Cannabis Space:

Insufficient information

The emerging cannabis industry has a major problem with lack of information in the field of cannabis use; specifically, how it affects the user. All products on the market do not have clinical trials, and the proposed human exposure is based on assumptions. A person who has decided to use cannabis for medicinal or recreational purposes is not able to obtain accurate information about the product in the cannabis industry; because every strain (even of the same name) is different. All knowledge is based on the experience of people who are transmitting data from person to person.

Financial Sector

A majority of countries list cannabis under statutes relating to controlled substances. As a result, canna related enterprises are not being supported by mainstream financial institutions, such as banks. This places significant financial limits on the industry. It’s nearly impossible to operate a retail business without a bank account nor a proper POS system. These barriers to entry force the industry to use cash as the primary mode of transactions. Cash is employed to pay for rent, inventory, supplies, and all canna related B2C transactions. Using cash as a means for payment is very inconvenient and risky. Use of cash attracts criminals and compromises business safety and security by placing employees and clients at risk with frequent robbery attacks.

Advertising Sector

Due to the nature of the product, cannabis-related businesses are prohibited from advertising using traditional online and offline media. Online media giants such as Facebook and Google, for example, have strict anti-drug policies, banning publishers from their platforms. Unlike other industries, canna-related businesses do not have access to free-flowing online traffic and are required to use niche websites to promote their products and services. In addition, there are no widespread loyalty programs that can be adopted by the canna market on a local and global scale owing to cannabis being considered taboo for large brand reward providers.

Crypto Space:

Slow, Too Transparent, No Loyalty Programs

Many businesses in the retail industry do not want to be associated with implementing cryptocurrencies into their business. This is due to slow transaction speeds, too much transparency (many businesses see it as essentially showing the public their banking information; how much funds are present, transaction history, etc.), and because — other than it being used as a transaction medium — there is no global loyalty program to keep customer coming back. It is also very difficult for customers to make payments to businesses that use blockchain wallets.

Convenience

Most cannabis-related businesses, in order to reduce the amount of cash, have begun to purchase ATMs for their business. This ATM will be installed within the location and will have the ability to accept cryptocurrencies. Therefore, consumers walk into the location, purchase cryptocurrencies with cash and then pay for the product using the purchased cryptocurrency. This creates a lot of problems: the speed of purchase and the transaction (due to the blockchain network) can be slow and can take more than 10 minutes to possibly even 48 hours, the complexity of having the customer become accustomed to using cryptocurrencies instead of cash, and the customer going through a KYC (Know-Your-Customer) in every business.

CannaSOS has Been Created and Provides the Following:

1. People have the ability to post and share a wide-range of useful cannabis information;
2. A Strain Database that collects in-depth, peer-reviewed strain reviews about the experience that the user had with using a certain type of strain of cannabis. The module also summarizes the data and presents an “average” report to the consumer on the cannabis strain that was used, the effects that the user had experienced, symptoms, and much more information on the specific strain. Currently, there are over 9,200 strains in the database. The platform allows anyone to see and read detailed peer-based reviews; with information on the strain’s history and genetic origins.
3. A platform to search for businesses on a “Map” that shows nearby businesses based on user geolocation.
4. A rating system for Business Pages that allow users to understand what business offers the highest quality service.
5. A Social Platform, which includes Advice, Groups, Feeds, a News section, the ability to message users and find friends, etc. This is like Facebook but primarily for the cannabis industry, however, anyone in any sector is able to use the platform.
6. An Ads Manager advertising platform for businesses to advertise their brand and services. The Ads Manager includes the ability for businesses to setup Memberships, Banners, and Sponsored Articles. All ads pass moderation first before being shown on the platform.

For more comprehensive coverage of the US market and to obtain a large market share, it is necessary to carry out marketing of the digital asset CannaSOS throughout all of the USA where cannabis is legal. It will be necessary to hold expos and create marketing campaigns that will attract the largest number of cannabis users. The more users that will visit the website and use its features, the more the company will be able to collect information from the strain reviews. The more “correct” the information is about the strains, the more helpful the general data will be for businesses – primarily data-analytics firms. Additionally, the more traffic on the platform, the more advertising revenue we will receive from businesses.

