Cann Pitch Deck: All 14 Slides + Teardown

See all 14 slides of the Cann pitch deck — a 2019 Seed deck in Cannabis — with a slide-by-slide teardown of what the deck does well and where it falls short.

Cann's 2019 Seed deck is a masterclass in brand-led storytelling for a stigmatized industry. By defining 'low dose' as 5mg or less (Slide 2) and positioning their product as a healthier social alternative to alcohol (Slide 4), Cann successfully moved cannabis out of the 'stoner' subculture and into the mainstream wellness and social beverage categories. The deck relies heavily on lifestyle imagery and comparative calorie counts—showing Cann at 30 calories versus a 150-calorie cider—to appeal to health-conscious consumers. While the deck lacks traditional financial projections and a team slide…

Key takeaways

The Shift from Pot to Premium CPG

Cann’s 2019 Seed deck arrived at a pivotal moment for the cannabis industry. As reported by Business Insider, the company successfully raised $5M in a round that signaled a shift away from high-potency products toward 'social tonics.' The deck is less about the technicalities of cultivation and more about the lifestyle of the modern consumer. It frames cannabis not as a drug, but as a functional ingredient in a premium consumer packaged good (CPG).

Slide 1: The Visual Hook

The cover slide sets the tone immediately. It features the Cann logo—'Cannabis-Infused Social Tonic'—centered between two cans pouring liquid into a splash. The tagline 'The future is fluid' is a double entendre, referring both to the beverage format and the changing social norms regarding intoxicants. The aesthetic is clean, minimalist, and looks more like a high-end sparkling water brand than a traditional cannabis product.

Slide 2: Defining the Low-Dose Opportunity

Slide 2 is the most data-heavy portion of the deck. It establishes the 'Why Now?' by defining the market. It sets a clear threshold: low dose is defined as ≤5mg of THC. By citing RBC Capital Markets, Cann provides institutional credibility to their claim that low-dose products are growing 2-3x faster than the broader market. The slide notes that in Colorado, growth for these products reached 83% by the end of 2017. Most importantly, it makes a bold prediction: 70%+ of the market will be low-dose by 2023. This slide effectively argues that the 'stoner' market is saturated, and the 'social' market is the true growth engine.

Slide 3: The Social Solution

Slide 3 breaks down the product philosophy into a simple equation: Dose it right + Make it drinkable + Elevate the brand = Social beverage. It addresses the 'fear of taking too much,' a common barrier for new cannabis users. By promising a 'gradual and controllable build' and 'quick sublingual onset,' Cann positions itself as a direct substitute for the experience of drinking a beer. The mention of 'heuristics from alcohol' is a sophisticated way of saying they want to mimic the behavior of social drinking without the negative side effects.

Slide 4: The Calorie Comparison

In the wellness-obsessed market of 2019, calories were a primary battleground. Slide 4 is a simple, effective bar chart using product photography. It places Cann (30 cals) next to a gin and tonic (100 cals), White Claw (110 cals), Bud Light (110 cals), and Magners Cider (150 cals). The headline 'Significantly healthier than low-cal social drinks' directly attacks the 'healthy' perception of hard seltzers, which were booming at the time.

Slide 5: Sophisticated Flavor Profiles

Slide 5 focuses on the culinary aspect of the brand. Instead of 'Green Apple' or 'Watermelon'—flavors often associated with candy-like edibles—Cann lists Blood Orange Cardamom, Grapefruit Rosemary, and Lemon Lavender. This reinforces the 'sophisticated' and 'savory' positioning. The bottom of the slide features four icons: Non-GMO, No Stevia, No Artificial Flavors, and No Gluten. This is a checklist for the Whole Foods-adjacent consumer.

Slide 6: Marketing and Virality

Slide 6 moves into the 'Go-to-Market' strategy. It shows a photograph of a modern, wood-paneled retail pop-up. The text emphasizes 'Instagrammable' events. This is a crucial distinction for a cannabis brand; because federal regulations often limit traditional advertising (like Facebook or Google ads), Cann identifies physical, shareable experiences as their primary engine for customer acquisition.

