Jason Wild - From $80k to $1.7Bn

Jason Wild is the founder and President of JWAM, an SEC-registered investment adviser with over $1.7 billion under management. Jason found investing during his last year of pharmacy school.  Taking Peter Lynch seriously, he invested every other paycheck in pharmaceutical ideas he thought were undervalued.  His theses were correct far more often than they weren't and he made himself almost a half million dollars in the market.  After proving his competence, he started a fund with a mere $80,000.  Today, that fund manages over $1.7Bn.  

 

Jason's initial strategy focused on specialty pharmaceuticals.  His knowledge base enabled him to assess asset bases and M&A quickly (and correctly).  After pitching a company on an M&A opportunity, and getting nothing in return, Jason decided to take matters into his own hands.  He decided to purchase Arbor Pharmaceuticals for $2.5mm dollars and built the company via M&A. After 3 years, KKR bought a portion of Arbor; valuing the enterprise at $1.1Bn.  

 

Today, Jason is Chairman and Interim CEO of TerrAscend Corporation, a cannabis company with multi state operations in the US.  His official Bio is as follows:

 

"Jason Wild is the founder and President of JWAM, an SEC-registered investment adviser with over $1.7 billion under management. After starting his first fund in 1998 with only $80,000 AUM, Jason achieved early success by leveraging his background as a pharmacist to find undervalued specialty pharmaceutical companies and by managing the firm’s investments for long-term growth. After building a strong track record as a stock picker, Jason expanded his investment universe and applied his experience and extensive healthcare network to private market opportunities. He has since established himself as a highly respected investor and sought-after partner for both public and private companies."

 

This was an awesome conversation to have.  Highlights are as follows:

 

~1:00-6:00 - Early career highlights

~6:00- Finding cannabis as a potential investment opportunity

~9:50 - Applying the same learnings from pharmaceuticals to cannabis and getting control of TerrAscend

~13:50 - When the US cannabis thesis got derisked

~16:44 - Applying for licences in New Jersey and what that means

~18:50 - Buying Ilera

~23:30 - Discussion on incentives for East Coast regulators and how they may think about supply/demand balances

~26:30 - The strategy of density vs spreading out the retail footprint

~28:58 - Homegrown cannabis as an alternative

~31:00 - Federalization/interstate commerce and what that may do to the thesis. 

~34:49 - The social justice impact of legalization

~37:13 - Consistency in edibles and what is difficult about getting those products consistent

~44:00 - Whether the illicit market will keep its customers

~49:00 - What Jason is doing with Chris Webber to help minorities profit in the cannabis industry

~55:00 - Why issuing equity right now was the right choice for TerrAscend