We will be developing advertising opportunities not only through the current methods of Memberships, Banners, and Sponsored Articles; but also developing modules  that will be promoting specific products/services within a given area, adding manufacturers (by legalized country) to the site and displaying their names, the creation of a feature allowing businesses to advertise via video, and possibly other options.

PTPWallet

Based on our analysis, the introduction of the PTPWallet Merchant API and POS system into cannabis businesses will allow businesses to eliminate around 5% to 10% of their cash received, for the sale of a product, from daily operations.

PTPWallet is created to provide retail transactions for the cannabis industry, but it can also be used by other industries. Its technology allows you to make instant transactions between all user wallets within the network, with all transactions being super secure and anonymous. The Merchant API and POS will allow businesses to have a private wallet which will be used during the sale of products and services. The convenience of the wallet and proper marketing of the wallet will allow us to occupy a niche within the cannabis-crypto industry.

Since 2014, CannaSOS.com has had over 22,000,000 page views, registered member base of over 350,000, over 5,540 registered business profiles, over 1,180 products up for display, and the largest and most informative cannabis strain database on the planet with over 9,260 strains. Additionally, since June of 2018, the website has achieved almost 200% traffic growth.

Since 2014, CannaSOS has developed over 15 modules for the platform, all built: to provide information and education for users, brand and product promotion opportunities for businesses, to allow users to communicate with each other and share interesting information, and to unite the global cannabis industry in one platform. With over 10,000,000 users since launch, CannaSOS has been a success.

PTPWallet was developed all throughout 2018 and early Q1 of 2019. Development began in March of 2018. After over 10 months of development, PTPWallet Alpha version was launched in January of 2019; with Beta version launching mid-February of 2019. Since January, the application was downloaded on Android and Apple a total of around 10,000 times. In early April of 2019, Beta version of the desktop-version of PTPWallet was launched.

To date, PTPWallet has processed over 170,000 transactions and has seen over 70,000 visits to its website.

We have achieved growth on both platforms without any major marketing campaigns. Most of the traffic on CannaSOS is direct and organic, and most of the traffic generated to PTPWallet is via the CannaSOS Ads platform and via small promotions through different types of groups and business pages on different social media platforms. A small amount of funds was also used to promote PTPWallet on Apple (via its advertising platform). 

Cannabis Market

The legalization and decriminalization of medicinal and/or recreational cannabis in North America and other countries can be compared to the new “Gold Rush”, opening doors to a new market with numerous business opportunities. Research reveals that there is steady growth in the use of legal marijuana worldwide. In the United States alone, the cannabis industry is projected to reach $25 billion by 2020. In an article published by CBC News, it is stated that “Canadians will spend up to $7B on cannabis in 2019”. How many legal and illegal businesses are open and will be opened throughout the next two decades? Answer: Hundreds of thousands! And this we say is only concerning businesses which sell cannabis. How many businesses (related to the cannabis industry) are open and will be open globally throughout the next forty years? Millions. As of March 23, 2019, CannaSOS.com has 5,588 registered businesses – and this is only the beginning.

Today, most legal canna enterprises cannot open bank accounts, implement POS systems, and also accept credit card payments. This forces the industry to use cash as the main transaction medium. Cash is employed to pay for rent, inventory, supplies, taxes, and all canna related B2C and B2B transactions. Dealing in cash proves to be very inconvenient, as businesses are restricted from: making bank deposits (if they are able to open a bank account) larger than $10,000.00 in order to avoid being investigated on money laundering charges; unable to make online payments; expand supplier network, and provide transparency and security for all financial transactions.

In addition, some local jurisdictions have forced customers to leave their identity in these cannabis retail stores, leading to these stores collecting a large amount of emails for marketing and/or end up losing this type of data. Plus, let’s face it; majority of customers want to remain anonymous when purchasing marijuana, even if it’s done legally

Additionally, all the free-floating cash lures criminal elements to the business; looking for a quick hit and run robbery. As a matter of fact, 8 out 10 dispensaries get robbed within their course of business. Dispensary suppliers and cultivators also attract a lot of criminal activity due to the nature of the product. 

