David Hua

David Hua Author Profile

DCC Deputy Director Christina Dempsey and Director Clint Kellum during a cannabis strategy session at Meadow HQ.

Rescheduling, Hemp, and Getting Paid: A Listening Session with the DCC

Rescheduling, Hemp & Getting Paid: A Listening Session with the DCC

Generic Blog Banner Image with Meadow Logo and text, 'The Easiest Way to Sell Cannabis Across Every Point of Sale' 

__April 2016__

When we started Meadow in 2014, it was with a vision to make medical cannabis more accessible to patients in California. 

That seed of an idea soon grew into [Meadow Delivery](https://meadow.delivery "Meadow Cannabis Delivery") — what started as a medical cannabis delivery e-commerce site that quickly featured more than 45 California dispensaries and delivery partners spanning across 38% of California zip codes.

In February 2015 the business expanded to include [Meadow MD](https://meadowmd.com/ "Meadow MD"), a platform for medical cannabis doctor’s recommendations. Using Meadow MD, thousands of patients across California connected with independent physicians from the comfort of their homes.

The next branch of growth came with the launch of the Meadow Platform in November 2015, a [cannabis retail](https://getmeadow.com/blog/tags/cannabis-retail "cannabis retail") software suite for dispensaries and delivery services in California.

<figure>
![cannabis analytics and reporting](//images.ctfassets.net/6kwu1u6s8j23/6xLiWoOiHo3ZchQeqvOj4Q/4a0f4d9b010b4b84a4e3595e4a1f91a3/cannabis_analytics_and_reporting.png)
<figcaption> Meadow's analytics for dispensaries and delivery services. </figcaption>
  </figure>

Today we’re incredibly thrilled to announce even more exciting news.

Meadow has closed $2.1 million in seed funding from a group of incredible investors, including David Lee, YC partner Justin Kan, Reddit CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman, Reddit co-founder and YC Partner Alexis Ohanian, Angel Investor and Entrepreneur Hiten Shah, Slow Ventures, Liquid 2 Ventures, SOMA Capital, and Poseidon Asset Management.

We’re so grateful for these investors and their belief in our business, our growth trajectory and our values.

Today we’re also announcing the launch of our Cannabis Point-of-Sale and Inventory Management systems, the newest additions to Meadow Platform.
These systems have been built specifically for cannabis businesses, incorporating feedback and best practices from patients, dispensary partners, legislators and regulators across California.

### Why Does Cannabis Software Matter?
The cannabis industry is rife with complication.

Regulations governing medical cannabis businesses can be difficult to navigate and are often in flux. Therefore, many established companies have not built tools for cannabis businesses or developed services tailored to their needs.

Some have even dropped cannabis business clients once they learned the nature of their business.

This is where Meadow comes in. We understand, appreciate and value the cannabis industry and the far-reaching medical applications of cannabis. We also have our finger on the pulse of industry regulations.

__We’re creating solutions specifically for cannabis companies.__

<figure>
![turnkey cannabis software](//images.ctfassets.net/6kwu1u6s8j23/3e3cryVtcSyHMJmpyL99g9/12c042af714fe87427c545f38751ed51/turnkey_cannabis_software.png)
</figure>

<callout>“We’re replacing outdated software and tools made for other industries with technology built from the ground up for cannabis. We work closely with our partners to understand the pain points and intricacies of their operations and work with regulators to ensure legal compliance and best practices.” — Meadow CEO and Co-founder David Hua </callout>

### What Are We Going To Use the Money For?

We’ll continue to scale [getmeadow.com](https://getmeadow.com "getmeadow.com") and Meadow MD to continue to provide our patients with access to medical marijuana.

We’ve seen and experienced the benefits of medical cannabis firsthand and will continue to service our patients and partners with the highest quality products and services.

