Cannabis Vertical and the Cross Vertical Competition

By: Idan Alon

"At the beginning of the semester, students were divided into various vertical courses they chose, armed with little more than preliminary knowledge and occasional consultations with graduates from previous years. We never anticipated that this course would hold such profound significance for us as we approached its conclusion.

As students in the Cannabis-Tech vertical, we were exposed to a rich and focused world of content within the cannabis industry, spanning from the history of cannabis to its technological advancements in today's industry. Our challenge was to innovate a novel cannabis-related product to present to investors as our final project at the semester's end. Little did we imagine that amidst the semester's challenges, we would propel ourselves so far with the birth of a winning product.

The process involved each student brainstorming an idea and preparing a concise five-minute presentation to persuade instructors and fellow students to choose their product. This phase tested our individual skills. Subsequently, we formed teams, with each team selecting from the ideas presented by fellow students the concept they wanted to pursue collectively as a venture. Here, our collective abilities were evaluated.

We chose "BobaNabis" - cannabis-infused tapioca balls designed to be consumed with any beverage/food of your choice! We were tasked with planning a comprehensive presentation covering all aspects of the product – What is the product? Who is the target audience? What is the business model? What are the economic projections, and so on?

The next step was consolidating all these parameters into one presentation, which we would present in a cross-vertical competition in front of real investors from the cannabis industry. Thankfully, we had an amazing mentor guiding us through this crucial process, our lecturer Omer.

He walked hand in hand with us, teaching us a broad range of aspects crucial when approaching investors, from the importance of perseverance, constructive criticism, and agility, to maximizing presentation tools, facing an audience, and planning responses to anticipated questions.

Omer's approach demanded that we understand each stage practically, helping us implement our learning in real-life situations, not just for the sake of grades, but to grasp the wonders of presentation as a life skill. Alongside a winning product and our implementation capabilities, we succeeded in winning the cross-vertical competition, earning us the opportunity to compete in the "Cross-Vertical" finals – a competition against all other verticals, including FinTech, AdTech, GreenTech, and more. From there, the rest is history.

From the initial rounds to the final event, the competition resonated with competitive energy and innovation. At each stage, we were required to bring our best as a team, actively learning and adapting to diverse challenges, with one core motivation: BobaNabis is an excellent investment, and it's more than just a venture.
It is a testament to teamwork, mentorship (thanks to Omer), and adaptability, the core essence of entrepreneurship.

We want to express our gratitude to our lecturers, Omer and Yonatan, for their aspiration for excellence and unwavering support throughout the journey. To our dean, Dr. Yossi Ma'aravi, without whom we wouldn't have had the opportunity to prove ourselves and reach this greatness. Collectively, we extend our thanks to fellow students for the competitive spirit, encouragement, and respect in this honorable competition. We possess entrepreneurial spirit and a determination to succeed, and with this, we shall conquer the world!

P.S. (Bonus Point): As part of the Cannabis-Tech vertical, we had the privilege of touring one of the largest cannabis production facilities in the country, courtesy of Chronos. Special thanks to Chronos for their hospitality!"