7/22/2020 - Lizada Founder Steven L. Trenk's Tech Holdings has been acquired by Vertical Wellness. Read more below or here!
Vertical Wellness™ Acquires Tech-Holdings To Expand Proprietary Health and Wellness Hemp CBD Offerings Through Patented Technology And Brands
Smoke Wallin, Chairman and CEO of Vertical Wellness said, "The team at Tech-Holdings, led by Steven Trenk, Tony Alfiere, and Ed Abel have accomplished what few in the industry have even thought of doing --they invented and patented novel ways of delivering cannabinoid ingredients that make them more effective and faster acting for medical ailments and conditions, within minutes, not hours.
6/21/2019 - Lizada Founder Steven L. Trenk was interviewed by Newsmunchies w/ Ted Corless about investing in the legal cannabis industry. Listen below!
There's no better way to understand the rapidly developing cannabis industry than to speak with experts in the field. Steven L. Trenk, Founder and CEO of Tech-Holdings, strategically develops brands and products to satisfy the needs of both medical and adult-use cannabis consumers. All of their products are based upon a specific proprietary technology. Tech-Holdings, a national innovator of fast-acting cannabis-infused products, launches the single serving two-ounce shot 420 AntiDōs. It is the company's first hemp-based cannabidiol (CBD) plant-based elixir to help curb the high from marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-infused products. Listen to this podcast to learn about how Mr. Trenk has developed an investment vehicle to take full advantage of this exciting and rapidly-expanding new frontier.
4/1/2019 - Lizada Founder Steven L. Trenk is featured in Thrive Global and Authority Magazine with 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started. Read the full article and interview here and here.
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As part of my series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis Business” I had the pleasure of interviewing Steven Trenk, the founder and Managing Member of Lizada Capital, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, which invests in the legal cannabis industry. Lizada Capital, LLC was established to lead the movement of legal cannabis, now among the fastest growing industries in the United States, as a means to improve quality of life by delivering safe and effective products and services to medical patients and other legal users. For the past five years, in response to changes in legislation and the national climate in the medical marijuana segment of the healthcare industry, as well as the movement to legalize the adult use of cannabis in multiple states, Mr. Trenk developed Lizada Capital, LLC as an investment vehicle to take full advantage of this exciting and rapidly-expanding new frontier. Mr. Trenk’s current portfolio spans more than 50 businesses in the legal cannabis industry, including The Gold Q, a line of fast-acting hemp-infused skin care and wellness products and Quigley’s fast-acting cannabis-infused products. Mr. Trenk has been a business owner and investor for more than 40 years. He began his career in 1973 as a bi-coastal innovator in the non-emergency medical transportation business. He spent twenty years providing a broad range of therapeutic healthcare products and services in acute, chronic, and out-patient settings. Mr. Trenk made early investments in the technology, internet, and alternative energy industries, and has also invested in both residential and commercial real estate. Mr. Trenk has also spent twenty years in the aviation industry, serving the broad tourism market and the narrow charter market in New York City and Las Vegas. Read the rest here.
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2/8/2019 - Lizada Founder Steven L. Trenk is profiled in Forbes Magazine. Read the full article and interview here.
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Steve Trenk: Eclectic Cannabis Entrepreneur
I've never actually met Steve Trenk in person, but our circles probably are much closer than we might think. I too grew up in New Jersey, in a small town named, Morris Township. Not too far, as the crow fly's from where Steve spent his formative years. It's ironic somehow that we both have endured the brunt of 'jersey' jokes. They are quite familiar to me, and it appears to Steve as well. Isn't "Jersey in England", is my usual reply to this crude, and closed-minded anachronism aimed at those who think they know New Jersey, but end up in their irrational description somewhere near the Meadowlands, or the vast salt flats leading nowhere, and piling up near a garbage dump. It's probably from watching TV shows such as the Soprano's or having their plane re-routed to Newark Airport, or maybe they got lost at rush hour by the Lincoln Tunnel. That's too bad, because New Jersey is an incredibly diverse and in the context of beauty, an unusually unexploited place. Most Americans don't know the real New Jersey, and that's how I like it. At any rate, reading through Steve's answers to my questions, brought me to a place of understanding of his own personal path to success. While mine took me to the culinary arts, a fresh pasta corporation, and the wine business. Steve used his brains to make something different. He took a path towards success and he made something really marvelous of himself. Steve Trenk, as you will discover works in the legal cannabis industry, which is exploding in popularity with this new found acceptance and de-stigmatization. The amount of brain power that powers its way through the intricacies of the legal cannabis industry is far, far removed the past, when we sold a few joints to our cannabis family at a Grateful Dead concert to stay, on the bus. Cannabis has evolved greatly and is pushing forwards into the Post-Modern Era. It's "High" time to get on that bus again with these self-guiding, upper-intellectual industry leaders such as Steve Trenk. Located firmly at the helm in their own unique place in the cannabis universe. An experience of their own making, and therefore responsible for their own success, and the success of their investors. Thank you. Read the rest here.
