Steven Ernest

A longtime advocate and investor in cannabis, Steve has worked in the cannabis space since 2015. He first began his journey as an angel investor and then, in 2016, became a serial entrepreneur as a key founding member for two cannabis investment bank advisories, Mazakali and Sharp Capital. Before moving into cannabis, Steve worked as a wealth management advisor at J.P. Morgan, managing a book worth more than half a billion dollars for his clients. Regardless of industry, Steve has spent the entirety of his career focused on building community. He is passionate about building relationships, advising brands, and consulting with companies looking to navigate the capital markets. He views himself as and strives to be a connector of dots in the cannabis landscape. In his spare time, he sits on the finance committee for Students for Sensible Drug Policy, the largest global youth-led network dedicated to ending the War on Drugs. An avid researcher and writer, Steve has appeared on multiple cannabis podcasts and written editorials and informative articles for industry-leading publications like MJBiz.

Steven holds BS in Risk Management and Finance, from Illinois State University.