John Gilstrap

John Gilstrap is the founder and CEO of a CBD products company, Awaken Space, that is dedicated to connecting people with the power of plants and providing access to modern thinking around nutrition and healthy lifestyles through special product formulations and branded popup spaces. He currently works with several celebrities and an MSO/RO to launch unique cannabinoid-based products and businesses with black and brown clients as a focus. Prior to establishing the CBD company, he co-founded Hudson Hemp in 2017 with the Rockefeller family in Columbia County, New York. Hudson Hemp grew to be one of Northeast’s leading vertical industrial hemp operations – cultivation, processing, product development, distribution, and retail. John is now senior advisor to a new Cannabis operator, Aeterna Farms, in Hudson New York. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Columbia Business School. He is a member of the National Black Farmers Association, M4MM, National Hemp Association. John splits his time between his hometown, Harlem NYC, and Hudson, NY.