6/10/2017 - GFarmaLabs continues expansion and innovation for cannabis consumers in California and beyond through a new exclusive licensing partnership with Tech Holdings. The partnership will enable both companies to work closely together and expand GFarmaLab's catalogue of cannabis-infused products and delivery methods through Tech Holdings' signature patent-pending, fast-acting technology.
Click here for more info, and download the full press release below.
| Tech Holdings - GFarma Release.pdf |
4/20/2017 - The Third Annual Official Peter Tosh Day was celebrated. Peter Tosh was a Reggae idol and fierce advocate for marijuana legalization.
Click here for more info.
Click here for more info.
6/23/2016 - BBC Business featured Lizada Capital, LLC and founder Steven Trenk.
Click here to view.
Click here to view.
Who's Funding the US Cannabis Industry?
By: Zoe Thomas
By: Zoe Thomas
Loan alternative?
Steven Trenk is also taking advantage of the need for funds. He attended the conference in hope of finding new investment opportunities. His firm Lizada Capital already invests in 35 cannabis companies.
Steven Trenk is also taking advantage of the need for funds. He attended the conference in hope of finding new investment opportunities. His firm Lizada Capital already invests in 35 cannabis companies.
4/6/2016 - Cannabis Business Times profiled Lizada Capital, LLC and founder Steven Trenk as a leading financing resource in the cannabis industry.
Click here to view.
Click here to view.
Capital Ideas
By: Kyle Brown
By: Kyle Brown
Investor: Lizada Capital
Rates: Vary, usually convertible into equity
Steven Trenk, managing member at Lizada Capital, began to explore the cannabis industry when his son graduated law school and got involved in municipal land use issues in the medical marijuana movement in Arizona. Trenk worked with the ArcView Group to seek out for investment both people and businesses with successful experience and the motivation to reach their objectives, he says.
“I’ve been investing in private companies for 30 years, so my strategy generally starts with management,” he says. His focus is on startup and growth opportunities, since the industry, as a whole, is still in its early stages. He’s gotten involved in a few of the companies he invests in, but once he’s satisfied with the company’s plans, he prefers to get out of the way. His terms usually run between 3 and 10 years, with an eye to a more long-term investment. Although he has invested in debt transactions at fixed rates, in almost every case the debt is convertible into equity.
Trenk is always more apt to invest in a company that’s brought to him through an organization like the ArcView Group, since, he says, “I’m not the first one to look at them and I have other investors to help vet them.” He also keeps an eye on accelerator programs like CanopyBoulder. “Deals that have come through that process have a great deal more appeal than a guy working out of his basement. Those organizations make it so much easier to gain credibility and attract capital.”
Rates: Vary, usually convertible into equity
Steven Trenk, managing member at Lizada Capital, began to explore the cannabis industry when his son graduated law school and got involved in municipal land use issues in the medical marijuana movement in Arizona. Trenk worked with the ArcView Group to seek out for investment both people and businesses with successful experience and the motivation to reach their objectives, he says.
“I’ve been investing in private companies for 30 years, so my strategy generally starts with management,” he says. His focus is on startup and growth opportunities, since the industry, as a whole, is still in its early stages. He’s gotten involved in a few of the companies he invests in, but once he’s satisfied with the company’s plans, he prefers to get out of the way. His terms usually run between 3 and 10 years, with an eye to a more long-term investment. Although he has invested in debt transactions at fixed rates, in almost every case the debt is convertible into equity.
Trenk is always more apt to invest in a company that’s brought to him through an organization like the ArcView Group, since, he says, “I’m not the first one to look at them and I have other investors to help vet them.” He also keeps an eye on accelerator programs like CanopyBoulder. “Deals that have come through that process have a great deal more appeal than a guy working out of his basement. Those organizations make it so much easier to gain credibility and attract capital.”
12/9/2015 - Fox News ran a featured piece on the new cannabis shot Quigley's, a major entry in Lizada's portfolio, which has been universally well-received and welcomed to the marketplace after only one week on the market in Colorado. Quigley's has already received its first reorder from a dispensary that ran out of it's initial inventory! Needless to say, we are highly encouraged by this initial experience.
Click here to view.
Click here to view.
New Marijuana Product Promises to Change Edibles Landscape
By: Jon Bowman | 12/9/15
DENVER - The cannabis industry is moving at ‘light-speed’ these days, with new products and treatments coming almost daily. The new product this week: Quigley’s Shots.
