Meet Alex Eckman of Higher State Brands

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Eckman

Hi Alex, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My entrepreneurial journey began in an unexpected place: medical retirement after a short stint as a firefighter due to multiple chronic health complications. Searching for relief when traditional medicine failed me, I discovered cannabis as a therapeutic solution, completely contrary to my upbringing in a household that strongly opposed it.

This personal transformation sparked professional curiosity. After experiencing the benefits firsthand, I learned cannabis had secretly been part of my family history for decades. With this newfound perspective, I entered the industry at ground level as a budtender at Depot Town Alternative Health in Ypsilanti and quickly advanced to managing hydrocarbon extraction operations for their newly established processing lab, Pure Michigan Oil.

Regulatory shifts forced career pivots multiple times. When that first processing lab closed, I secured a position managing another facility in Detroit, where I was able to grow close with a mentor who helped shape both my professional skills and personal development. The volatile industry taught me adaptability while building my technical expertise. I made my name early in the industry by anticipating trends and navigating the evolving regulatory landscape, often operating at the cutting edge of what was possible or pushing the legal boundaries while remaining compliant with Michigan’s early cannabis laws.

In 2019, I attempted to launch my first cannabis venture, Higher State Craft Cannabis. Despite a strong vision and industry knowledge, I faced the challenge most entrepreneurs know well: insufficient capital. Looking back, 2019 was prime time for cannabis funding, but my network was limited. When my initial investor outreach failed, I pivoted quickly rather than persisting, choosing education as my next strategic move.

Enrolling in Lake Superior State University’s Cannabis Chemistry program in 2020 was strarefic and calculated. I sought credentials that would appeal to investors, connections that would open doors, and knowledge to refine my skillsets. What I didn’t expect was discovering genuine passion for organic and medicinal chemistry. This was particularly surprising given my academic history. While my cumulative high school GPA was 2.2, I’d slipped from mid-3.0s as a freshman to a 1.8 my senior year, barely graduating. College transformed not just my career trajectory but my entire relationship with learning, even leading me to briefly consider pursuing a PhD in organic or medicinal chemistry focused on cannabis.

While pursuing my degree, I continued building industry experience including one position as a project manager for a local processing facility. I came in midway through their buildout and had to completely revamp their outdated processing plans. Despite preparing investor documents and developing stronger operational plans, the company had mismanaged funds before my arrival. This resulted in months of inconsistent pay, receiving only two or three paychecks on time over nearly a year. This experience reinforced my belief that with better management and vision, I could succeed where others failed, and that I never wanted to be in that position again, having to be dependent on someone else who may or may not pay you and the end of the day.

In October 2023, I presented my vision for Higher State Brands to close friends. Only one fully committed to the concept. He wasn’t just a university classmate but someone I’d identified early on as exceptional. Initially, he viewed me as potential competition in the future job market, while I immediately saw him as someone I wanted on my team. As we became close friends, he served as cannabis club president, then student president, while encouraging me to later become cannabis club president and student vice president of political action and university development. Today, he’s my roommate, cofounder, and very close friend.

Together we devoted ourselves completely to the project, regularly working 120 to 150 hour weeks to develop a business model that would attract investment despite challenging capital markets. Economic realities forced us to evolve from our original $14 million cannabis facility concept toward technology solutions with lower barriers to entry.

Currently, we’re developing commercial software that integrates AI and AR technology, while simultaneously formulating a line of infused supplements in both psychoactive and non-psychoactive formulations. Our approach combines cutting-edge technology with innovative consumer products, positioning us at the intersection of multiple growth industries.
My entrepreneurial path has been defined by resilience and adaptability. Each obstacle has revealed new opportunities, teaching me that success doesn’t come from avoiding challenges but from transforming them into foundations for innovation. The cannabis industry became not just a career but a platform for continuous reinvention and growth.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Has it been a smooth road? Absolutely not. This journey has tested every limit I have. There were stretches where we worked 130-140 hour weeks between school and the business.

One of the most mentally challenging periods was sitting for months staring at our business plan and financial viability analysis and asking myself, “How do you give up on what looks like a guaranteed cash cow?” The numbers showed incredible potential, but the reality was we simply couldn’t raise the capital needed to make it happen, despite having a realistic ROI and strong management team.