Crypto Market

Currently, the main reason for using cryptocurrencies is for investment purposes. High volatility pushes people to buy and sell crypto to earn some quick bucks. Therefore currently, Decentralized and Digital Assets Exchanges (also known as DAEs) that trade cryptocurrencies have become very popular. But the situation is beginning to change and more and more companies are beginning to use crypto as a method of payment for goods and services.

Another factor that is gaining popularity are those platforms which also hide the wallet balance and all of the transactions done by users. 

It makes no sense to review all created wallets because each wallet has almost the same functionality: receiving and sending money via address or QR code, show real-time prices of coins in the market, trade funds inside them or through a partner exchange, and for the ability to store funds. What they differ in is that some wallets are decentralized, centralized, or are “hybrids”. From what is observed on the market, it can be seen that more and more people use hybrid wallets and most importantly – receive support from the company in case of problems. This is a benefit as most cryptocurrency exchanges direct you to an FAQ page in order to save resources on hiring and maintaining a support team. Centralized wallets also continue to be used mainly for the black market. The risk of loss on these platforms is high and they all have slow transaction speeds.

Studies have shown that a lot of people aged 40 or more, the main group of people who have money, do not know how to deal with crypto wallets because they do not understand what is and how to use QR code, send and receive addresses, and also to check that the money has reached the designated location. This group of people is mainly accustomed to make transactions or payments using traditional methods such as wire transfer, send funds by email, postal orders, etc. This is a big educational problem for the active use of crypto wallet by this age group.

Conclusion Based on the Above:

The cryptocurrency industry has huge potential when it comes to transferring it from the investment-only sphere to the global retail sector. Many problems will be solved in the cannabis industry as well if crypto becomes widely adopted.

Founded in 2010, Leafly is the largest cannabis website in the world. Leafly’s primary functions are providing users with a strain explorer (over 2500 strains), a dispensary locator, and strain review platform. Although the site has around 5 million monthly users, Leafly has decreased the number of UI updates for its strain database, leaving the strain database to look somewhat outdated. Businesses are also unable to create a network of clients, who they can then manage and send information to. Businesses also have to pay a membership fee in order to have their business on the site; let alone the astronomical cost of actually advertising the business on the platform. Unlike CannaSOS, Leafly’s strain database does not allow users to select their gender - in order to leave more accurate reviews (as male and females react to cannabis differently).

Founded in 2008, Weedmaps is one of the industry leading websites when it comes to providing listing services for medical marijuana dispensaries, doctors’ offices and delivery services throughout the United States. Weedmaps combines local dispensaries reviews and social networking functionality to create an online community. The website includes a forum, private messaging function, a job board, Q&A from fellow patients, and also a strain database. Common data breaches, accusations reporting 60% of strain reviews to be falsified, accusations reporting 70% of dispensary reviews to be falsified has led to WeedMaps being a hazy tool to use when searching for marijuana-related reviews. WeedMaps also charges clinics a whopping $250 - $1000 in monthly membership fees.

Due to the fact that there was a lot of ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings) that took place from 2016 to 2019, a lot of businesses created wallets just to show the public that a platform was created; in hopes that their coin value would increase. Additionally, a big problem for businesses that want to implement cryptocurrency wallets into their daily operations is the ability for the public to see the history of absolutely all transactions done within their operations; B2C and B2B. No business wants to have a wallet showing its financial transactions to everyone. This is the main problem why businesses do not actively use crypto wallets in traditional transactions; payments to employees, superiors, etc.

We build value through CannaSOS by selling digital advertising to businesses in the health industry, crypto and as well as the cannabis industry. As the months and years progress, we plan to make our advertising platform more accurate to fit the needs and wants of users, to implement video advertising, and to sell to licensed producers (and essentially anyone that requests it) reports of specific strain data (i.e. what age group, what geolocation, what gender likes to consume a specific strain, etc.). All this will open additional marketing channels for businesses in order to promote their services and brand more efficiently. It will also provide companies and individuals with far more accurate information that could be then used as knowledge or be implemented into business practices.

