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From NASA to Cannabis: How Tissue Culture Helped a Plant Scientist Find Her Voice
Seed to CEO
English - January 20, 2022 17:56 - 40 minutes - 56 MBBusiness Education How To cultivation business cannabis ceo daily entrepreneur extraction hemp investment marijuana Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
For Hope Jones’ first cannabis job, she served as chief science officer for a grower in Arizona. But as a newbie to the industry, she lacked the confidence to speak out against veterans making easy-to-avoid mistakes, despite her expertise. As frustration built, she saw an opportunity to bring clean-tissue culture to an industry struggling to get solid genetics. Today, the plant biologist operates two companies – a consulting firm focused on plant health and an R&D company that develops tissue-culture genetics.
In this episode, Hope shares:
How she realized the need for better genetics in cannabis. How her experience as a staff scientist at NASA helped her build her self-confidence. Why good business partners need more than common goals to succeed. Why tissue culture is a solid starting point for quality biomass to support the entire cannabis supply chain.Who is Hope Jones?
Hope Jones is a veteran plant scientist who immersed herself in the plant world long before jumping into cannabis. Her experience includes staff scientist at NASA, where she helped grow plants in outer space; a tenure at the University of Arizona’s world-renowned Controlled Environment Agriculture Center, where she used her extensive micropropagation skills and knowledge to rescue endangered plant species; and a stint as a bartender, which she credits for her ability to connect with people. She launched her first cannabis company, Phoenix-based Emergent Cannabis Sciences, in 2016, and her second, Superior Phenos, in 2020.