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eCBD Shop offers high quality CBD products online

January 2, 2019

A new website is offering vetted CBD products online by working with established CDB manufacturers.

Based in West Des Moines, eCBD Shop was launched in November by Kyle Steele of SEO Expert and Michael Dillon of Elemental Solutions with the goal of providing consumers with the best CBD products on the market.

“The goal is to not just be a source to buy CBD online but an educational resource as well as we continue to build out content,” Steele said.” The goal is to educate and put the best brands in consumers’ hands.”

Recent changes made in the 2018 Farm Bill gave the legislative nod needed to make CBD legal at the federal level.

“If you’re in Colorado, you’re likely pretty well aware of good CBD brands. But outside of that, most people don’t know a good vetted vendor verse someone who started doing making products overnight,” Steele said. “We only work with vendors who make sure that the extraction process is ethical, safe and produces a good end product.”

One of the early challenges for the site has been finding a way to promote their product without violating existing ad policies on social media platforms.

“The challenge for us, from a marketing standpoint is that Facebook, Google and Instagram have some policies against CBD, because traditionally it hasn’t been legal at a federal level,” Steele said. “With the recent changes in the Farm Bill, I expect that to start to become more relaxed.”

Steele says his goal is to eventually open up a physical location in Iowa where people can come and purchase CDB products.

“The evolution would be to open up retail shops and as cannabis, in general, becomes decriminalized, that positions us well to rotate into marijuana and being a midwest resource for that as well,” Steele said. “In four or five years, we want to be the trusted site and source for CBD.”

To learn more about eCBD shop, check out their YouTube page where Kyle Steele answers questions about what CBD is.

Tags: eCBD Shop startupiowa

eCBD Shop offers high quality CBD products online | Clay & Milk

A central Iowa ag-tech accelerator has secured more backers and finally has a name. The Greater Des Moines Partnership first announced the accelerator last year, naming four initial investors. On Monday, the Partnership said the program will be called the "Iowa AgriTech Accelerator" and named three new investors. The new investors include Grinnell Mutual, Kent Corp. and Sukup Manufacturing, all Iowa companies. They join investors Deere & Co., Peoples Co., Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co. and DuPont Pioneer. Each investor has agreed to put up $100,000 for the first year of the accelerator. Startups entering the program will receive $40,000 in seed funding in exchange for 6 percent equity. Tej Dhawan, an angel investor and local startup mentor, is serving as interim director until the AgriTech Accelerator names a permanent leader. Dhawan held a similar role with the GIA before Brian Hemesath was named as managing director. As interim director, Dhawan said his main job includes hiring the accelerator's executive director, establishing a business structure and initial recruiting for the first cohort. The accelerator will place few filters, such as location and product, on the applicant pool, Dhawan said. "When you’re seeking innovation, innovation can come from every corner of the world so why restrict ourselves," he said. One area the the AgriTech Accelerator won't recruit from is biotech. For its first cohort, the AgriTech Accelerator will work out of the GIA's space in Des Moines' East Village, Dhawan said. A future, permanent home is still to be decided. The accelerator's program will host startups from mid-July through mid-October, ending with an event connected to the annual World Food Prize. The GIA, which the AgriTech Accelerator is based on, also ends with presentations at an industry event. The accelerator has also started lining up a mentor pool. The Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Soybean Association and the Iowa Pork Producers Association have agreed to provide mentors, as has Iowa State University. While the AgriTech Accelerator is loosely based off of the GIA, it will differ in its business structure, Dhawan said. The GIA runs through a for-profit model for both operations and its investment fund. The AgriTech Accelerator will have a nonprofit model for its operations and a for-profit setup for its fund. Dhawan said the nonprofit model is being used so the accelerator can better work with other nonprofit partners, such as trade associations. "These are all organizations that are nonprofits and can be amazing stakeholders without ever having to be investors in the accelerator," he said. "It becomes easier to work with trade associations in their nonprofit role when we are also a nonprofit." When it's up and running, the AgriTech Accelerator would be one of a handful of ag-focused startup development programs in Iowa. Others include the Ag Startup Engine out of Iowa State University and the Rural Ventures Alliance from Iowa MicroLoan. Matthew Patane is the managing editor and co-founder of Clay & Milk. Send him an email at mpatane@clayandmilk.com.

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