Slide 7: The Target Persona

The final slide in this sequence uses a collage of lifestyle photography—young, diverse, attractive people in social settings. The quotes are designed to represent the brand's target psychographic: 'My friends tell me I have good taste,' 'I’m not drinking alcohol tonight... but I bet you won’t notice the difference,' and 'I take pride in making healthy choices.' This slide isn't about the product; it's about the identity the consumer adopts by holding the can.

What Cann Got Right

Category Creation: Cann didn't just launch a drink; they helped define the 'Social Tonic' category. By anchoring the deck in the 5mg dose limit, they created a safe space for investors who were wary of the 'too high' reputation of edibles.

Competitive Benchmarking: Comparing themselves to White Claw and Bud Light rather than other cannabis brands was a brilliant move. It expanded their Total Addressable Market (TAM) from the 'cannabis market' to the 'global beverage market.'

Visual Consistency: The deck is beautiful. The use of whitespace, high-quality photography, and a consistent color palette (lavender and navy) communicates a level of professionalism often missing in early-stage cannabis pitches.

What is Missing

The Team: In the provided 14-slide sequence, there is no mention of the founders' backgrounds. For a Seed round, the 'Why this team?' is usually as important as the 'Why this product?'

Financials and Unit Economics: There is no mention of the cost to produce a can, the wholesale price, or the retail price. Investors in the CPG space typically want to see gross margins and a path to profitability.

Distribution Strategy: While pop-ups are mentioned, the deck doesn't explain how they will navigate the complex, state-by-state regulatory environment of cannabis distribution. Getting on shelves is the hardest part of the industry, and it is unaddressed here.

The Ask: The deck ends without a clear call to action or a breakdown of how the $5M will be spent.

Founder Takeaways

Sell the 'Why,' not the 'What': Cann spends very little time talking about the cannabis plant itself. Instead, they talk about social connection, health, and flavor. If you are in a regulated or stigmatized industry, focus on the universal human benefit of your product.

Use Third-Party Validation: The inclusion of the RBC Capital Markets data (Slide 2) and the Fast Company 'Top 10 for Health' mention for Dosist (used as a market proxy) gives the pitch an air of inevitability. It shows the founder has done their homework on market trends.

Design Matters: If you are building a consumer brand, your pitch deck is your first product. Cann’s deck looks like their packaging. It proves they understand brand identity before they even have a conversation with the investor.

Frequently asked questions

How does Cann define its competitive advantage over alcohol?
Cann focuses on health and social parity. Slide 4 shows Cann has only 30 calories, significantly lower than White Claw (110) or Bud Light (110). Slide 3 emphasizes 'heuristics from alcohol,' meaning the drink is designed to be consumed at the same pace and in the same social settings as a beer or cocktail, but without the hangover or high caloric intake.
What market data does Cann use to justify the low-dose category?
On Slide 2, Cann references RBC Capital Markets Equity Research from August 2018. The data highlights that low-dose products are growing 2-3x faster than the general cannabis market and that 33% of the market was already low-dose at the time of the pitch.
What are the specific ingredients and health claims mentioned?
Slide 5 lists 'sophisticated, natural, savory flavors' and explicitly highlights that the product is Non-GMO, contains no stevia, no artificial flavors, and is gluten-free. The primary flavors listed are Blood Orange Cardamom, Grapefruit Rosemary, and Lemon Lavender.
How does Cann plan to acquire customers?
According to Slide 6, the company focuses on 'Pop-up events.' The goal is to create 'highly visible (and Instagrammable) events' that educate consumers and encourage social media sharing to achieve viral growth, rather than relying solely on traditional dispensary foot traffic.
What is missing from this pitch deck?
This version of the deck is heavily focused on brand and market positioning. It lacks a team slide (founder backgrounds), a specific financial 'Ask' (how much they are raising and for what), a roadmap, and detailed unit economics or revenue projections.
Cover slide of the Cann pitch deck — Seed 2019
Cann pitch deck, slide 1 (2019)

Cann pitch deck: the facts

Company
Cann
Year
2019
Stage
Seed
Slides
14
Sector
Cannabis / Beverage
Deck type
Investor Pitch
Outcome
$5M Raised
Headquarters
North America

Cann pitch deck PDF

The full Cann deck is embedded on this page and can be read slide by slide in the browser — no download or account required. Each slide is covered in the breakdown above.

