One key factor stands out as a driving force behind progress and success in today’s cannabis landscape: collaboration among the cannabis and tech sectors.

As a former NASA-JPL engineer who worked on the MOXIE project, an instrument currently on the surface of Mars producing oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative impact that tech integration can have on businesses, workforce upskilling, efficiency, and profit margins.

Robotics investments reached about $418 million in November 2023 as a result of 40 funding rounds. November’s $418 million was the lowest monthly funding amount through the first 11 months of 2023. With the November investments, robotics funding for the first 11 months of 2023 totals approximately $12.1 billion.

Looking at the upcoming year, are you still optimistic about the cannabis industry?

Cost cutting? Developing new products? Moving into new markets … and getting out of unprofitable ones? Hoping and praying? It’s likely that cannabis businesses will do a little of all of the above in 2024.

Marijuana Venture spoke with more than two dozen entrepreneurs and operators in the cannabis space to get their predictions for 2024. Part 4 of this four-part series will cover business operations, with articles on other subjects published earlier this week.

The Cannabis Equipment News team recently traveled to MJBizCon held in Las Vegas from November 28, 2023 through December 1, 2023. At the show, we interviewed equipment manufacturers, cultivators, operators and new product developers to learn more about what they bring to the cannabis industry.

Pre-rolls are a major driver of growth in the cannabis market, with companies increasingly focusing on premium offerings. They present a wide array of configurations, enabling brands to either target specific niches tightly or expand their reach to a broader consumer base.

In a revealing interview with Benzinga, Nohtal Partansky, co-founder and CEO of Sorting Robotics, introduced Stardust, their latest robot designed to coat joints and diversify the pre-roll segment in the cannabis industry.