“This product has no calories, no fat and is gluten free,” said inventor Tony Alfiere.
“I developed this cannabis infused drink to help a friend who was suffering a brain tumor. She wanted to be treated with cannabis, but didn’t like the uncertainty of edibles—you never know how long it will take them to take effect—so these quick shots are just what the doctor ordered.”
The products are just arriving at marijuana stores. The 10mg dose sells for $6, the 50mg will retail for $15. So far, the product is in shops in the mountains, just in time for holiday skiers.
“This product has no calories, no fat and is gluten free,” said inventor Tony Alfiere.
“I developed this cannabis infused drink to help a friend who was suffering a brain tumor. She wanted to be treated with cannabis, but didn’t like the uncertainty of edibles—you never know how long it will take them to take effect—so these quick shots are just what the doctor ordered.”
The products are just arriving at marijuana stores. The 10mg dose sells for $6, the 50mg will retail for $15. So far, the product is in shops in the mountains, just in time for holiday skiers.
8/5/2015 - Lizada founder Steven Trenk was profiled in MJIN News, the premier news source for cannabis investments.
Click here to view.
Click here to view.
Investor Dispatch: Steven Trenk at Vanguard of Legal Marijuana
By: Caroline Cahill | 8/5/15
Arizona’s voters legalized medical marijuana in 2010 under the Arizona Medical Marijuana Initiative. The official rules were rolled out in spring 2011 and the state started taking dispensary applications by summer. It was during this time that circumstances started to coalesce for Steve Trenk, a serial entrepreneur, to invest in the legal marijuana industry.
“After I sold an aviation services company in 2011, my son, Adam a new lawyer at the time and an elected official in Arizona, was hired by the Rose Law Group, the leading cannabis law firm in Arizona. Having grown up with a best friend whose family was in the liquor business since Prohibition, I immediately recognized the market opportunity and began to immerse myself in gaining a greater understanding,” Trenk said.
Trenk entered the industry with more than just a simple interest in marijuana as a market opportunity; he entered as an early adopter with the professional experience to chart his course in legal marijuana. He has 40 years of experience as a principal in companies involved in healthcare services, leveraged investments, aviation services and real estate, among others.
“I have a great deal of experience buying, operating and selling businesses. I have made money and I’ve lost money. I can confidently say that I have learned more from the losses, but more than anything, it comes down to picking the right people,” Trenk said.
Finding the right people can be difficult, but Trenk finds them by looking for experienced, successful and trustworthy management teams with innovative and well thought out plans. Plus, the legal marijuana industry has matured since Trenk entered it in 2011, creating a bigger and stronger talent pool, one made up of individuals who have been successful in well-established fields outside the cannabis industry, as well as within.
“The industry has grown tremendously over the past several years in terms of the depth of professionalism and the breadth of innovation. It’s not just farmers and retailers anymore,” Trenk said.
While still interested in the farmers and retailers, Lizada Capital, Trenk’s current investment vehicle, has invested in multiple sectors within the industry, including financial services, media properties, including MJIC Media, owner of MJINews.com, technology, infrastructure, lab services, an industry incubator, and infused products companies, including Quigley’s Fast-acting Cannabis Drink and Therabis, a pet-products venture developed with Dixie Brands.
The legal marijuana industry is a hotbed of innovation and creativity, giving entrepreneurs and investors an opportunity to build fortunes. The promise of profit has certainly motivated some opportunistic individuals to enter this industry, but it has also motivated the more philanthropic to seek profit while also supporting legal marijuana reform organizations.
Trenk understands that investments in advocacy are investments in the industry’s prosperity and considers himself an impact investor. “The greatest opportunity for investors in this industry is our ability to impact society in a long overdue humanitarian and philanthropic way,” Trenk said.
Through Lizada Capital, Trenk currently supports The Drug Policy Alliance, Marijuana Policy Project, Students for a Sensible Drug Policy, National Cannabis Industry Association and Women Grow.
Trenk’s dual approach to success in this industry has caught the attention of his peers. On June 27, 2015, Trenk received the first-ever Outstanding Investor Member Award from The ArcView Group in Denver at ArcView’s Pitch Forum. As an angel investor network focused on the legal marijuana industry, ArcView brings together hundreds of investors and entrepreneurs annually.
According to Troy Dayton, CEO of The ArcView Group, “This award was chosen by ArcView staff and given to Steve because he is at every single ArcView event and has invested in about 20 different companies, all met via ArcView, and he is such a generous ambassador to our group.”
Considering ArcView has more than 470 accredited investor members, Trenk was more than grateful for having received this inaugural award.
“At the risk of being dramatic, it was the greatest professional honor of my career. Being recognized by such an illustrious group of sophisticated, professional investors within the fastest growing industry in America was shocking and enormously satisfying at the same time,” Trenk said.
