The world of agricultural technology, or agtech, is rapidly evolving.

It’s automating laborious tasks and providing farmers and growers with greater knowledge and insight into their crops than ever before. As technology evolves so does the needs of the farmer and the growing environment. Around 20% of the world’s food production is grown within cities rather rural areas and inherent in this is the multi-billion dollar industry of indoor growing and hydroponics.

The Israeli biomed group's incubator will provide startups with mentoring and consultation, and help them find investors.

Shizim Group, managed by CEO Yossi Bornstein, which comprises more than ten biomed companies, has launched the Cann10 incubator for medical cannabis companies. The incubator will not directly invest in companies, but will provide them with mentoring and consultation, and help them find relevant investors.

With intelligent personalisation taking centre stage in modern marketing, how will artificial intelligence change the relationship between brands and consumers? Benjamin Graham, Director of Communication at personalised marketing app Clemmie, looks at how marketers can make the most of AI.

Canopy, a cannabis industry investor, is currently hosting a 16-week entrepreneurial bootcamp in Berkeley for nine cannabis ancillary startups.

Canopy chose startups it identified as having high potential for growth within the cannabis industry and aims to prepare these companies for investment opportunities within the next four months. According to CEO and co-founder Patrick Rea, Canopy had an interest in having its business in Berkeley because of the prominence of cannabis-related business in the East Bay.

“Well before we launched our first class in 2015, we made the strategic decision to be in California during the time of (the potential) legalization of marijuana,” Rea said.

As in the alcohol industry, tech platforms connect buyers with sellers but don't deliver themselves.

There can be no doubt that the promise of "on-demand" has fueled enormous growth in the technology industry over the past half decade. Whether it's lunch or dinner coming from DoorDash or Munchery, groceries coming from Instacart or Shipt, toiletries coming from Postmates or Google Express, or super-fast deliveries from Amazon Prime or Deliv, one thing is clear: if you want an item or service instantly, you can bet there's a business to answer the call.

The quintessential on-demand service is Uber, which has raised over $12 billion in outside capital for an app that sends a ride your way at the tap of a button. It's that simple.

MMPRsoft tapped to handle sales for Canada's only pharmacist-controlled producer and distributor.

Alberta is gradually becoming a leader in medical cannabis production, thanks in part to some Edmonton software developers.

Edmonton’s MMPRsoft, a web-based cannabis-operations program, recently secured a deal to handle the end-to-end operations of CannTrust Inc. – Canada’s only pharmacist-controlled licensed producer and distributor of medical cannabis.

MMPRsoft manages e-commerce and webstore development as well as facility management, which includes equipment inventory, crop management, customer relationships, health clinic partnerships and dealings with the department of Veterans Affairs.

Before cannabinoid testing and genetic profiling of the cannabis plant, consumers would judge a batch of weed based on its smell, taste, and color. In fact, a whopping 93 percent of buyers make a purchasing choice contingent on the color and look of the bud.

The color of cannabis is not constant, but rather changes with the plant's maturity. According to the pH or acidity levels of the plant, its anthocyanins—water-soluble pigments—may appear blue, red, or purple. Anthocyanins appear in other plants as well, such as blueberries and eggplants.

Take it as an indicator in the rapidly changing world of cannabis use, but a group of senior citizens are organizing their own social network to discuss marijuana. Clearly, it’s not just for teenagers anymore.

The group, the Seniors 420 Network, is a way for seniors who use marijuana recreationally and medically to find one another. Proposed goals include finding friends or roommates, identifying business opportunities, buying and selling items, learning tips or tricks, and, of course, organizing to challenge laws against cannabis. 

With passage of the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MCRSA), my firm’s California cannabis lawyers have been representing a steady onslaught of investors looking to get into California’s MMJ industry in some way, shape, or form. And with the vote on Proposition 64 coming up in November, excitement about the Golden State is palpable.

But it’s not all roses when it comes to current California MMJ laws and investing.

Last week, I got legal pot delivered to my Bay Area doorstep faster than most Postmates orders.

I picked out a new cartridge for my vape pen from Eaze, a medicinal marijuana delivery startup that's been dubbed the "Uber of weed," and fewer than 20 minutes later, a courier pulled up outside my apartment and handed me a white linen bag that hid my purchase.

A new "Uber of weed" or "Yelp of marijuana" crops up on the legal pot landscape every other week. There's a Birchbox-like service for "every kind of stoner." Users find love on High There, the "Tinder for weed smokers."