Confia (“Confia” or the “Company”), the leading technology platform for financial compliance, B2B/B2C transactions, and secure financial services designed for the cannabis industry, announced today that the Company will be partnering with the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) as a valuable resource and contributor to their social equity community, offering Confia’s fair and affordable financial services solution along with expert financial compliance guidance.
NCIA’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Program (DEI) will oversee and validate all social equity applicants through its Social Equity Scholarship Program (SESP). NCIA operates one of the nation’s largest social equity initiatives, and all of NCIA’s verified SESP members will be eligible for Confia’s financial services platform for a fee of $250, which is an overall 50% discount.
“Partnering with NCIA is a perfect fit for our expanded vision and growth of this program, because of their longstanding commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the cannabis industry,” said Confia Founder and CEO Mark Lozzi. “It’s difficult to access affordable financial services without predatory fees, and Confia is prepared to provide guidance, services, and support to our cannabis industry leaders who deserve it most. With the support of a large and engaged community, we hope to truly make a difference for the businesses of NCIA’s verified social equity applicants.”
To kick off the partnership, NCIA will be hosting an invite-only live, full day workshop for Social Equity Scholarship Program members at the Cannabis Business Summit & Expo in San Francisco on Dec. 15. The purpose of the workshop is to connect with NCIA’s DEI and Social Equity leaders, including members from around the country and within California and the Bay Area. The agenda for the workshop includes entrepreneurship development and community-building exercises, roundtable discussions, resource sharing, intentional networking sessions, and special guest speakers.
The program has been developed in collaboration with NCIA’s Social Equity members and is an evolution of the one previously hosted in September in Detroit. Interested parties may check out the photo album of the Workshop for a glimpse of the event.
“NCIA is very happy to connect our Social Equity Scholarship Program members to Confia and other like-minded companies that are working to provide support to the cannabis businesses that need it most,” said Mike Lomuto, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager at NCIA. “Lack of access to financial services is one of the biggest struggles for social equity licensees and applicants, and represents a huge barrier of entry for the people who have been most harmed by prohibition. Companies like Confia are leading the way in helping to minimize these difficulties and level the playing field, and we hope to see more efforts like this industry-wide in the future.”
Confia is looking to bring a trusted advisor approach to its service and partnership with NCIA, by making available other key professional services through their partnerships with a leading payroll provider, national accounting firm, insurance brokers, and access to capital, all with the intention of encouraging access to fair and affordable services to Social Equity applicants, as well as the right guidance to navigate the complexities of the cannabis industry. Confia is also working on a program to support Social Equity applicants in states where the Company is not licensed, and will seek banks looking to support the initiative and partner in the future.
Launched in 2021, Confia’s platform takes care of all the complex compliance requirements in real time streamlining operations for businesses. Confia is also currently expanding to the East Coast market with the goal of assisting cannabis businesses in newly operating medical and adult-use states looking to scale their operations.
For more information on Confia and to learn about the platform, visit https://www.confia.io/.
