Yesterday on 4/20 at 4:20p.m. a new app launched called Nugg, which will allow patients in Southern California to order medical marijuana and schedule deliveries and pickups.
And the app isn’t just notable for what it does, it’s notable for how the money was raised to build it.
The Web-based app was developed by a trio of USC students who raised $100,000 not from friends and family, the usual way to get a business started, but by referring riders to the ride-hailing service Lyft. Lyft pays a commission of $10 to $20 each for rider referrals; Alex Milligan and two friends created a network of referral hunters, mostly on college campuses, and split the proceeds earned through signing up 30,000 riders.
Here’s the way the app works:
On Nugg’s website, users can search for nearby medical marijuana dispensaries, browse their offerings and request a pickup or delivery.
Users have the option of heading to the dispensary to pick up an order made through Nugg or having it delivered by drivers who work for the dispensary.
When people sign up to use the service, they must take a picture of their driver’s license and other ID and a doctor’s note. Nugg then checks with the doctor to confirm the prescription.
Right now, the company is focusing on educating its potential consumer base, from college students to the elderly. “They understand cannabis in different languages, so it’s a balance between providing too little introduction and too much information that it becomes too complex,” Milligan said.
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