“We plan to connect the entire cannabis supply chain, from farm to flame. We have the opportunity to build technology that will become the backbone of this industry — in California and beyond — and we’re thrilled to have an incredible group of forward-thinking investors backing our mission.” — CEO David Hua

<figure>
![Meadow founders Y Combinator cannabis startup](//images.ctfassets.net/6kwu1u6s8j23/2ru5B8bxmT0mOLxu3o5SHF/f948ab74ffb49c89b9db81945e819c55/Meadow_founders_Y_Combinator_cannabis_startup.jpeg)
<figcaption>The Meadow Founders at a 2014 Y Combinator event in Palo Alto. From the left: Harrison Lee, Scott A Garman, Rick Harrison, and David Hua.</figcaption>
</figure>

Here’s what some of our investors have to say:

__Justin Kan — Y-Combinator Partner & Spokesperson, Founder Justin.tv/Twitch__

> With Meadow you have the combination of the right team, with the right product, at exactly the right time. We’re coming to a tipping point. Support for marijuana legalization has hit an all-time high. At YC we see software disrupting old industries all the time. Meadow is disrupting this budding new industry by bringing the dispensaries, customers and patients all to one platform.

__Alexis Ohanian — co-founder, Reddit, Y-Combinator Partner__

> We’re just beginning to unlock the medical, social, and economic benefits of cannabis and the results are already striking. Meadow is building world-class technology for a massive industry that’s only just starting to grow — the stakes have never been higher.

__Hiten Shah — co-founder at Quick Sprout and Crazy Egg, Angel Investor__

> I invested in Meadow because I believe in the team, their mission and the medicinal benefits of cannabis. I believe in David Hua and his team’s ability to create the best software for the cannabis industry that touches both cannabis businesses and the consumers interacting with them. I’m really excited to see this industry move forward with it’s potential to improve the lives of countless people. I believe Meadow will be a big part of the industry’s future with their software skills and, equally important, their compassion for the industry and it’s consumers.

__Emily Paxhia — Founding Partner & Director of Relations, Poseidon Asset Management__

> Our decision to invest in Meadow was based on the quality of the founders who brought true technology solutions to an underserved market. We also strongly believe Meadow’s platform and strategy works well with the regulations and optimizing the B2B experience. We appreciate that the team focuses on the quality of the product and understands how critical the political process is to the growth of a company in the cannabis industry. Their passion for the industry is translated into user-friendly and elegant platforms, which make the experience for patients and customers pleasant and efficient.

__Jeff Ferguson — President and co-founder @ PipelineDB, Angel Investor__

> I invested personally in Meadow because they are doing for the emerging cannabis industry what Uber did for transportation — take control of it by building great software.

### A Rising Tide Lifts All Ships
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our investors and our patients. Thank you for your support! We’re so excited to continue to grow with this dynamic industry, and we’re grateful to provide quality medicine to our patients.

__The cannabis movement and social justice are at the core of Meadow’s values and DNA.__ We’d like to thank everyone who has joined us in advocating on behalf of cannabis. We’d also like to thank those who join us at education events — let’s continue to hone our swords together.

<figure>
![David Hua, Steve DeAngelo and more cannabis industry leaders](//images.ctfassets.net/6kwu1u6s8j23/1cb49TURJ1i0b1ToDgddMb/b227229bbebfbcc3555e42268fc2040f/David_Hua_Steve_DeAngelo_and_more.jpeg)
<figcaption>David Hua, CEO and co-founder of Meadow; Steve DeAngelo, Founder and CEO of Harborside Health Center; Gavin Kogan Esq., attorney, political advocate and cannabis entrepreneur; and Emily Paxhia of Poseidon Asset Management at the Silicon Valley AgTech Conference in May 2015.</figcaption>
</figure>

__A special thanks to our teachers, mentors and partners. We stand on the shoulders of giants.__

A heartfelt thank you to: Steve DeAngelo, California Growers Association, Debby Goldsberry, the faculty at Oaksterdam, California Cannabis Industry Association, and The ArcView Group.

And a thank you to all of our partners, who are on the front lines everyday: The Apothecarium, SPARC, Vapor Room, and all of our other dispensary and delivery partners. We wouldn’t be here without you.

<figure>
![Cannabis Delivery Risk Mitigation](//images.ctfassets.net/6kwu1u6s8j23/7CoWPJlucRyIjKO83qdEH3/4a2108b3c5187debe18b8a6d88238abc/Cannabis_Delivery_Risk_Mitigation.jpeg)
  <figcaption>A recent event held at Meadow on Risk Mitigation and Driver Best Practices.</figcaption>
</figure>

### Stand with us on the right side of history.

To learn more about Meadow, check us out on [Instagram](https://instagram.com/meadow.sf "Meadow Instagram"), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/getmeadow/ "LinkedIn") & [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/c/Getmeadow/videos "Meadow YouTube").


