Now that anyone 21 years old and up can legally walk into a store and purchase marijuana in Washington, you can certainly expect an influx of people wanting to get high.
But one problem for those relatively new to marijuana is figuring out how different strains affect the body. Will that OG Kush give you more energy? Does the Lemon Haze make you lazy and stuck to the couch? How long does the head buzz from Northern Lights last?
LiveLabels wants to help users answer questions like these. Founded by Tom Lindeman, an IT vet with 25 years of experience in the tech industry — including 17 of those at Microsoft — the new Bellevue-based startup has developed visual graphs that show exactly what effects, over time, a specific strain from a specific grower will have on your mind and body.
Years ago, Lindeman was with a buddy who was smoking pot for the first time. He tried to describe what effects that strain would have by drawing a wavy curve in the air with his hand.
“I explained that it was like a plane taking off slowly over 30 minutes and then leveling out for two hours with a gentle landing at the end,” Lindeman recalled. “It really helped him not freak out.”
LiveLabels was born from that simple idea and is what Lindeman calls “an evolution of how people describe and learn about cannabis experiences.” At its core, the company is about safety and education — particularly with how some people have had bad experiences with recreational marijuana edibles.
“We want to provide users with as much information as possible ahead of time, and allow them to share their experiences with others to keep the cycle of helpful information flowing,” Lindeman said. “As a safety product, LiveLabels helps users understand how much is too much, and can read stories from others to learn how to better use cannabis responsibly.”
We caught up with Lindeman to learn more about the company for this installment of Startup Spotlight, a regular GeekWire feature.
Explain what you do so our parents can understand it: “We provide a product review and safety label system that uses a visual graph that shows the effects of a specific cannabis product.”
VC, Angel or Bootstrap: “Bootstrap. Outside funding is not out of the question, but we are quite proud to have been able to bring an awesome product to market working with our own funds at our own pace.”
Our ‘secret sauce’ is: “We use patented technology that only allows scans of a special QR code or website link to enable the ability for a user to create a product review and curve in the LiveLabels Gallery.”
The smartest move we’ve made so far: “We are working with an awesome local developer who built the front-end system using HTML 5, Javascript and single page app technology that essentially makes LiveLabels a cross-platform application. It runs in all browsers and on all devices and is touch enabled.”
The biggest mistake we’ve made so far: “Well not taking any external funding has certainly made it a challenge at times. We have several product versions, feature enhancements and even IP in our backlog. Imagine planning for a special weekend by pulling out your phone, drawing a CannaCurve, and seeing products that fit the description and where to find them.”
Would you rather have Gates, Jobs, Zuckerberg or Bezos in your corner? “Gates. He has an uncanny ability to dive down to the deepest levels of the technology and see areas of synergy with other projects going on. Opportunistically collaborative you might say.”
Our world domination strategy starts when: “Product owners turn the corner on providing a new level of product information to consumers, whether medical or recreational, and the community grabs hold of the CannaCurve meme.”
Rivals should fear us because: “Rivals? LiveLabels is unique in that it can be combined with any other review system or label information to bring more value to users.”
We are truly unique because: “Did I mention we do touch-enabled visual experience graphs of specific cannabis product effects over time?”
The biggest hurdle we’ve overcome is: “Getting the system working end to end so that product owners can easily place orders for new lots and instantly download curves, QR codes, and pre-made I-502 compliant labels.”
What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to other entrepreneurs just starting out: “At some point you have to stop planning and start building. Get enough in the business plan to be able to have the conversations you need to have with partners, but get a product out the door as soon as you can and then iterate on it.”