What the Cann (Cann Social Tonics) pitch deck was used for

This deck is Cann’s seed-stage fundraising presentation from 2019 for its cannabis-infused social tonic beverage line, aimed at disrupting the social drinking market with low-dose THC/CBD drinks as an alternative to alcohol.[1] It was used around the period when Cann had raised $1.5M in an initial seed/pre-seed and was closing a $5M seed round led by Imaginary Ventures and JM10 Partners to expand within California and beyond.[1][2][4][10][15] The deck positions Cann as a digitally native, lifestyle brand focused on social occasions and micro-dosed cannabis, targeting nonsmokers and mainstream CPG consumers. It emphasizes using this capital for brand-building, digital marketing, and scaling distribution of its cannabis beverages.

Business model: Cann produces low-dose, cannabis-infused social tonic beverages intended as an alternative to alcoholic drinks, using micro-dosed THC and CBD, premium all-natural ingredients, and lifestyle branding to appeal to mainstream, social-drinking consumers.[4][5]

Round
Seed[1][2][4][6][15]
Lead investor
Imaginary Ventures[1][4][6]
Investors
Imaginary Ventures[1][2][4][6], JM10 Partners[1][2][4][6], Cresco Capital[6][11], Global Founders Capital[6][11], Navy Capital[6][11], Brian Spaly[6]
Founded
2018[3][8][14]
Founders
Jake Bullock[1][8][9], Luke Anderson[1][4][8][9]
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California, United States[3][9]
Industry
Cannabis-infused beverages / CPG social beverages[4][5][8]

Year: 2019–2020 (seed deck published in 2019 and seed round announced January 2020).[1][4][6][15]

Raised: $5,000,000 seed round, plus an earlier $1,500,000 initial raise, totaling $6,500,000 around this deck.[1][2][4][6][10][15]

Total funding: Approximately $32–34.7M raised over multiple rounds including seed and Series A by 2022–2023, with a reported $27M Series A plus earlier seed rounds totaling around $5M and additional capital from celebrity and institutional investors.[3][5][7][8][9]

Use of funds as presented: Funding was used to expand Cann’s cannabis-infused social tonic beverage business within California and into additional markets, building out production, distribution, and brand awareness for its low-dose THC social beverages.[1][4][5]

What happened after the Cann (Cann Social Tonics) deck

The seed deck supported Cann’s transition from an early launch funded by a $1.5M initial raise to a $5M seed round led by Imaginary Ventures and JM10 Partners, enabling expansion within California and laying the groundwork for subsequent growth, including a $27M Series A and significant sales and distribution milestones.[1][2][4][6][7][8][10][15]

What the Cann (Cann Social Tonics) deck got right

What could have been stronger

How an investor would read this deck

What draws attention

Risks that stand out

Questions this deck invites

What founders can take from the Cann (Cann Social Tonics) deck

Cann (Cann Social Tonics) pitch deck: common questions

What does Cann do?

Cann is a Los Angeles-based startup that makes **low-dose, cannabis-infused social tonic beverages** designed to be a hangover-free alternative to beer and other alcoholic drinks, using micro-dosed THC and CBD with premium natural ingredients to appeal to mainstream social drinkers.[4][5][8]

How much did Cann raise with the seed pitch deck, and who led the round?

According to coverage of the deck and funding announcements, Cann closed a **$5M seed round** led by Imaginary Ventures and JM10 Partners, on top of an earlier **$1.5M seed/pre-seed raise** in 2019, bringing its total early funding to $6.5M around the time this deck was used.[1][2][4][10][15]

Who founded Cann and when?

Cann was founded in **2018** by **Jake Bullock** and **Luke Anderson**, Stanford and Harvard alumni, who set out to create a low-dose THC social beverage that could replace alcohol in social settings while avoiding the stigma and intensity of traditional cannabis consumption.[1][3][8][9][10][14]

What exactly is Cann’s product and how is it positioned in the market?

