For the first time since the cannabis industry has begun its growth spurt, a major player in the corporate world has partnered up with a cannabusiness. Microsoft is a leader in electronics, software and much more – with products like Windows 10, the Xbox one and their own line of Windows smartphones and 2-in-1 laptops, like the Surface Pro, they are definitely covering a lot of ground. One of the newest sectors of Microsoft is the Health and Human Services Pod for Managed Software Providers, which has partnered with Kind Financial of Los Angeles.
Their partnership is groundbreaking for the industry. Until now, no big-name companies like this have even made a mention of trying to get involved in the cannabis industry. Microsoft however, has always been more of a leader than a follower, so it shouldn’t come as too much surprise that they have chosen to take on this partnership and get on the inside of this industry early on. The partnership with Kind will benefit both companies and others as well – having a name like Microsoft partner with you, or join your industry, automatically provides it with a new level of legitimacy in the eyes of many.
“Every business that works in the cannabis space, we all clamor for legitimacy. I would like to think that this is the first of many dominoes to fall.” – David Dinenberg, CEO, and founder of Kind
Together, Microsoft and Kind can bring the seed-to-sale software developed by Kind to another level – now all of their products will be available through the Microsoft Azure government cloud. The Agrisoft Seed-to-Sale software helps companies to keep all of their transactions within the guidelines of their particular state government. With multiple states preparing to vote on marijuana legalization – whether medicinal or recreational – come November, there will be multiple states looking to set up such a system.
Kimberly Nelson, Microsoft’s executive director of state and local government solutions, said, “Kind’s strategic industry positioning, experienced team and top-notch-technology running in the Microsoft Azure Government cloud, made for an easy decision to align efforts.”
Will Microsoft stop at seed-to-sale software and partnerships? Or can we expect some exclusive technology in the future? After all, seed-to-sale software is not the only product offered by Kind; they have also developed an ATM that dispenses marijuana instead of cash (how awesome is that?!). This is big news for many – and it’s truly exciting to finally see a company like them taking the leap of faith to partner up with a cannabuisness. Hopefully this partnership only means good things for the growth of the cannabis industry.