Read more to learn about where we started

Meadow Raises $2.1 Million in Seed Funding To Grow Cannabis Retail Platform

David Hua, founder of Meadow cannabis POS, weighs in on wWhat it's like to judge the Emerald Cup cannabis vape carts category

What it's like to Judge the Emerald Cup cannabis vape carts

By [David Hua, CEO & Co-Founder of Meadow](https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidhua/ "David Hua, CEO & Co-Founder of Meadow")

In the early spring of 2021, I was given the honor of helping judge [The Emerald Cup](https://theemeraldcup.com), which is Northern California's destination for cannabis, and the largest cannabis competition in the world. This event has become a sought-after annual celebration that honors the finest sungrown cannabis harvests of California. Shoutout to the farmers; The Golden State is truly home to the best cannabis in the world.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the 2021 cup to become a digital event with safety protocols that were unlike previous years — we were not able to gather in person to smoke and sample all of the products — but I was honored to be a part of the historic gathering (even if it meant we were gathering on Zoom and tasting our own, sanitized supply of products — there would be no communal *puff, puff, pass* this year).

**I received my Emerald Cup judges kit for the 2021 vape cartridges category in early February, which included six CO2 cartridges, 17 distillate cartridges, and 44 live resin cartridges—I had a total of 67 vape cartridges to score.** My team consisted of 7 other vape cart judges, all fellow cannabis entrepreneurs, advocates and operators:

- Eliza Maroney, Co-Founder, Lucky Box Club
- Amit 'Bamboo' Vachher-Gnanathurai, Nursery & Plant Breeding Manager, Posibl Project
- Arian Roman, CEO/Founder, Alysida Health, KushQueen, MyCanna
- Del Potter, Chief Science Officer, Leef Labs/Aya Biosciences
- El Rock, NorCal Territory Executive, Phinest Cannabis
- Etienne Fontan, Vice President and Co-Owner of Berkeley Patients Group
- Nicole Powell, Head of Procurement

We each had our work cut out for us. Each judge was asked to submit our top 3 favorite products for the CO2 and Distillate category, and the top 10 for Live Resin since there were so many. Our combined scores would then be added up and analyzed to find the collective winners for this year's Emerald Cup.

<callout align="left">
### __What's the difference between a cannabis cartridge containing C02, Distillate and Live Resin?__

In short: These are the three most common extraction techniques that cannabis manufacturers use to extract cannabis oil.

__C02: __ 
Extracted from dried and cured plants using cooled CO2; often, food-grade terpenes or terpenes derived from cannabis are added back into the oil to create flavored pens.

__Distillate:__
Similar to CO2 extraction, just with more refinement and processing, using pressure, steam and heat to separate components through distillation. Color is often light yellow to golden honey colored. Sometimes terpenes are added to create a thinner product (easier to vape).

__Live Resin:__
After harvest, cannabis plants are flash frozen and kept in subcritical temperatures throughout the extraction process, preserving their flavorful profiles, cannabinoids and natural terpenes. Includes concentrates, budders, waxes.

</callout> 

Scoring for The Emerald Cup is based on a number of factors: we were to give each product a number based on the experience, oil appearance, onset, vaporization, effect, and "uniqueness" which encompassed things like packaging, hardware and any other standout features.

I had my scoring spreadsheet ready to fill in for each product; it was time to create a strategy for how I was going to make my way through the pile of cannabis packages. I had just a little over a month to judge the category, which meant I needed to be tasting and judging a least 2 carts a day; I knew I wanted to have time at the end of the month to compare notes and re-taste standout products.

![Emerald Cup 2021 vape cartridges judging](//images.ctfassets.net/6kwu1u6s8j23/2zlaqCkyZtCf6qZ3oLQaNw/8ecaf2f730cad9f7d028b7841712c0a1/4.png)

Before starting the judging, I completed a 30-day cannabis detox, something I do every year to clean out my endocannabinoid system. (Fun fact: most of the time people call me "Hua," my last name, but it's a joke around the office that I become "David" when I go that long without weed. I become another person; cannabis helps me be calm and patient and I am less of both of those things when I'm fully sober).

