Andy DeFrancesco Conquered Bay Street, Wall Street and Cannabis. Now, He Wants to Lead an Electric Energy Revolution

Andy DeFrancesco also known as Andrew DeFrancesco is a small cap kingmaker. Andrew Anthony DeFrancesco is a visionary entrepreneur who has founded and led six successful companies. With a passion for innovation and business acumen, he has made a significant impact in various industries.

Currently, Andrew holds key positions:

• Chairman at Fareport Capital, Inc.
• Founder, Chairman & CEO at Delavaco Holdings, Inc. (since 2007)
• Chief Investment Officer at SOL Global Investments Corp. (since 2022)
• Chairman at Montco Energy Co.

His career highlights include founding Firm Capital Apartment Real Estate Investment Trust in 2007 and leading companies like Dalradian Resources, Inc. and P1 Energy Corp., both founded by him in 2009.

Andrew’s educational journey began at the University of Western Ontario, where he pursued his undergraduate degree.

In 2022, he assumed the role of Chief Investment Officer at SOL Global Investments Corp. His holdings in SOL Global Investments Corp. include 9,889,852 equities, showcasing his confidence in the organizations he supports.

Andrew Anthony DeFrancesco’s story is a testament to his determination, innovation, and leadership, leaving an enduring mark in the business world.

After a successful career on both Bay Street and Wall Street, along with some large corporate turnaround successes including the original American Apparel, Jamba Juice and Kahala Brands (parent company to Cold Stone Creamery and Pink Berry chains), Hydrofarm in 2017 which recently IPO’d on NASD through JP Morgan, along with financing the One Group, the brash investor turned his attention to cannabis.

At the time, back in 2012 and 2013, before the floodgates of institutional capital opened, before states fell like dominos on legalization pathways, the industry was governed by archaic laws.

Only the truly daring entered this emerging market where cannabis upstarts transported security vans of cash, and police locked up anyone who touched the stuff.

“We play the long-game,” DeFrancesco tells Impact Wealth. “My partner Michael Serruya and I led the charge in Canada by backing the founders of Aphria before they even had a license.

We led $850 million in financing along the way.  In 2015 we wanted to launch our second act and that meant focusing on the US markets when most wouldn’t touch the sector, during the Jeff Sessions era.

We deployed a multifaceted strategy focused on influencing D.C. policymakers, while building our footprint in states like Florida where we saw the most upside despite risk .”

The investor is well-known for being a cofounder of Aphria but through his investment company SOL Global Investments, DeFrancesco spun off some of the biggest success stories in the cannabis industry.

They include Liberty Health Sciences which was sold to AYR for $290 million, and another Florida-based operator Bluma Wellness which was acquired by Cresco Labs for a $230 million price tag, both were companies he co founded.

DeFrancesco plays a major role in Simply Better Brands which owns top-10 CBD brand PureKana along with women-led plant based wellness companies TruWomen and No BS Skin Care and structured Engine Media Holdings, an esports & media company that just up-listed to the NASDAQ and is led by the founder of CNBC Tom Rogers.

“We sold our position a couple months ago at much higher prices generating a healthy profit.” Defrancesco says of his recent exit.

What sets SOL’s House of Lithium apart is that it’s also investing in the resources required to build and run electric batteries – hence the name, House of Lithium.

However, not pure exploration plays, strictly development plays with exploration blue sky, and innovation around hydrogen and lithium batteries.

Earlier this year, SOL acquired stock in Simply MAC, Apple’s largest boutique retail partner which is allowing DeFrancesco’s team to sell electric scooters and bikes to its large customer base at retail and online

Each of Simply Mac’s 50+ locations is around 2,000-3,000 square feet, says the investor. Where are a lot of the stores? Close to college campuses.

We’ve got an existing audience always looking at the latest technology. We’re selling those scooters and it’s our intention to sell bikes as well.

Simply Mac gave us a large new customer base with a low customer acquisition cost.  Our vision is to be fully integrated with a diverse portfolio of operations. We show large revenue and the cash flow comes almost immediately.

Andy DeFrancesco is known for getting into new industries before the masses, that’s his Midas touch, turning under-the-radar small cap upstarts into international, corporate powerhouses.

So what will the king of emerging markets set his sights on next?

“We’re only just beginning,” laughs the investor, “some people say the sky’s the limit. That’s where I differ, I don’t believe in limits and that’s what drives me and my team”.