- The situation
- Cannabis quality in Canada was judged on THC percentage and hype. There was no shared standard a grader, a budtender or a buyer could point to, and no structured way to teach one.
- What was built
- A national education and technology company, built to replace stigma with research-backed understanding. The platform is an advanced, pioneering cannabis platform: structured grading, multi-account access, interactive online courses and e-commerce. Built and operated with AI across software, process and strategy. Francis co-founded the company, leads strategy, operations and fundraising, and built the platform and website himself.
- What it does now
- Graders work through structured evaluation forms with photos, in personal or team spaces. Evaluation links let anyone grade a product from a QR code. An analytics dashboard shows results across a team, and certified courses teach the standard behind the forms.
- Outcome
- Thousands of gradings recorded from across the globe, international cannabis cups facilitated on the platform, and the data used in industry-leading research.
Built, shipped, and still running.
Two platforms with real users on them, one I co-founded and operate and one I built and host myself, and a third in discovery now.
Retreat accommodation and forest therapy, Vancouver Island
Riverdaughter Acres
- The situation
- Guests found the property through Airbnb, but the forest therapy sessions and the course had no way to be booked or paid for online. Everything went through email.
- What was built
- A website with accommodation bookings, an online course with a certificate, and forest therapy session booking, for a retreat business on Vancouver Island.
- What it does now
- Guests book accommodation directly, book and pay for forest therapy sessions, and take the certificated course online, with nothing passing through an inbox.
- Outcome
- Booking revenue within the first month of going live.
Online marketplace, Canada
A curated marketplace for high-value handmade goods
In progress
- The situation
- An idea the founder had carried for ten years: a place to sell exceptional handmade pieces at the prices they deserve. Existing marketplaces, social groups and auction houses weren't built for curated, high-value work.
- What was built
- In discovery as of October 2026. The specification covers adjudication of every item by a panel of reviewers, high-value online transactions, seller profiles and listings, AI-written product storytelling and AI staging of photographs.
- What it does now
- Discovery is under way. The market scan is done, maker and buyer interviews are in progress, and the first brand directions are being tested with them.
- Outcome
- One partner from discovery to launch, covering market research, specification, build and testing, so a non-technical founder can build a complex marketplace without assembling a team.
Yours next
Twenty to thirty minutes on what you're running on today and what you'd want it to look like. If discovery is the right first step, I'll say how long it would take and what it would cost.
Book a call