The Company

From Groundbreaking Cannabis Company
Founded by pioneers in the science and business of cannabis and guided by a team of highly-acclaimed medical professionals, Juva Life brings unprecedented depth of knowledge in the science and medicinal effects of cannabis. Their vertically integrated approach allows Juva Life to carefully oversee every aspect of development, from cultivation to consumer, with deep expertise in research, testing and efficacy. It’s an approach that enables not only quality and consistency of product but, most importantly, it assures accuracy and legitimacy of testing and research data. 

To Major Disruptor of the Healthcare Status Quo
Juva Life has always taken a knowledge-driven approach to advancing the therapeutic effects of cannabis. Today, that approach has them uniquely poised to unlock the complex chemistry of cannabis to efficiently bring evidentiary consumer products to market that generate revenue and numerous insights while also deploying our platform to target consumer and pharma applications. At a time of declining trust and efficiency in all levels of healthcare , the opportunity to help people feel more in control of their health is welcome and exciting for patients and a potential game-changer for the healthcare industry.

 

The People

Founded By Cannabis Pioneers

Unlike so many current cannabis start-ups emerging from the finance, alcohol or retail industry, Juva is led by a team of distinguished industry veterans with grown-from-the-ground-up expertise in every facet of the vertically integrated process.
From cultivation through manufacturing, quality control, testing and research, distribution and retail customer experience, Juva brings together a best-in-class team.

DOUG CHLOUPEK

Founder, CEO and Chairman

BIODOUG CHLOUPEK

Doug brings a passion for the cannabis industry as a medicinal means to helping people feel better. He has worked across a range of verticals and brought multiple new businesses to life. Valley Grown Enterprises, Lux Wellness, and Medmar Healing Center, to name a few, have created tangible value for both consumers and investors alike. His work co-founding BAS Research led to it being granted the first California license, issued by the City of Berkeley in 2016, for medical cannabis manufacturing and research. Doug is a founding Board Member of Citizens Coalition for Patient Care, and a founding member of the California Cannabis Industry Association.

MAT LEE

Chief Financial Officer

BIO MAT LEE

A finance professional with over ten years of leadership experience in audit, corporate finance, financial reporting, and operations management. Mat has extensive experience as a CFO for Canadian public companies.

KARI GOTHIE

Director, VP of Finance & Administration

BIO KARI GOTHIE

Kari has more than 25 years of experience working with rapidly growing start-up operations as an accountant and Chief Financial Officer. She has extensive experience in entrepreneurial environments, providing guidance in all key business areas including business plan development, capital raising, strategic planning and forecasting, human resources, legal compliance, accounting and finance. Kari has international experience including the establishment and governance of branches and subsidiaries. She also has deep knowledge of mergers and acquisitions, having managed due diligence and the sale side of five privately held companies.

DAN HUGHES

VP of Operations

BIO DAN HUGHES

Dan entered the cannabis industry in 2010 as one of the first employees of Steep Hill. He has a proven track record of growing sales in cannabis retail for over 5 years including at Elemental Wellness where he served as Operations Manager and Director of Product Management. Highly skilled in marketing and product development, Dan has been the visionary behind several successful brand collaborations. Prior to joining Juva, Dan was serving as an industry consultant facilitating statewide distribution for premier cannabis brands.

Sanjeev Gangwar, Ph.D

VP of Chemistry

BIO Sanjeev Gangwar

Sanjeev has an extensive track record of discovering and developing pharmaceutical drug candidates. Prior to joining Juva, he served as Director of Oncology Discovery Chemistry for Bristol-Myers Squibb, a global biopharma company, where he successfully discovered and developed novel classes of cancer therapeutics. In his career spanning 25 years, Sanjeev has focused on oncology and immuno-oncology research and held R&D leadership roles in several biopharmaceutical companies. He earned his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry/Natural products at the University of Arizona and completed his postdoctoral training in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Kansas. Sanjeev is co-inventor of 45 patents, has co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed papers and has presented his work at numerous international conferences.

THOMAS LESCHAK

VP of Horticulture

BIO THOMAS LESCHAK

Vice President of Horticulture for Frosted Flowers, Tom also co-founded CannAcademy, a trade school for cannabis horticulture. Tom has acted as a private consultant for multiple collectives throughout California since 1999.

CLIFF NICHOLS

Project Manager

BIO CLIFF NICHOLS

Cliff has been with Juva since its inception, and has supported the executive team in a multitude of ways including operations and administration. His pre-Juva experience includes high-volume retail sales, inventory management and marketing. Cliff was the Marketing Manager for Lux dispensary in San Jose, California. Today, Cliff is in a Marketing Manager role working to create and promote the Juva brand on social media and through product marketing.

