Ian Haase, MBA '10, lives and breathes the entrepreneur’s life. After his first venture in the health IT space didn’t get off the ground, his early career activities involved mentoring and coaching aspiring business creators through the Western Entrepreneurship Ecosystem, and TechAlliance, SouthWestern Ontario’s Regional Innovation Centre. However, the first-hand adrenalin rush of jumping into a new venture is sometimes too strong to resist.
Haase succumbed to this urge soon after judging a pitch from an early-stage cannabis start-up, which went on to become Motif Labs. Motif specializes in transforming cannabis and hemp biomass into high purity, bulk THC, CBD and terpene extracts, as well as a wide variety of finished cannabis products, including vaporizers, topicals, tinctures, blended oils and other specialized products.
It is a new and exciting industry for Canada. According to a Deloitte Canada report, since Canada legalized recreational cannabis in 2018, the industry has contributed $43.5 Billion to Canada's National GDP.
In 2021 alone, the industry generated $3.9 billion in sales according to Statistics Canada. Like any emerging market, there are plenty of challenges – it’s not the liquid gold rush that might have been anticipated at the beginning of 2018. Complicated government regulations, supply chain issues and competition with illegal suppliers continue to be hurdles. That is where an excellent management team who can evaluate the market, and a nimble business model are crucial for success. Motif appears to possess both in spades.
For Haase, it wasn’t only the technical proficiency and timeliness of this new venture that drew him in. It was also meeting his Co-founder, Mario Naric, B.E.Sc ‘15. Believing in Naric’s vision and ability to execute is what ultimately led Haase to take what many would think was a crazy decision, leaving his secure full-time job to jump in with Motif in its earliest days.
I always knew I would be an entrepreneur, even after my first startup didn’t survive. Being able to work with other Founders for so long made me realize that the idea alone is a small fraction of success. At the end of the day, the success of a startup comes down to the ability to execute, and to persevere through the rollercoaster of up’s and down’s. There were many other people trying to launch cannabis extraction businesses, but very few were able to succeed.
Haase views the entrepreneurship experience in a unique way.
He believes the skills and discipline to run a business are academic and can be taught. But running a business, or joining a funded startup is completely different from starting from scratch. This is the non-academic portion of entrepreneurship, which requires individuals with a certain mindset, mentality and risk tolerance.
Haase also credits an incredibly strong network of investors and shareholders, for believing in the company early on, and being part of the journey every step of the way. They are the ultimate support system, not only financially, but by providing a sense of accountability and a genuine belief in the team and the company. This has fostered a culture of transparency and open, honest communications, even in tough times.
The COVID pandemic initially delayed Motif’s licensing, and industry volatility added to the pressure once they received Health Canada approval in May 2020. The team stuck to their core principles, remained focused, and as a result has emerged as one of the most successful cannabis extraction companies in Canada.
The growth continues to this day.
Motif is currently expanding at a phenomenal pace and Haase attributes much of its success to the amazing team of talented individuals across the organization. In the past 12 months, the team has grown from 50 to 150 full-time employees.
And Motif isn’t finished growing.
Motif is aiming to hit 200 people by the end of summer in order to build capacity and cement Motif as an essential player in the Country’s cannabis industry.
For more information on opportunities at Motif visit https://www.motiflabs.ca/careers
