How my journey began

Whitney Beatty is a dynamic former reality television development exec turned cannabis entrepreneur.   After a 15 year career that saw her raise from an assistant at the iconic William Morris Agency to a Senior Vice President of Development at Warner Brothers / Telepictures, she transitioned to use her knowledge of brand and niche markets in the cannabis space. 

After living though the war on drugs in inner city Detroit, Whitney never saw herself as a “stoner.” Raised in the age of Nancy Regan and “Just Say No” she never touched marijuana until her senior year of college.  After being diagnosed with anxiety, she extensively researched the benefits of cannabis, shook off the years of stigma and decided to try it.  As her knowledge of cannabis expanded, she became a proponent of the herb, but still didn’t identify with prevailing weed culture perpetuated in the media. 

Inspired by a lack of stylish, safe cannabis storage systems and a distain for storing medicine in a shoebox, Whitney's first company Apothecarry Brands, Inc. was selected for the first cohort of Canopy San Diego cannabis business accelerator.  Whitney subsequently pitched and won the ArcView Groups 2017 Los Angeles pitch prize and was selected at the Fall 2017 Pipeline LA portfolio company. 

Whitney’s newest endeavor in the cannabis space is Josephine & Billie’s, the first dispensary focused on the recreational and medicinal needs of women of color. The company  was the first investment from The Parent Company’s (TPCO) Social Equity Ventures, where Jay-Z serves as Chief Visionary Officer.  The dispensaries name pays homage to Josephine Baker and Billie Holiday, two black women who were demonized for cannabis use, and the store itself is a teapad — the black version of the speakeasy where black people would consume cannabis and socialize in the ‘20’s and ‘30’s.  Thier focus is on consumer education, and everything about the concept — from store organization with a focus on aliments and attributes, to the signage, to our extensive community engagement — is geared to our customers in store experience. It is in direct response to a lack of participation, education and medicinal cannabis usage in the communities of color, which can be tied to the destruction the communities witnessed during the drug war. 

Whitney is also a leading advocate for women and women of color in the cannabis space, and has spoken extensively on her experiences bootstrapping to MVP, females fundraisers in the cannabis space and cannabis social equity. She has been featured in Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc, LA Times, New York Times, SXSW, Dope, TIME, Yahoo, Essence, BET, Trevor Noah and Entrepreneur amonst others.  She also serves as VP for Supernova Women and the Cannabis Equity Retailers Association. 

What People Are Saying

  • -Steve Allan, CEO THE PARENT COMPANY

    “Whitney is a singular leader in cannabis with a truly standout mission-creating a space specifically for Women of Color. Her innovative business plan is the perfect complement to our growing omnichannel footprint, and Whitney herself is exactly the kind of visionary entrepreneur for whom our social equity fund aims to clear the path to success and leadership in thiscomplicated and challenging industry."

  • -Blackbird Go

    “Whitney’s company is just one of many great ideas that have surfaced throughout the industry. These kinds of products are bringing a long overdue stroke of luxury that opens doors for other creatives as well as consumers. Innovations like cannabis skin care, state-of-the-art dispensaries, and high-end storage give people a better view of what cannabis culture truly entails.”

  • -Sweet Jane Mag

    “

    Whitney Beatty is no stranger to risk. She leveraged her family’s comfort and security to pursue an entrepreneurial venture in cannabis. When she’s not making deals for her personal cannabis storage brand, Apothecarry, she is celebrating women of color and motherhood via her Instagram account, “The High Mommy Life.”

    ”

  • -WHITNEY BEATTY

    “We need to have that conversation about funding and fundraising within this space. We all know how difficult that is. We also know that is compounded when you become black or brown. Black women in this space, across the board are getting 0.0006% of VC dollars coming in.”

Awards
Canopy San Diego Business Accelerator Selectee

Arcview Pitch Prize Winner Los Angeles 2017

Dope Magazine Best New Product Nominee

Eaze Momentum Accelerator Selectee

Pipeline Angeles Honoree

Global Cannabis Times 100 Most Influential People

High Wide and Handsome Project Boost Winner