'The Marijuana Show' Offers Millions In Capital Investment To Ambitious Entrepreneurs Exchange Tie Dye Shirt

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'The Marijuana Show' Offers Millions In Capital Investment To Ambitious Entrepreneurs

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Once considered the domain of sloth-like figures in tie-dye shirts, legal marijuana is now a mega-industry firing on all cylinders. A hotbed of activity for pot capitalists looking to solve problems for the weed faithful, so-called “ganjapreneurs” are banking big profits. They’re also shattering worn out stoner stereotypes.

— and medical marijuana legal in 30 U.S. states — the timing is right for marijuana’s big debut on the world stage. So it should come as little surprise that there’s a reality series featuring industrious cannabis entrepreneurs hoping to become future marijuana millionaires.

, now in its third season and streaming on Amazon Prime (and also available on Comcast and Roku), is being called “The

of cannabis” for its ability to connect weed startups with investment capital to scale up operations. Contestants compete with one another for millions of dollars awarded by investors to potentially bankroll their green ventures. In the first two seasons alone, investors made $18M available to show contestants savvy enough to tout their company’s viability.

"The goal is to help more people understand what it takes to run a successful company” in the cannabis industry, explain show co-creators and hosts Karen Paull and Wendy Robbins.

Season 3, which consists of nine 30-minute episodes filmed in Taos, New Mexico, puts show contestants through an onslaught of challenges intended to hone their marketing skills and fine-tune crucial mission statements. Unlike

, where participants are given a matter of minutes to hawk their business concepts,

follows its nine contestants over a five-day run of challenges more akin to

Putting participants through a boot camp of trials, hosts Paull and Robbins — who represent the

d on the show — quickly get to the core of what’s standing in the way of additional success for the budding entrepreneurs. They ask questions like: “Who were you not allowed to be as a child and how has that affected you now?” Paull says posing such personal questions “produced fast and intense intimacy that created powerful and authentic relationships” during filming. Exchange Tie Dye Shirt

Show co-creators and hosts Karen Paull and Wendy Robbins.

One of the most refreshing aspects of the series might be its uncommon portrayal of cannabis enthusiasts as regular people — far from being druggies huddled in smoky basements. These are motivated businesspeople who are respected in their communities and serious about their work. Contestants include: a mother of eight from Utah who’s created a cannabis skincare line; an ex-pro football player pitching the "Cliff Bar of cannabis"; and a techy with a cannabis-specific software solution that integrates retail point of sale and inventory management for pot dispensaries and delivery services.

For context, it’s key to see the larger picture of cannabis as big business in North America. This year saw an explosion of marijuana interests taking companies public on Nasdaq, the New York Stock Exchange and the Canadian Securities Exchange. Alcohol seller

— makers of popular Corona and Modelo beers — made news this year when they invested $191M in a Canadian cannabis producer, looking to capture a piece of the rapidly expanding marijuana beverage market.

One thing is clear: pot has grown up and gone legit.

But investment is just one part of the new season of

, says Robbins. “We also make ourselves available for mentorship after the show ends,” she says. “And those who focus on success and collaboration do weekly calls with us.” She adds that such strong relationships were forged among the show participants that most of the cast chose to form strategic alliances and partner on joint ventures once season 3 wrapped.

Since shooting the show, contestant Heather Lawrence from Utah has seen her cannabis beauty and wellness line,

, expand and is in negotiations with a national drugstore chain. She’s happy to see cannabis begin to receive the respect it deserves in the mainstream and told the

, “It’s cool to watch people change and open up and understand that it’s not about a drug. It’s not about getting high.”

is enthusiastically looking forward to plans for its fourth season and is currently auditioning new entrepreneurs. Aspiring marijuana moguls can

David Carpenter is a contributing writer for Forbes covering cannabis from an entrepreneur's perspective. You can visit his company

I'm a California native who's seen marijuana go from back-alley weed deals to a new legal system with billion-dollar IPOs on Nasdaq. I cover worldwide trends of cannabis entrepreneurs, people building the backbone of this new sector with innovative products and services. I'm...