Pivoting from our original cannabis facility concept to tech solutions and white-labeled drinks was brutally tricky mentally. We had to abandon a vision we’d poured everything into and rebuild from scratch. Meanwhile, I was battling chronic health issues that occasionally landed me in the hospital for weeks at a time. The relentless workload certainly didn’t help. Remember, we were also full-time students; standout ones who were heavily involved in campus leadership. Stack that on top of being a founder, and you have a recipe for complete exhaustion.

I never experienced that level of physical and mental depletion before, going week after week for about 8 months straight at that pace. I know I lost part of myself during that period. To be honest, I still feel the damage both mentally and physically. But those struggles have shaped our approach, making us more resilient and forcing us to become incredibly efficient with our time and resources.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Higher State Brands?
Higher State Brands operates at the intersection of cannabis innovation, technology, and consumer products. We’re building a diversified company that leverages cutting-edge technology while creating tangible products that consumers can connect with daily. Our current focus is two-fold. First, we’re developing software that integrates artificial intelligence and augmented reality to solve pressing industry challenges. This technology aims to streamline operations and enhance user experiences in ways that current solutions simply don’t address.

Second, we’re creating a line of infused supplements and protein powders in both psychoactive and non-psychoactive formulations. We recognized a significant gap in the market for premium, functional cannabis products that go beyond recreational use. Our formulations are designed with specific wellness outcomes in mind, backed by our deep understanding of cannabis chemistry.

What sets us apart is our scientific approach. Our background in cannabis chemistry and business expertise creates a foundation that few cannabis startups possess. We don’t just understand the business side, we understand the science that makes cannabis effective. This allows us to create products and technology with genuine innovation rather than merely repackaging existing concepts.

We’re also proud of our adaptability. When faced with capital constraints that prevented us from launching our original cannabis facility, we didn’t give up; we evolved. This willingness to pivot while maintaining our core values of quality and innovation demonstrates the resilience that’s baked into our company DNA.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I believe risk is absolutely required for greatness. Nobody ever did anything remarkable, big, or truly impactful by playing it safe. The most successful people I admire took calculated leaps that others considered too dangerous or uncertain.
One major risk I took was returning to college in my mid-twenties. It was the start of the pandemic, and I was deeply conflicted about whether Lake Superior State’s cannabis chemistry program would provide enough value compared to other colleges local to my family offering traditional chemistry degrees; since it is fundamentally a very similar subject.

The university is small, the town even smaller, and I was dealing with significant health issues that were becoming increasingly prominent in my life. Unlike traditional students fresh out of high school, I had been in the workforce, creating both a small age gap with classmates and the necessity to work full-time while studying to cover my bills.

The decision to enroll represented multiple layers of risk. Financial risk, as I took on student debt while maintaining living expenses. Health risk, moving to a town with little to no available health care, especially the advanced hospitals I need for my slightly rare conditions. And there was a career risk, with only a few companies in the cannabis industry to work for in that area compared to where I was before.

This calculated gamble completely changed the trajectory of my life. Through the program, I discovered genuine intellectual passions I never knew I had, built a network that included my future business partner/best friend and gained credibility that transformed how potential investors and industry connections perceive me.

My approach to risk is systematic but not fearful. I assess potential downsides realistically, but I don’t let them paralyze me. I always ask myself: “If this fails, can I return to what I was doing before?” Usually, the answer is yes, which makes the risk more manageable psychologically.

With Higher State Brands, we’re taking another significant risk by pivoting from our original cannabis facility plan toward technology and consumer products. It means abandoning a business model we’d refined and planned for nearly a year, but the potential upside justifies the discomfort and uncertainty. The greatest innovations and business success stories almost always emerge from someone’s willingness to venture into uncharted territory.

Risk isn’t about being reckless, but instead, it’s about recognizing when the potential rewards justify stepping into uncertainty. I’ve found that my significant periods of growth, both personally and professionally, have come directly from the moments I was willing to take a bet on an “asymmetric risk” rather than choosing the comfortable path.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexeckman.eth/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-eckman/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AlexEckmanCanna