URB Sciences

URB is a picks-and-shovels supplier to the cannabis industry, and aims to soon create the “Amazon of cannabis.”

The phrase “picks and shovels” comes from the California gold rush of 1849. Some miners struck it rich, but most didn’t. However, those who sold items to every miner, such as picks and shovels, became very rich.

That’s the concept behind URB’s business. This company got its start by selling products to cannabis growers and consumers, most notably a clean, certified organic fertilizer. Because it doesn’t “touch the plant,” URB — unlike cannabis growers and dispensaries — is completely legal at both the federal and state levels, and can progress without the red tape and barriers still tangling up the cannabis industry.

URB (pronounced “(h)erb) began with its featured product, URB Natural. This is an organic, biological fertilizer replacement for growers. This product is easy to use, enabling many aspiring cannabis growers to enter the industry.

Most growers have a special recipe for their cannabis, much like Grandma’s special tomato sauce. These recipes can include odd items like egg shells, orange peels, molasses, or hot sauce. According to a cannabis grower, these types of recipes may give the final product a unique touch, but it makes for a time-consuming, complex growing process.

URB Natural, meanwhile, is meant to simplify the growing process. With this fertilizer, all you need is high-quality soil and water. This fertilizer contains nitrogen-fixing bacteria which pulls nitrogen out of the air and “fixes” into the soil. Fixing nitrogen enables the cannabis plant to uptake the nutrient.

URB Natural provides the following benefits:

• It increases the quantity and quality of the crop.

• Helps get seeds to germinate and clones the root, reducing mildew.

• And it works well with hydroponic systems, which involves growing plans using a water-based nutrient solution rather than soil.

URB has achieved success with its fertilizer. Sales grew 530% last year and the company is already profitable. Now it’s focusing on its next step — creating a one-stop shop for all things cannabis.

Amazon doesn’t allow CBD products to be sold on its platform. And many social-media companies frequently delete or “shadow ban” marijuana-related products.

That’s why URB is creating the URB Club, a vendor-friendly e-commerce platform that could become the Amazon of cannabis. This club will have a unique business model in which members (customers) will pay a fee and be able to access the platform and take advantage of sales and special deals. Vendors can also join to easily distribute products to customers.

In addition to the online presence, URB will aim to extend its club to brick-and-mortar locations. The basic club membership is ten dollars per month and an upgraded version is available for twenty dollars per month.

Team Background

Lou Elwell - President

Lou has co-founded three publicly-traded companies and has more than three decades of entrepreneurial experience.

Prior to URB, he was CEO of Bio Soil Enhancers, a company creating fertilizer designed to increase crop yields. He held this position for seventeen years.

Earlier in his career, he was a teaching fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, where he taught courses on new-venture initiation.

Lou earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management from UPenn.

Larry Pearlman - Vice President

In addition to his role with URB, Larry is a principal at PTE, a real-estate investment company. He is also a partner at Forward Opportunities, a technology company building websites and social-media campaigns.

Previously, he was President of D Three Technology, a natural-gas manufacturer. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley.

Cody Yeager - Vice President

Prior to joining URB, Cody served ten years in the U.S. Air Force as a sensor operator and loadmaster.

Co-Investors