By Jerry Katz

His destination was the tiny country of Israel, which at the time was a desert filled with swamps and little to no natural resources. My father grew up in Israel, living on a kibbutz and working to make this arid land a place to be proud of. He studied engineering at the Technion Institute of Technology, one of the world’s finest research universities. When he was in his late twenties, he reunited with his surviving family in the United States.

My father passed away from cancer in 2002, after a life filled with hard work, a love for family and friends, and a legacy of helping people and giving to charity. It was important to me to honor his memory, but I wasn’t sure how or when I’d be able to do so.

After 30 years of work as an attorney and an executive in many fields and industries, I was finally able to fulfill this commitment. I decided to honor my father by investing in Israeli start-up companies. Through these investments my hope was to strengthen my connection to where my father came of age and continue what he started — helping to grow the State of Israel. While I knew investing in Israel would be the perfect way to honor his memory, I wasn’t sure what industry to invest in.

After talking to several experts, I learned that Israel is a world leader in medical cannabis analytical research and product development. This revelation surprised me. More research made it clear that Israelis weren’t only the world leader in cannabis research… They were also discovering the untapped medicinal value and potential of a plant with generations of stigma.

It occurred to me that the Israeli discoveries could change the world for the better. My investment into medical cannabis could be more than honoring my father’s memory– it could make an impact on the lives of people living today. This is something my father devoted his life to achieving.

After looking into cannabis companies, I met Dr. David “Dedi” Meiri, one of the top cannabis scientists in the world. Not only was Dedi studying the impact of cannabinoids on cancer cells, he also had a lab at the Technion University. The same university where my father studied engineering! After meeting Dedi, it was clear I was meant to invest here. Not only was he teaching where my father studied, he was researching the impact of cannabis on the disease that took my father’s life– cancer. I had to get involved.

Partnering with Dedi Meiri and investing in his research supported analytics and high-level research in the cannabis industry. This investment wasn’t enough– I also wanted to find a company making products to help people immediately.

Dedi introduced me to the only company making truly pharmaceutical-grade cannabis products: Panaxia Pharmaceutical Industries.

After meeting the Panaxia team, I knew this partnership had to happen. Panaxia’s immediate impact was so profound that it had to be shared with the world.

Unlike any other cannabis product company in the world, Panaxia belongs to a pharmaceutical group with over 50 years of production experience. They bring unparalleled experience to the cannabis space. Additionally, Panaxia produces all their products under certified good manufacturing practice (GMP) conditions. The GMP conditions include specific standard operating procedures and quality assurance protocols to ensure consistency and safety. Currently, their team is conducting over ten clinical trials on their products and Panaxia has seven IP patents on delivery methods and formulations. Over 25% of Panaxia employees have PhDs, which illustrates their commitment to research and development. The Panaxia team continues to work on new products every day.

We created a partnership to bring Panaxia’s cannabis-derived products to the United States through Tikva.

Tikva means “hope” in Hebrew, and when I see each product I’m reminded of the hope my father had as he looked to his future. Even in times of tremendous peril, he worked to make this world a better place. Each Tikva product represents that same hope for the future for each of our customers.

Jerry Katz is the CEO and Founder of Ocean Grown Ventures. Additionally, he is Co-Founder and Director of Israel Cannabis Ventures, and Of Counsel in Glaser Weil’s Real Estate and Corporate departments.

Ocean Grown Ventures offers the highest quality cannabis-derived wellness solutions to the U.S. market and beyond by meeting standards usually reserved for pharmaceutical companies. Through its exclusive partnership with renowned Israeli pharmaceutical pioneer Panaxia Pharmaceutical Industries, Ocean Grown Ventures has sales and distribution rights to consistent and proprietary formulations that meet current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards. The Company applies Panaxia’s world-class scientific expertise to develop and market formulations that offer customized and accessible solutions. Ocean Grown Ventures is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. For more information, or to inquire about white-label opportunities, please visit Ocean Grown Ventures’ website at OceanGrownVentures.com.

Tikva was nominated by the USA CBD EXPO Excellence Awards for – Best CBD Tincture, Most Innovative CBD Product, and Best Overall Branding & Marketing!