OpenNest Labs
1 known investors
Cannabis venture studio that launches and incubates consumer cannabis brands with celebrity and consumer-brand partners.
Also known as ONL
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026OpenNest Labs (ONL) is a cannabis venture studio whose stated mission is to launch and incubate cannabis brands, with an emphasis on innovation, expansion and the development of an equitable global cannabis market. The company builds brands from the ground up in partnership with outside operators and personalities, handling brand and business strategy, product development and sourcing alongside its partners.
Two brands announced by ONL illustrate its approach. Afterdream is a cannabis beverage created with premium botanical spirits brand AMASS Botanics, formulated with 3.5 mg THC, 3.5 mg CBD and 3.5 mg Delta-8 per serving, using 14 botanicals and eight terpenes and produced through a distillation-based base formulation developed with AMASS master distiller Morgan McLachlan. It is made in California and was sold exclusively through retailer Sweet Flower, online and in its four Southern California dispensary locations, for $70. Pine Park is a cannabis flower brand positioned as the first esports cannabis brand, created with esports entrepreneur Hector "HECZ" Rodriguez, who is described as co-founder, CEO and a lead investor in Pine Park and who is involved in sourcing flower, selecting strains from farm partners and creating content. ONL is led by CEO Tyler Wakstein.
Business model
ONL operates as a venture studio: it conceives, incubates and launches standalone cannabis brands, typically co-founded with partners such as consumer brands (AMASS Botanics) or public figures (Hector "HECZ" Rodriguez), who may also take equity and executive roles in the resulting companies.
Traction
By the 2021 announcement ONL had brought at least two brands to market or near-market: Afterdream, available exclusively at Sweet Flower online and across four Southern California dispensaries, and Pine Park, scheduled for online and in-store retail in October 2021.
Latest developments
In 2021 ONL unveiled Afterdream in collaboration with AMASS Botanics — AMASS's first move into cannabis — and Pine Park with esports figure Hector "HECZ" Rodriguez, then co-CEO of NRG Esports and CEO of OpTic Chicago.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography
Market position
Positioned as a cannabis venture studio backed by institutional and strategic investors, launching brands into adjacent consumer categories such as non-alcoholic/cannabis beverages and esports-linked cannabis, where it describes limited existing competition.
ONL attributes differentiation to product formulation quality in cannabis beverages (working with a spirits master distiller and a distillation-based base liquid rather than infusing existing formats) and to building category-first brands with deeply involved celebrity co-founders, such as an esports-native cannabis brand.
Technology
Product development centers on cannabis formulation: Afterdream uses a distilled botanical base combining 14 botanicals and eight terpenes with 3.5 mg each of THC, CBD and Delta-8 per serving.
Go-to-market
Brands are launched with partner-driven audience reach and distributed through licensed cannabis retail. Afterdream launched via an exclusive partnership with California retailer Sweet Flower, sold online and in its four Southern California dispensaries; Pine Park was slated for online and in-store retail from October 2021.
Adult consumers of cannabis products, including consumers moving away from alcohol toward cannabis beverages (described as "sober-curious" and "canna-curious") and gaming/esports audiences reached through HECZ's fan network.
Geography
Products cited are made in and sold in California, with Afterdream distributed through four Southern California dispensary locations.
Compiled by commissioned research from 3 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 3
launches, deals, and filingsONL and esports entrepreneur Hector "HECZ" Rodriguez created Pine Park, described as the world's first esports cannabis brand, with HECZ as co-founder, CEO and a lead investor. Retail availability online and in-store was set for October 2021.
Afterdream launched under an exclusive partnership with California cannabis retailer Sweet Flower, selling online and in all four of its Southern California dispensary locations.
ONL unveiled Afterdream, a cannabis beverage created with premium botanical spirits brand AMASS Botanics, containing 3.5 mg THC, 3.5 mg CBD and 3.5 mg Delta-8 per serving from 14 botanicals and eight terpenes. Made in California and sold exclusively through Sweet Flower online and in its four Southern California dispensaries for $70. It marked AMASS's first venture into cannabis.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 3
primary sources listed
- OpenNest Labs Unveils Afterdream with AMASS Botanics, and Pine Park with Esports Icon HECZ | High Timeshightimes.com · web
3 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does OpenNest Labs do?
- Cannabis venture studio that launches and incubates consumer cannabis brands with celebrity and consumer-brand partners.
- Who are OpenNest Labs's investors?
- OpenNest Labs's investors include East West Ventures EWV.