Careful Curators of Capital

Sumit Mehta is the Founder and CEO of MAZAKALI, a cannabis investment firm based in San Francisco with offices in Denver and Chicago. MAZAKALI offers capital placement services to family offices, institutions, financial advisors and high-net-worth individuals via its Outsourced Cannabis Investment Officer (OCIO) service.

Sumit founded MAZAKALI to counteract the negative consequences of business practices that deplete resources by making investments in sustainable cannabis and hemp. By shepherding capital in a responsible and ethical manner, MAZAKALI and its clients envision a world where cannabis investment will play a significant role Beyond Impact. Sumit authors the MAZAKALI GreenPaper™, a leading narrative that has gained authority through knowledge on deep trends in the industry that matter to investors and operators alike.

In addition to his role with MAZAKALI, Sumit Mehta is a registered representative of Growth Capital Services, Inc. (“GCS”), a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA/SIPC. GCS is not responsible for the separate advisory services offered by Sumit or for any services offered by other MAZAKALI personnel. More information about Sumit Mehta and GCS is available through FINRA Broker Check.

Sumit serves on the Banking and Financial Services Committee (BFSC) for the National Cannabis Industry Association and is a finance and strategy consultant to The Arcview Group, the largest cannabis focused private investor network in America. Sumit also continues to mentor cannabis management teams and advise private equity cannabis transactions. Sumit and MAZAKALI support NCIA, SSDP and MPP in their efforts to promote cannabis education and awareness.

Prior to joining the cannabis industry, Sumit spent two decades on Wall Street at Merrill Lynch, UBS Investment Bank, Susquehanna International and Raymond James Financial in roles that spanned portfolio management, investment planning, capital introduction, strategic consulting, relationship management and business development. In 2016, Sumit left an advisory practice at J.P. Morgan to launch MAZAKALI.

Sumit earned an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, and a BA with Honors in Economics with minors in Math and Physics from the University of Texas at Austin. Sumit holds investment banking, brokerage and investment advisory securities licenses and resides in San Francisco where he enjoys motorcycles, yoga, craft beer and the great outdoors.

Craig Piatti serves as MAZAKALI’s Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for developing and driving the firm’s infrastructure, technology, organizational and people processes. As a longtime advocate of continued education, Craig remains immersed in several initiatives that promote information transparency, accuracy and reliability for cannabis industry investors.

Craig joined MAZAKALI with the idea that cannabis will impact nearly every sector of the economy on an international scale and saw that his unique experience set was well suited to contribute positively to the development of this emerging market.

Prior to joining MAZAKALI, Craig worked at Alibaba’s cloud computing division on strategic business development and alliances across the Americas. Craig’s inquisitive mindset and passion for learning has led him down a career path involving a variety of functions across multiple industries around the world. Craig has worked with global firms including SAP, Bosch, China Telecom and Alibaba, and also founded an overseas student staffing firm where he served as CEO for six years. He has lived in Bahrain, China, Germany and Singapore, and has spent considerable time working in India, Israel, the UK and South America.

Craig holds an MBA from the University of Notre Dame – Mendoza College of Business, as well as a B.S. from Indiana University – Kelly School of Business, and a Diplom-Betriebswirt (BWL) from Reutlingen University in Germany. Craig speaks English, German and Mandarin and is an avid and purposeful traveler. He currently resides in San Francisco with his wife and enjoys an active lifestyle of yoga, snowboarding, cycling and local cuisine.

Mary Beth Barron serves as Chief Marketing Officer at MAZAKALI where she leads marketing strategy, brand management, communications, advertising, public relations and digital marketing. Mary Beth also runs MAZAKALI’s Chicago office and works on a variety of partnership initiatives at the firm. The opportunity to work with teams across geographies and cultures to build a global brand for the firm–and influence the cannabis industry’s emerging brand journey–are key reasons why Mary Beth is passionate about her role at MAZAKALI.

Mary Beth brings more than 20 years of marketing and business leadership to MAZAKALI, starting her marketing career at Apple Far East (Hong Kong) and serving as the top marketing leader for several global professional services firms including: Korn Ferry Consulting, A.T. Kearney, EDS (now HP), PE firm Ygomi and Media Partners International (now JCDecaux). In these roles she has been responsible for marketing in more than 30 countries.

Honing her global business skills as a management consultant to clients such as General Motors and BMW, Mary Beth also spent more than half a decade living and working in Asia which included a high-profile leadership role with McDonald’s China.

She currently serves on the Marketing and Advertising Committee (MAC) of The National Cannabis Industry Association, is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow and member of the International Women’s Forum (IWF), and is a former active member of the Mayor of Chicago’s China Committee, the Joffrey Ballet women’s board, the Executives’ Club of Chicago and The Chicago Club. Mary Beth holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a BA from The Colorado College.

Early in her career Mary Beth was the co-founder of a business school at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Vietnamese Refugee Camp–an experience inspiring her strong interest in leadership and mentoring. While Mary Beth is based in Chicago, she particularly enjoys spending time in the mountains to ski and hike with family and friends.

