Congress, I had the opportunity to work on the regulation of the cannabis industry,” explained Garretón, when interviewed by El Planteo, from his house in Uruguay where he currently resides.
From that moment on, he began to study comparative legislation and learn about what was happening in other countries around the world regarding cannabis.
“I found the sector very attractive to invest in, understanding that it is currently developing and that it is still lacking maturity.”
With an entrepreneurial sixth sense, Garretón discovered that a great opportunity was right under his nose.
“Latin America has a high potential, so as soon as I finished my term in Congress, I started to get involved in the sector and analyzed more than 300 cannabis companies,” he says.
He made his first investment in the dawn of 2020: YVY Life Sciences in Uruguay.
The production chain
Facundo Garretón invested in several companies, each of them focused on some segment of the production chain of cannabis.
YVY Life Sciences, for example, is focused on planting and processing: from seed, genetics, cultivation, flowering, harvesting, primary processing, flower separation, classification, drying, storage and flower export.
Following that logic, Facundo invested in Blueberries Medical Corp (OTC:BBRRF) in Colombia, a company focused on oil extraction, laboratory tests, and mastering specific formulations.
“I started Blueberries as the CEO and I am now the Chairman. Blueberries is a company that is fully operational and it is based in Colombia but is listed on the Canadian stock exchange” he told El Planteo.
Finally, he created a company called DrGea.com for the sale and distribution of cannabis-based products, which would be “the last link” in the production chain.
Susana’s mansion
In February, 2021, Facundo Garretón announced on his Instagram account: “We bought (Susana Giménez’s) house @gimenezsuok to build a wellness center and a Cannabis development hub in Uruguay.”
His post bounced all over the media because, on the one hand, it was the mansion of one of the most recognized showbiz figures in Argentina and, on the other hand, the venture was…
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