Cannabiz Media is the cannabis license-data platform founded in 2015 and acquired by Emerald Intel in October 2025. It maps licensed cannabis and hemp operators across the United States and Canada for sales, marketing, finance and compliance teams. In 2026 its research runs under the Emerald Insights name, led by co-founder Ed Keating.
Built on the first license directories
Cannabiz Media built the first directories of licensed cannabis businesses and the decision-makers behind them. The acquisition release credits it with the first data platform for the licensed cannabis sector. Ed Keating co-founded the company and served as chief data officer at the time of the sale.
The core product ties license records to people. The pitch on the homepage is direct: connect with cannabis and hemp license holders across the United States and Canada, then verify and track them.
Five hubs, one license database
The platform is organized into five hubs. Growth Hub handles lead generation and email marketing, Insight Hub covers license and financial analysis, and Compliance Hub verifies licenses. Enterprise Hub and Operator Hub round out the set.
Around them sit CRM tools, enhanced data, credit reporting, verification and financial analysis. Integrations connect the data to HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive and Mailchimp.
Joining Emerald Intel in 2025
Emerald Intel, led by CEO and co-founder John Stanfill, acquired Cannabiz Media in October 2025. The cannabiz.media homepage now announces that the company “has joined the Emerald Intel family,” and its blog redirects to emeraldintel.ai.
The acquisition release listed the combined coverage: more than 75,000 smoke and vape licenses, license data from 27 countries outside North America, state sales data and M&A tracking since 2018. It counted intelligence on more than 51,000 companies and 135,000 decision-makers. Keating said the mission “has always been to deliver trusted cannabis data.”
From Cannacurio to Emerald Insights
Cannacurio, the company’s podcast and research series, debuted on January 27, 2020. Episode #122 ran as “The Land of One Hundred Licenses.” After the acquisition the series became Emerald Insights, with Keating, now Emerald Intel’s chief economist, as author and host.
The first episode under the Emerald Insights name was #123, “2025 Cannabis License Leaderboards,” the sixth straight year of a nationwide licensing recap. Guests on the renamed podcast have included Erin Gorman Kirk and BIPOCann.
Reading the 2026 market
Keating’s Q2 2026 licensing report counted 1,256 cannabis licenses issued nationwide in the quarter, excluding moratorium states. Cultivation made up 63% of new principal licenses, double the prior quarter’s share. Dispensary licensing fell 29% year over year, and nearly 90% of new microbusiness licenses came from Minnesota and New Mexico.
The brand side gets the same treatment. An early 2026 brands-by-state report named STIIIZY the 2025 national leader in concentrates, RYTHM in flower, Jeeter in pre-rolls and Wyld in edibles.
State tables go deeper. High Supply held the top flower spot in Illinois, with Grassroots climbing to fourth by February 2026. Green Mitten Pharms led Michigan flower. In New York, Dank by Definition sat at number one in 20 of 24 tracked months, with Ayrloom close behind.
Official channels
Cannabiz Media’s platform is online at cannabiz.media, with company updates on Instagram and LinkedIn.