Cann describes its products as **micro-dosed THC social tonics** with sophisticated flavor profiles and premium natural ingredients; they are designed to be approachable even for cannabis newcomers and to use alcohol-like heuristics (multiple drinks, gradual build) in a beverage format suitable for social occasions.[4][5]

What happened after this seed round—did Cann succeed?

Subsequent reports and case studies indicate that after its 2019–2020 seed rounds, Cann went on to raise a **$27M Series A** and expanded distribution to multiple U.S. states and Canadian provinces, reaching tens of millions of beverages sold and securing a roster of celebrity and institutional investors—but these outcomes occurred after the deck and are not part of the original seed-stage claims.[7][8][9]

Sources

Funding and outcome facts on this page were researched on 2026-08-30 from the pages below.

Cann pitch deck slides

Cann pitch deck slide 1 of 14
Cann pitch deck — slide 1 of 14
Cann pitch deck slide 2 of 14
Cann pitch deck — slide 2 of 14
Cann pitch deck slide 3 of 14
Cann pitch deck — slide 3 of 14
Cann pitch deck slide 4 of 14
Cann pitch deck — slide 4 of 14
Cann pitch deck slide 5 of 14
Cann pitch deck — slide 5 of 14
Cann pitch deck slide 6 of 14
Cann pitch deck — slide 6 of 14

What each slide of the Cann pitch deck says

Slide 2

5 . yn The problem — today’s cannabis products are positioned poorly Our focus is on this emerging = ‘mainstream’ B58 =o S38 Eas High Low Very Little Glistoman EE aa Ey Canna-Crazy Canna-Casual Canna-Curious Canna-Can't tes; £7 = “Too strong!” “I'm too scared” ga 8g “Not social “I'm not a 2% enough” stoner” [RS] [] “The brands don't “Are there any really speak to me” brands?” CONFIDENTIAL Fi [MARKET

Slide 3

Those in the market today seek lower-dose options <bmg 2-3X Definition of ‘low dose’ cannabis product Growth of low-dose’ products vs. all cannabis products Kiva Confections 5mg/ dose | RBC Capital Markets RBC Terra Blueberries v6 win #1 edible, wrCH LHERRCCHD =" “Some of the top products in different states arrive with & milligrams or less of THC per serving. In Colorado, growth of these products reached 83% by the end of 2017." Dosist - 2.25 mg / dose* 2 33% of today's market is low dose; if growth trends | =i continue 70%+ of the market will be in 2023 E World's 50 most 8 ‘ innovative companies SIE @MPANY 2078 - top 10 for health — Soc AC Capital Markets Ely Research August 208 CA CONFID…

Slide 4

Those not in the market use alcohol instead, but don’t love it “I'try all week to eat healthy and 2 8 B ] ] = then end up undoing all that good 21 by drinking on the weekends” 39 = = = = E Ny WY) “I hate hangovers... they impact = = == = = ~, » my ability to work, exercise, or be of ® productive the next day” — — — — — 25 “I'd like to drink less but don’t want 8 = BB BB =, = to give up being social” S adult drinkers are trying to reduce or 27 “I never get a full, quality night moderate their consumption of alcohol of sleep after drinking” CONFIDENTIAL GA IMARKET

Slide 5

The solution — a beverage you can share Dose it right e Universal pain point fear of taking too much ¢ Create a gradual and controllable build e Have more than one (or two) CONFIDENTIAL + Make it drinkable Appeals to nonsmokers Quick sublingual onset Use heuristics from alcohol + Elevate the brand Trustworthy THC and CBD High quality, all natural ingredients Says something about me Social beverage Thousands of years of human history spent socializing over beverages S ImarkeT

Slide 10

drinkcann v Digital marketing 492 posts 1,51 42 g Edit Profile Cann will be a digitally native brand - with an authentic, irreverent voice across social media platforms. Starting with a robust network of micro-influencers with an eye toward earning mainstream celebrity endorsements (some of the first in the industry), Cann will soon become synonymous with the cannabis beverage category. CONFIDENTIAL 'CA AN" MARKETING

Slide text above is read directly from the Cann deck PDF embedded on this page.

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