Eager to get cannabis back into my body, I dumped all of the products on a big table in the backyard of Meadow HQ. At first glance, I saw several brands I recognized: Alien Labs, Flow Kana, Jetty, Raw Garden, Heavy Hitters, Legion of Bloom, Chemistry, and Beezle. There were also some new brands in the mix that I was excited to get to know. I compared the physical inventory on hand with my spreadsheet of products; I added dates on the spreadsheet next to the products I would taste each day throughout the coming month, and organized the physical inventory of products into C02, distillate, and live resin piles to make it easy to grab a new pen for each tasting session. I was to start with the C02 pens and taste them all in a row, then move to distillate, and wrap up with live resin, so that I could compare the pens to the others in their category before moving on to the next type of product.

For the next five weeks, I tried to sample each vape cartridge on it's own (most days I tasted one cart each morning and one each afternoon); I wanted to be able to judge how each concentrate affected me, both the onset of the high and how long the experience lasted, which required giving each product its own time and space to linger and the experience to unfold. As I began to taste different products, I began to get a better sense of the subtle differences between each cart—some of the distillates overdid it with syrupy fruit flavors that covered up the actual taste of cannabis; some live resins were so terpy, I sneezed as if I'd just stuck my nose in a field of spring flowers. I liked to see the variance in color—some were golden yellow syrups while others were like thick brown molasses. The [Bloomfield vape carts](https://thebloomfieldco.com/ "Bloomfield vape carts") (both Notorious THC Live Terpene and Sauce Distillate Cartridge and Pineapple Muffin Live Terpene and Sauce Distillate Cartridge) got extra points in my 'uniqueness' category for listing the full cannabinoid content on the packaging; I'd like to see more concentrates brands give consumers this kind of fuller picture of what's actually inside to help them understand more about the subtle nuances of the plant. We should encourage consumers to think about more than just the THC content.

It was challenging to pick the winners; I've never experienced so many different vape pens in my life, and the subtle (and sometimes bold) differences between all of them was impressive. The experience left me with a deeper respect for the farmers, the manufacturers, the hardware makers, the lab testers, and all of the other hands that go into crafting these clean, high quality cannabis products. At the end of the judging window, I added up the numbers in each category, triple checked my math, tasted and retasted products, and confirmed my scores.

The products that I personally gave the highest scores and was most excited about were the Blue River Chocolate Orange Jelly Sauce Cartridge from fresh baked x Blue River, and the Arcata Fire Live resin Runtz cape from ArcataX x Great Expectations Farm x Lightwork Distributors. I was glad to see they each took first place in their respective categories; the other judges clearly had good taste! 

[Blue River Chocolate Orange Jelly Sauce Cartridge](https://www.blueriverterps.com/products/blue-river-jellysauce-cart "Blue River Chocolate Orange Jelly Sauce Cartridge") (2021 Winner of The Emerald Cup [Cartridges, Distillate](https://theemeraldcup.com/2021-award-winners?_sft_contest_categories=cartridges-distillate "Cartridges, Distillate") Category)

- fresh baked x Blue River

- Category: Cartridges, Distillate

- Origin: Los Angeles County

My tasting notes: The orange chocolate flavor combination is solid and smooth; it tastes   rich and luxe, not like some of the other overly pungent fruity flavors. It would make a great dessert smoke. I also liked the "Draw Indicator" feature on the custom battery to help control the size of the hit (great for those morning tasting sessions before conference calls). 

**ARCATA FIRE LIVE RESIN VAPE – RUNTZ** (2021 Winner of The Emerald Cup [Cartridges, Live Resin](https://theemeraldcup.com/2021-award-winners?_sft_contest_categories=cartridges-live-resin "Cartridges, Live Resin") Category)

- [ArcataX](https://arcatax.com/ "ArcataX") x Great Expectations Farm x   Lightwork Distributors

- Category: Cartridges, Live Resin

- Origin: Humboldt County

My tasting notes: In addition to having a great taste, oil appearance,   taste, effect and experience, this product got bonus points from me in the uniqueness category for the following reasons:

- They use a ceramic (not plastic) cartridge made by [AVD](https://avd710.com/ "AVD710.com") which helped with flavor and temperature control. In addition to being a better experience for the consumer, in general I like to see the industry move away from single-use plastic and find ways to create more sustainable products.

