What is the Accelerator Program?
The Accelerator Program allows individuals who may have faced barriers to entry in Colorado's retail (adult-use) regulated marijuana industry to own and operate a marijuana business license as part of an agreed-upon partnership with an existing marijuana business that has been endorsed by the MED as an “Accelerator-Endorsed Licensee." An Accelerator-Endorsed Licensee serves as the "host" in the accelerator program by providing capital and/or technical support to a Social Equity Licensee and allowing the Social Equity Licensee to operate as an Accelerator Store, Accelerator Manufacturer, and Accelerator Cultivator on the same Licensed Premises or on a separate Licensed Premises provided by the Accelerator-Endorsed Licensee. Applications to participate in the accelerator program became available beginning January 1, 2021, and are linked below. For all rules pertaining to the accelerator program, please see MED's Permanent Rules.
Why apply?
The MED is prioritizing its outreach and education resources to support Social Equity Licensees by providing regulatory compliance assistance via educational bulletins, webinars, dedicated outreach, town-hall events and related forums.
Social Equity Licensees participating in the accelerator program receive technical compliance and/or capital assistance pursuant to an equity partnership agreement between the Accelerator-Endorsed Licensee and the Accelerator Licensee. Examples of the types of assistance an Accelerator-Endorsed Licensee can provide a Accelerator Licensee, including, but are not limited to:
- Accounting
- Business services (e.g. sales and marketing)
- Financial or capital support
- Information technology support
- Regulatory compliance support
Accelerator-Endorsed Licensee benefits for participating in the program include:
- Social Equity Leader Designation to indicate its leadership status
- MED may consider a social equity leader designation as a mitigating factor when determining the initiation of administrative action or assessment of penalties for violations of the statutes or regulations
- Compliance Assistance and Education Engagement with MED
- Possible Application and License Fee Exemptions for a change of owner, change of location, or modification of premises, where such changes or modifications are directly related to its participation in the accelerator program
Interested in the Accelerator Program?
- Once your Finding of Suitability application is approved, you will need to submit a Regulated Marijuana Business License Application - Social Equity Program. Please see the New Regulated Marijuana Business License webpage for more information.
- Accelerator Business Licenses: When submitting the business license application, applicants will need to identify which Accelerator License type they intend to operate as part of the Accelerator Program. Participation in the Accelerator Program is limited to Retail Marijuana operations only and may operate on the same premises as the Accelerator-Endorsed License or a separate licensed premises provided by the Accelerator-Endorsed licensee. Accelerator license types available include:
- Accelerator Cultivator: A Social Equity Licensee qualified to participate in the accelerator program and authorized to exercise the privileges of a Retail Marijuana Cultivation Facility on the premises of an Accelerator-Endorsed Retail Marijuana Cultivation Facility.
- Accelerator Manufacturer: A Social Equity Licensee qualified to participate in the accelerator program and authorized to exercise the privileges of a Retail Marijuana Products Manufacturer on the premises of an Accelerator-Endorsed Retail Marijuana Products Manufacturer.
- Accelerator Store: A Social Equity Licensee qualified to participate in the accelerator program and authorized to exercise the privileges of a Retail Marijuana Store on the premises of an Accelerator-Endorsed Retail Marijuana Store.
- Accelerator Cultivator: A Social Equity Licensee qualified to participate in the accelerator program and authorized to exercise the privileges of a Retail Marijuana Cultivation Facility on the premises of an Accelerator-Endorsed Retail Marijuana Cultivation Facility.
- Accelerator Business Licenses: When submitting the business license application, applicants will need to identify which Accelerator License type they intend to operate as part of the Accelerator Program. Participation in the Accelerator Program is limited to Retail Marijuana operations only and may operate on the same premises as the Accelerator-Endorsed License or a separate licensed premises provided by the Accelerator-Endorsed licensee. Accelerator license types available include:
- Required Accelerator-Endorsed Licensee: Prior to submitting an application for an Accelerator License, any person approved to participate in the Accelerator Program will first need to designate an Accelerator-Endorsed Licensee. An Accelerator Endorsed Licensee is a Retail Marijuana Cultivation Facility Licensee, Retail Marijuana Products Manufacturer Licensee, or a Retail Marijuana Store Licensee who has been endorsed to host and offer technical and capital support to a Social Equity Licensee; download the Accelerator-Endorsement Application.
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You can use the MED's licensee look-up tool for a list of current accelerator-endorsed licensees. Search "Accelerator Endorsement" using the MED Facility Search page.
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