Currently, PTPWallet makes revenue from deposit and withdrawal fees, the purchase of “GEMS” within the platform, and internal transaction fees. Currently, PTPWallet does not support FIAT, thus, exchange fees are planned alongside the integration of FIAT currencies. As the year's progress, we plan on using CannaSOS to help with distribution and mainstream acceptance of PTPWallet. The main target will be to push PTPWallet into retail stores, allowing for users of the platform to purchase a wide-range of products and services with cryptocurrencies and tokens. Although we plan on first targeting small businesses, our long-term goal will be: 1) general acceptance of small retail chains like dispensaries, clinics 2) mass implementation of the PTPWallet Merchant API among large online platforms, i.e. e-commerce businesses 3) integration into retail chains like 7/11 and Shell 4) integration of PTPWallet POS systems into a wide range of ATMs 5) and then once large distribution has been achieved; push into medium and large retail chains like Walmart and Subway.

With the funds raised, Core State Holdings Corp (USA-based) will be setting up Sales and Marketing Departments that will cover all of the U.S.A. The task of the Sales Department will be to sell CannaSOS digital advertising services to companies in the cannabis industry and as well as the health industry. Depending on the type of business and the regulations of the specific state, businesses will be able to promote their brand and their services. The advertising of strains, alcohol, tobacco is strictly forbidden on CannaSOS. This Department will be targeting primarily the United States and will be the main source of revenue for the Company based out of the U.S.A. The Company will also be building a Business Development Department that will be focusing primarily on the United States. Its task will be to develop positive relationships with businesses, which, will either integrate the PTPWallet Merchant API or will be interested in licensing the software. Therefore, CannaSOS and PTPWallet will have departments which will become the foundation for expansion throughout the U.S. market.

Lastly, a general Core State Holdings, Corp (USA-based) Marketing Department will be created which will be operating for the U.S. territory. Its task will be to create and execute marketing campaigns that will target the cannabis industry, health industry, and as well as, crypto/blockchain industry. The reason for this Department is to increase the overall exposure of the CannaSOS and PTPWallet brands, thus, increasing its user base. As more businesses and consumers see the brands and the benefits, the more prone they will be to using the services. The end goal of the Marketing Department will be to bring traffic to CannaSOS and PTPWallet, which, will convert to advertising sales from businesses on CannaSOS (higher interest due to increased traffic) and to more transactions done within PTPWallet.

Incomes Streams:

PTPWallet Income Streams

• Transaction Fees
  • Merchant Processing Fee
  • Transaction Fee
• Currency Conversion
  • Exchange Fees
• Coin Hosting
  • New Coin Setup Fees
  • Coin Renewal Fees
• Loyalty Program
  • Deal fee
• Referral
  • Purchase of GEMS
  • Drain the Bank

CannaSOS Income Streams

• Banner Advertising
• Memberships
• Sponsored Articles
• Sponsored Email Blasts to Subscribers of Weekly Digest

Projected Sales Forecast for 2019 up to 2025

2019-2020: Gross Sales: $2,378,000, Net Income: $245,000, Planned dividends payout: $174,000

2020-2021: Gross Sales: $3,880,000, Net Income: $1,498,000, Planned dividends payout: $449,000

2021-2022: Gross Sales: $5,602,000, Net Income: $2,732,000, Planned dividends payout: $819,000

*The projected sales forecast is based solely on the performance of both products. It does not include the possible creation of future products and acquisitions of successful businesses.

Roadmap

Q2-2019

1. Apply all necessary documents for Crowdsale funding and begin the process for IPO
2. Hiring Sales and Marketing personnel for California and Colorado
3. Beginning the marketing and sales process

Q3-4-2019 

1. Expansion of the Sales and Marketing teams to Washington, Nevada, Illinois, and Arizona
2. Breakeven
3. Hiring of Business Development personnel for California and Colorado

Q1-2020

1. Expansion of the Sales and Marketing teams to cover remaining US territories
2. Increasing sales to surpass breakeven and reach targets
3. Expansion of Business Development teams to Nevada, Arizona, Washington, Illinois, and Massachusetts