Steve DeAngelo.

Steve DeAngelo is the Co-Founder of Harborside, one of the first licensed cannabis dispensaries in the United States, and a globally recognized cannabis rights activist and entrepreneur.

DeAngelo has been at the forefront of the cannabis legalization movement for over four decades, earning the title "Father of the Legal Cannabis Industry" from multiple publications. He helped draft and pass some of the earliest cannabis regulatory frameworks in California and founded Harborside in 2006 in Oakland, which became a model for responsible cannabis retail. DeAngelo is the author of The Cannabis Manifesto and has been featured in the Discovery Channel documentary series Weed Wars. His Last Prisoner Project advocacy work seeks to free individuals incarcerated for cannabis offenses. DeAngelo's entrepreneurial legacy extends beyond individual businesses-he has helped create the regulatory, cultural, and commercial foundations upon which the entire legal cannabis industry now operates. His five decades of advocacy combined with his business achievements make him a foundational figure in American cannabis entrepreneurship.