- Local [SunGrown Packaging](https://www.sungrownpackaging.com/ "SunGrown Packaging"), made in Oakland. I like to see California cannabis companies supporting other homegrown California businesses.

I actually liked the Arcata House of Extracts carts so much that I reached out to [ArcataX on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/arcatax/ "Arcata House of Extracts Instagram: @arcatax"); they said [Sonoma Patient's Group](https://www.sonomapatientgroup.com/ "Sonoma Patient's Group website") was the closest dispensary to me that carried their products.  I used their online menu to place an order for several different types of their cartridges, and picked it up several days later. When something is this good, it's worth the 60-minute drive from San Francisco to Santa Rosa, and you want to have extras to share with fellow cannaisseurs.

![Arcata Fire House of Extracts](//images.ctfassets.net/6kwu1u6s8j23/6hPhlvz4Jzx6abnDraHUK3/6f6295b097fc9e733c071814c60c1166/what_it-s_like_to_judge_the_emerald_cup.png)

I loved learning more about the different types of extractions and having this opportunity to taste California's best cannabis oils, and find new things to enjoy and share with my community. 

Below are the top 3 winners in each category; view the full list of the 2021 award winners at [The Emerald Cup website](https://theemeraldcup.com/2021-award-winners "The Emerald Cup website").

![Emerald Cup Top 3 Distillate Cartridges](//images.ctfassets.net/6kwu1u6s8j23/7Byz5z5ooFUuRPYLkylkMr/2c6fd2d181c500d62c4ab58f94a352cb/3.png)

![Emerald Cup Top 3 Co2 Cartridges](//images.ctfassets.net/6kwu1u6s8j23/7uEO2gUbDPwzQkGfzm7oZn/cc1c35f45f16911990eb896f6e9ce6b8/2.png)

![2021 Emerald Cup Top 3 Live Resin Cartridges](//images.ctfassets.net/6kwu1u6s8j23/3i3vN7H6mPI09W6g8u8UHx/f1043191ac36e615264a9bb99358aa22/1.png)

__Below is the full top 10 winners for the Live Resin cartridges:__

1st place: ARCATA FIRE LIVE RESIN VAPE – RUNTZ, ArcataX x Great Expectations Farm x Lightwork Distributors

2nd place: URSA LIQUID DIAMOND SAUCE CARTRIDGE “TAR HILL PINK LEMONADE”
URSA EXTRACTS, Bear Extraction House x Tar Hill Cannabis

3rd place: URSA NOVA BLUEBERRY MUFFIN CARTRIDGE, URSA Extracts

4th place: BANANA CREME – SOLVENTLESS VAPE, Jetty Extracts

5th place: KRYPTOCHRONIC – LIVE RESIN PEN, Alien Labs

6th place: LEMONATTI – LIVE RESIN PEN, Connected Cannabis

7th place: URSA EXTRACTS LEMON SUPER GLUE LIQUID DIAMOND SAUCE, URSA Extracts

8th place: ALIEN MINTS – LIVE RESIN PEN, Alien Labs

9th place: COLLINS AVE – PINK ROZAY 0.5G CARTRIDGE, ArcataX x 1L Garden Supply

10th place: CRESCO X FLORACAL MENTHOLOTTI – LIQUID LIVE RESIN, SLO Cultivation Inc. dba Cresco Labs x Floracal Farms

---

Shout out to the Taylor, Vicki, Tim; The Emerald Cup team worked so hard to organize everything remotely, safely delivering judges kits and making sure this historic event continued, despite the chaos of a global pandemic. It was a bright spot in my COVID quarantine and I'm grateful for the opportunity to participate and get to know more brands and products in our California cannabis community.

__>> Learn more about Meadow's role in other [cannabis events](https://getmeadow.com/community-and-events "cannabis events") in California__

Go inside the experience of judging this historic cannabis cup 

Posts by David Hua

Rescheduling, Hemp & Getting Paid: A Listening Session with the DCC

Meadow Raises $2.1 Million in Seed Funding To Grow Cannabis Retail Platform

What's It Like to Judge The Emerald Cup Contest