Charlie Christopher serves as Vice President, Investments at MAZAKALI where he focuses on due diligence, research, modeling, valuation and financial analysis. An experienced securities analyst, Charlie has a strong belief in combining the principles of financial accounting, sustainability accounting, and value investing to customize the allocation impact for clients.

Prior to joining MAZAKALI, Charlie co-founded both a cannabis consulting firm and a luxury women’s ready-to-wear label. At the former, he assisted clients through the application process, ongoing operations, and exit strategy. At the latter, he oversaw two separate rounds of funding as CFO. Prior to his career as an entrepreneur, Charlie worked in portfolio management for an RIA in Southern California providing fundamental analysis and assisting with daily trading operations. He has consulted numerous clients in the cannabis, construction, music, financial services and software industries where his primary focus is on information systems, optimization, cash forecasting, securities offerings, licensing and capital allocation.

Charlie holds a B.S in Accounting from Loyola Marymount University and serves on the Finance and Insurance Committee for the National Cannabis Industry Association. Charlie is a native of Chicago and currently resides in Los Angeles where he enjoys reading, cooking and traveling.

As General Counsel at MAZAKALI, Brent Johnson oversees all legal aspects of the firm and assists with legal diligence on investments as well as banking clients. Brent oversees the firm’s Denver office and brings over 20 years of finance, legal and executive-level management experience at numerous law firms and investment firms.

Brent also serves as CEO of the Hoban Law Group, the nation’s leading full-service “cannabusiness” law firm. Brent previously served as EVP, Managing Director and General Counsel of First Capital Ventures; EVP, CFO & General Counsel for Atrium Capital Management Group; and Associate General Counsel for Quiznos.

Brent has managed and executed over $2 billion in capital raising, private equity, venture capital and M&A transactions and has managed multiple investment funds up to $65 million in AUM. He routinely advises investors, fund managers and companies regarding capital raising, structure, finance and operations. Brent is also an advisor and mentor to Canopy Boulder and serves as an advisor to various companies and investment funds in the cannabis industry.

Brent advises clients on capital raising transactions and has worked extensively with companies looking for capital as well as with venture capital and private equity funds. Brent also served as outside general counsel to clients in support of operations, capital raises, corporate governance, commercial transactions, contract drafting, negotiation, intellectual property and general business matters.

Brent began his legal practice at the Silicon Valley office of law firm Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison where he worked with venture capital firms and emerging growth and technology companies focusing on capital raising transactions, mergers & acquisitions, securities, public offerings and general corporate matters. He then joined Denver-based Brownstein Hyatt & Farber where he represented public and private companies as well as venture capital and private equity firms.

Brent is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and served on active duty in the Air Force for five years, rising to the rank of Captain. He also holds a JD from the University of Colorado and an MBA from the University of Nebraska.

Justin Schleifer serves as Director of Compliance for cannabis investment firm MAZAKALI. In this role, Justin is responsible for developing the firm’s controls and overseeing the advisory business. Having spent his entire career in compliance, Justin is particularly passionate about finding simple solutions to complex scenarios.

He is also the CEO and co-Founder of Aspect Advisors LLC, a San Francisco-based compliance consulting firm for asset managers, broker-dealers, and fintech companies.

Since beginning his securities compliance career as a ground-floor employee at Gordian Compliance Solutions, Justin has consulted for and has been an Outsourced Chief Compliance Officer (OCCO) for many financial firms across a wide spectrum of investment models/focus areas. Justin has also served as the Financial Operations Principal for several broker-dealers.

Justin has extensive experience interfacing with the SEC, FINRA, the NFA, and state regulators on topics ranging from initial registration applications, business expansion applications, regulatory audits, enforcement proceedings, and arbitrations.

Justin earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Administration, with a concentration in Business Law, from Cornell University. He holds FINRA series 7, 24, 27, 55, 66, 79 and 87 licenses. He is based in the San Francisco area where he and his family are active members in the dog community.

Mathew Auric serves as Legal Counsel for MAZAKALI and is based in Los Angeles, CA. He is responsible for general legal support including contract drafting and negotiation, internal business structuring,  strategic planning and liability management. He has extensive experience in corporate structuring, capital raises, acquisitions and contract drafting. His training as a physicist and teacher combined with his legal prowess provide him a unique ability to analyze issues, solve complex problems and explain results in a highly effective way.

Mathew has decades of experience in the legal cannabis industry. He was involved in the legal cannabis industry as a cultivator and real estate developer in the early 2000s, has been a corporate attorney  with cannabusiness firm Hoban Law Group, and is currently engaged in hemp farming in southern California. Mathew has a deep understanding of the regulatory, practical and historical issues involving cannabis, and combined with his legal acumen in business and regulatory law brings to MAZAKALI a unique perspective and accretive skill set.

He received his JD from Ventura College of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California Santa Cruz.

As a father, avid surfer, fisherman and traveler Mathew enjoys living near the ocean, boating and traveling to his favorite destinations such as the Channel Islands in California and remote islands in Indonesia.