AACE INTERVIEW: Angad Singh Pasricha (Andy Singh), founder + CEO of Nuvata
Angad Singh Pasricha is blazing the trail for cannabis and for Asian Americans with Nuvata’s terpene-rich premium cannabis vaporizers that help create enhanced states of mind, body, and everywhere in between.
Why did you enter the cannabis space? (for medical reasons? family? love of the plant?)
Nuvata was born out of my love for the plant and the belief that everyone should be able to enjoy the wellness, mindfulness, and fun that cannabis can bring to life. As a Thai-Indian-American, I wanted my eastern values to coincide with western culture through cannabis. Nuvata was coined by combining two separate terms, “nu” and “vata”. Nu stands for the new way of bringing something new to life and re-envisioning of art. Vata is one of the three Doshas (substances that are present in a person's body) according to Ayurvedic medicine and refers to space and air. We believe Nuvata’s Mind Body Series can enable in the regulating of your internal body mechanisms, opening up channels of wellness and mindfulness, unlocking space within.
How do you educate your fellow Asian Americans on cannabis? And your family?
While legalization has moved the needle for the cannabis industry in a positive direction, there are still a lot of misconceptions and stereotypes about cannabis users due to decades of marijuana prohibition.
I find that the best way to dispel some of those ideas is to show how cannabis can enhance people’s lives. And that’s exactly how I talk about it with everyone. It’s not just about getting high and eating cheetos, even though that is a perfectly enjoyable way to consume cannabis. I also like to educate people about terpene research, which allows us to offer a finely-tuned suite of sensations through Nuvata’s Mind-Body series of vaporizers. For me, it’s not enough to just talk indica, sativa, and hybrid. I like to get right down to the molecular structure—because that’s where the magic happens.
How does your family view your cannabis business?
When I started working on Nuvata, I was lucky enough to have a large network of friends and family who did not have a negative outlook on cannabis. They were cautious (given that it’s still not legal at the federal level) but they have been extremely supportive of the business. It’s largely because my goal with Nuvata is not to get people high for the sake of it, but to enhance their lives through cannabis. Our process of combining cannabinoids and terpenoids, paired with our deep understanding of the ‘entourage effect’, allows us to create enhanced states of mind, body, and everywhere in between. We craft flavorful profiles to complement these effects as flavors represent how we celebrate, how we nurture, and how culture is passed down through taste buds all over the world. These are all reasons why many of my family members (including my dad) love Nuvata’s vapes and they are our biggest fans!
What roadblocks have you seen as a Person of Color in cannabis?
For the most part, I have been fortunate enough to not encounter any major issues simply because I am a person of color. However, from time to time, when I get personally involved in the sales process, I have noticed that I am perceived in a certain way because of my ethnicity. This perception (of not being the industry norm) has at times been a roadblock in acquiring retail store accounts. However, regardless of race, nationality or ethnicity, I strongly believe that the right approach, energy and charisma can help us truly connect with people and get the job done.
What is your favorite strain?
I don’t really have a ‘favorite’ strain. Depending on the time of day, and the effects I am looking for, I choose a vape from Nuvata’s Mind-Body spectrum. If I am smoking flower and want to be active and exercise, I look for an energetic strain such as Sour Diesel or Green Crack. If I want to unwind from an afternoon/evening, it’s Blue Dream or White Widow and for pain relief, enhancing intimacy, or wanting to sleep, I like Grand Daddy Purp or Fire OG. I have favorite strains in different categories, but it is difficult to determine the accuracy of the strain profiles. The same strain can have two completely different terpene profiles and therefore have two different effects. In fact, I felt that this was a big problem for cannabis smokers, and Nuvata is my solution to that.
Nuvata’s terpene-rich premium cannabis vaporizers
Go here for more information on Nuvata’s products