Michael Sassano

Michael Sassano is one of the most seasoned cannabis executives in the world — nearly two decades investing in the industry and eleven years as an operating CEO, with 29 facilities built across the United States and Europe and a personal track record in mergers and acquisitions on both continents. He is a globally recognised authority on pharmaceutical cannabis, large-scale facility development and multi-country market strategy, with over 400 published articles and hundreds of podcast appearances and conference keynotes to his name. As Founder, BOD and Interim CEO of Somaí Pharmaceuticals and Director of Green Rush Partners, Michael operates at the forefront of the global pharmaceutical cannabis transition — personally bringing the world's leading US brands and operators into European regulated markets. Green Rush Partners advises and partners with US groups seeking to establish or expand in the EU and beyond. Michael is the most experienced transatlantic operator in the space — a position built through years of intensive personal study of European pharmaceutical and regulatory models, and continuous in-country travel across every major market. He began investing in cannabis in 2008 from Europe, where Monaco had been his home since 2001. He returned to the United States in 2015 to take on full-time operational management, then came back to Europe in 2021 to build Somaí from the ground up — travelling extensively across the continent to learn every regulatory framework, distribution model and commercial channel firsthand from owners. Under his leadership, Somaí has become Europe's only private, fully vertical multi-country operator in pharmaceutical cannabis: two EU-GMP facilities in Lisbon, 113 employees, 6 active commercial markets, 7 in advanced registration, 1,400+ pharmacies, 1,100+ prescribing physicians, 95+ clinics, ~346 stability records, 150+ product codes, 5 market authorisation dossiers, and an exclusive portfolio of the world's leading brands — Cookies, AiroPro, Bedrocan, Sherbinskis, Jack Herer, Iridescent Med and Kiseki. Prior to Somaí, Michael built Solaris Farms in Nevada — scaling from bare land into one of the state's largest vertically integrated cannabis operations before a successful merger with a dispensary group. Before cannabis, Michael was among the largest traders on Wall Street — the youngest Managing Director at CIBC World Markets, with prior roles at Oppenheimer and Lehman Brothers.