Because this is such a rapidly expanding industry and compliance is a constant concern for all participants, Trenk knows he doesn’t have much time to stop and celebrate. “The industry’s largest challenge is the double-edged sword of government involvement and intervention. We cannot prosper without regulation, yet we are handicapped by the lack of clarity and consistency,” Trenk explained.
Through Lizada Capital and his support of multiple advocacy organizations, Trenk will continue to harness venture capital with impact, firmly believing that “investors can participate in the elimination of the horrific, life-shattering effects that prohibition has had on so many lives.”
By: Caroline Cahill | 8/5/15
Arizona’s voters legalized medical marijuana in 2010 under the Arizona Medical Marijuana Initiative. The official rules were rolled out in spring 2011 and the state started taking dispensary applications by summer. It was during this time that circumstances started to coalesce for Steve Trenk, a serial entrepreneur, to invest in the legal marijuana industry.
“After I sold an aviation services company in 2011, my son, Adam a new lawyer at the time and an elected official in Arizona, was hired by the Rose Law Group, the leading cannabis law firm in Arizona. Having grown up with a best friend whose family was in the liquor business since Prohibition, I immediately recognized the market opportunity and began to immerse myself in gaining a greater understanding,” Trenk said.
Trenk entered the industry with more than just a simple interest in marijuana as a market opportunity; he entered as an early adopter with the professional experience to chart his course in legal marijuana. He has 40 years of experience as a principal in companies involved in healthcare services, leveraged investments, aviation services and real estate, among others.
“I have a great deal of experience buying, operating and selling businesses. I have made money and I’ve lost money. I can confidently say that I have learned more from the losses, but more than anything, it comes down to picking the right people,” Trenk said.
Finding the right people can be difficult, but Trenk finds them by looking for experienced, successful and trustworthy management teams with innovative and well thought out plans. Plus, the legal marijuana industry has matured since Trenk entered it in 2011, creating a bigger and stronger talent pool, one made up of individuals who have been successful in well-established fields outside the cannabis industry, as well as within.
“The industry has grown tremendously over the past several years in terms of the depth of professionalism and the breadth of innovation. It’s not just farmers and retailers anymore,” Trenk said.
While still interested in the farmers and retailers, Lizada Capital, Trenk’s current investment vehicle, has invested in multiple sectors within the industry, including financial services, media properties, including MJIC Media, owner of MJINews.com, technology, infrastructure, lab services, an industry incubator, and infused products companies, including Quigley’s Fast-acting Cannabis Drink and Therabis, a pet-products venture developed with Dixie Brands.
The legal marijuana industry is a hotbed of innovation and creativity, giving entrepreneurs and investors an opportunity to build fortunes. The promise of profit has certainly motivated some opportunistic individuals to enter this industry, but it has also motivated the more philanthropic to seek profit while also supporting legal marijuana reform organizations.
Trenk understands that investments in advocacy are investments in the industry’s prosperity and considers himself an impact investor. “The greatest opportunity for investors in this industry is our ability to impact society in a long overdue humanitarian and philanthropic way,” Trenk said.
Through Lizada Capital, Trenk currently supports The Drug Policy Alliance, Marijuana Policy Project, Students for a Sensible Drug Policy, National Cannabis Industry Association and Women Grow.
Trenk’s dual approach to success in this industry has caught the attention of his peers. On June 27, 2015, Trenk received the first-ever Outstanding Investor Member Award from The ArcView Group in Denver at ArcView’s Pitch Forum. As an angel investor network focused on the legal marijuana industry, ArcView brings together hundreds of investors and entrepreneurs annually.
According to Troy Dayton, CEO of The ArcView Group, “This award was chosen by ArcView staff and given to Steve because he is at every single ArcView event and has invested in about 20 different companies, all met via ArcView, and he is such a generous ambassador to our group.”
Considering ArcView has more than 470 accredited investor members, Trenk was more than grateful for having received this inaugural award.
“At the risk of being dramatic, it was the greatest professional honor of my career. Being recognized by such an illustrious group of sophisticated, professional investors within the fastest growing industry in America was shocking and enormously satisfying at the same time,” Trenk said.
Because this is such a rapidly expanding industry and compliance is a constant concern for all participants, Trenk knows he doesn’t have much time to stop and celebrate. “The industry’s largest challenge is the double-edged sword of government involvement and intervention. We cannot prosper without regulation, yet we are handicapped by the lack of clarity and consistency,” Trenk explained.
Through Lizada Capital and his support of multiple advocacy organizations, Trenk will continue to harness venture capital with impact, firmly believing that “investors can participate in the elimination of the horrific, life-shattering effects that prohibition has had on so many lives.”