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Full name: Fabian Monaco

 

Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

Company: Gage Growth Corp. (CSE: GAGE) 

 

Years at current company: I have been with Gage for over 3 years, since the Company’s inception.

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Education profile: 

The University of Western Ontario – Richard Ivey School of Business

M.B.A.

2010 – 2011

 

The University of Western Ontario – Faculty of Law

J.D., Corporate & Securities Law

2008 – 2011

 

York University – Schulich School of Business

B.B.A. (Hons.)

2003 – 2007

 

Most successful professional accomplishment before cannabis:

I have a vast investment banking and legal background with over 10 years of capital markets experience, however, my most successful professional accomplishment truly lives within the cannabis space. I was fortunate enough to become a key member of the investment banking team at GMP Securities LP (“GMP”) in Canada, which ultimately contributed to the development of the cannabis industry in its early days. While at GMP, I worked on a number of industry-firsts including the first acquisition (Tweed, now Canopy Growth, acquiring Bedrocan), one of the first initial public offerings (MedReleaf) and the first $100 million financing round in the space (Canopy Growth).

 

Following GMP, I transitioned to XIB, who co-founded Canopy Rivers with Canopy Growth, an investment and acquisition firm that has underwritten a number of equity financings, ultimately supporting the industry’s ability to grow. One of the companies Canopy Rivers invested in is TerrAscend, which is now an over $4 billion market cap company.

 

Company mission: 

Gage Growth Corp.’s mission lies in providing premium cannabis to market, positively shaping cannabis culture and nurturing the community. By committing to these core values, we believe we are primed for success and rapid economic growth.

 

Company’s most successful achievement: 

We are proud of the successful build-out of our assets and our brand in a relatively short period of time, and with very limited capital. I believe this tells you two things: 

(1) We have the right people with the right expertise. You cannot build a strong cannabis brand, with expansive cultivation facilities and retail footprints, in a competitive market if you don’t have the proper team in place.

(2) We are an extremely prudent capital allocator. We raised a little less than $60 million before our Reg A+ financing in the fall of 2020, and with that we were able to create a dominant brand, three cultivation facilities and numerous retail dispensaries. This contrasts wildly when you look at some other US companies that raised $300-400 million just to build their core infrastructure.

 

Has the company raised any capital:

Yes

 

If so, how much:

To date, the Company has raised US$110+ million including our recently closed Reg A+ offering which raised a full US$50 million.

 

Any plans on raising capital in the future:

We have a very healthy balance sheet at the moment. Post our Reg A+ offering, we have ~US$40 million cash on hand. I’d also like to highlight the fact that the Company has very minimal debt. So with the cash we have on hand, we are fully funded for all our operational and expansion plans in Michigan.

 

Most important company 5 year goal:

Gage’s most important goal is to build the most dominant brand in Michigan first, and then follow by expanding into other states. We believe Michigan will be a top five cannabis market in the US, and we’d like to capture a significant market share and then replicate the same success in other markets.

Executive Spotlight: Fabian Monaco on Green Market Report.