KEVIN CAFFERY

General Manager, Delivery

BIO KEVIN CAFFERY

Having managed cannabis dispensaries since 2010, Kevin has worked to improve and automate operations, keep employee turnover low and raise the bar high on customer service. Kevin oversaw the merger of three clubs into one (LUX) and worked to create best practices in policies and procedures, and provide first-rate service to customers toward a goal of improving customer retention.

Guided By Acclaimed Medical Professionals

Our advisory board consists of highly-respected and influential doctors, clinicians and researchers from fields of medicine that range from oncology to pain management. What they share is a heartfelt belief, born from years of real-world experience with their patients, that cannabis can and should be a viable, available option to combat systemic inflammation and particularly as an alternative to opiate-based pain relief.

RAKESH R. PATEL, MD

Chairman, Clinical Advisory Board

BIO RAKESH R. PATEL, MD

A renowned Oncologist and clinical researcher in the San Francisco Bay Area, with over 150 worldwide lectures and 100 publications to-date, Dr. Patel is also a seasoned entrepreneur with multiple healthcare start-ups. He is currently practicing in the Bay Area with Precision Cancer Specialists Medical Group.

GUY MILLER, MD, Ph.D.

Chairman, Science Advisory Board

BIO GUY MILLER, MD, Ph.D.

Guy Miller, MD, Ph.D. directs our science advisory board. In this capacity, he is responsible for synthesizing our business and technical strategy into a cohered R/D plan, and working with our internal team and external experts to drive corporate objectives. Dr. Miller holds both a Ph.D. in chemistry and an MD, completing his training at the University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He is currently the founder and CEO of Emerja Corporation, chairman of the board of directors, Pneumico, Inc. and an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine. He possesses broad expertise in natural products pharmacology, drug development, and innovation.

PETER BEITSCH, MD

Medical Advisor

BIO PETER BEITSCH, MD

Dr. Beitsch went to medical school at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and finished his general surgery residency at Parkland Hospital in Dallas in 1993. He had a National Cancer Institute fellowship at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center from 1988-90. He completed his training with a surgical oncology fellowship at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, California. In 1994, he returned to private practice in Dallas where his practice is focused on melanoma and breast cancer.
He has held numerous positions in national surgical societies including the American Society of Breast Surgeons where he served as President of the Society from 2013-14, first Chairman of the Membership Committee 2001-4, Program Director for the 2005 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, Board of Directors Member from 2006-9 and 2012-15. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Society of Surgical Oncology 2008-2010, General Surgical Oncology Committee of the American Board of Surgery and was a National Ultrasound Faculty for the American College of Surgeons.
Dr. Beitsch has given numerous national and international presentations and is actively involved in breast cancer and melanoma research. He has major articles in peer-reviewed medical journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and the Annals of Surgical Oncology.

PAT WHITWORTH, MD

Research Advisor

BIO PAT WHITWORTH, MD

A leading researcher, educator and cancer surgeon, Dr. Whitworth completed his fellowship at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He is a principal Investigator for numerous NCI and industry clinical trials.

JUSTIN LO, MD

Medical Advisor

BIO JUSTIN LO, MD

Dr. Lo is a prominent specialist whose practice is respected and recognized for leading the way in effective pain management. Formerly, Dr. Lo was an Assistant Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of California, San Francisco. Currently he owns and manages comprehensive multidisciplinary pain management clinics throughout the Bay Area, specializing in non-opiate pain management.
Dr. Lo is also the Co-Founder of Mobile-Med Work Health Solutions, an on-site provider of occupational and primary healthcare services for large employers. Mobile-Med works with companies, from small businesses to large organizations, and supports their health and safety programs by offering quality onsite solutions. With the rise theCOVID-19 pandemic Mobile-Med has pivoted to meet the needs of large employers and government agencies worldwide and has become one of the largest testing providers and management of logistics for the state of California.
Dr. Lo is also the Co-Founder of Wisdom In Wellness, a holistic wellness brand focusing on a 360˚ view of total body health and wellness, encompassing lifestyle, supplementation, and education that supports and complements traditional medicine. In the process of achieving wellness, we want people to continue learning, building, and layering so that they gain wisdom in their pursuit of wellness. Given the current health dangers of our current world, Wisdom in Wellness has developed ImunOptimyze, a unique Immune Blend of Vitamins, Minerals AND Herbs to boost immune health.

MARY KAY “MK” HARDWICK

Research Administrator

BIO MARY KAY “MK” HARDWICK

Mary Kay spent her early years working in business and product development before moving into research for a series of early stage medical device and diagnostic companies. Her research registries were key to demonstrating technology impact and value that resulted in acquisitions equaling 1.5 billion dollars. In addition, she designed and launched the Radiosurgery Society (RSS) research registry which topped a record-breaking enrollment of 20,000 patients late in 2017. An active community volunteer, MK is an advocate for cancer patients and caregivers via a number of organizations.

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