OUR TEAM
HUGH HEMPEL
CO-FOUNDER
Hugh is the Co-Founder and CEO of Anthology Brands and is responsible for running all facets of the business. Hugh is a former Silicon Valley technology industry veteran turned healthcare entrepreneur and medical marijuana industry expert. During his 30-year career in high technology, Hugh held numerous senior management positions in many innovative and pioneering technology companies including Apple and Netscape. At Netscape, he was the Director of Online Marketing and was part of the core team that made the Internet a reality for millions of people worldwide. Prior to joining Netscape, Hugh worked as Manager of Engineering and Science markets for Apple for seven years. While at Apple, he helped define the Apple Newton Message Pad, a personal digital assistant device developed by Apple that was a revolution in personal computing. Hugh’s twin daughters suffered from a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease called Niemann Pick Type C (NPC), often referred to as “Childhood Alzheimer’s.” Due to their condition, they experienced intractable seizures and used a non-psychoactive form of marijuana (CBD) as part of their treatment regime. As a result of his twins’ medical condition, Hugh entered the hemp business full time and founded Strainz in 2013 with his wife Chris to legally develop and distribute premium grade hemp products.
GEOFF HAMM
CO-FOUNDER
Geoff is a co-founder of Anthology Brands and a of Managing Partner of Mantle Capital, a venture fund focused on technology and manufacturing across multiple industries. Prior to Mantle Capital, Geoff was the co-founder and SVP of Corporate Development for TILT Holdings. Prior to TILT, Geoff served as the COO of Baker Technologies, the leading CRM and eCommerce platform in the hemp industry. Prior to the hemp industry, Geoff served as the VP of Business Development for AppLovin, a mobile marketing and gaming platform for app developers to create great apps, get those apps discovered, and build a sustainable business. Geoff has leadership experience at all business stages, including start-ups, mid-stage, and Fortune 500 companies, as well as expertise in SaaS, mobile analytics, mobile consumer acquisition and retention marketing, mobile product management and marketing, and international business development.
NEIL HOCKSTAD
CO-FOUNDER
Neil is a co-founder of Anthology Brands and brings his 30 years’ experience as an owner or executive in the formulation, manufacturing, quality systems and sales of nutraceuticals and dietary supplements. His areas of expertise include supporting companies at the executive level from startup to growth phase and through the accelerated growth phase with focus on both internal and external growth of the company. His professional experience includes the development, implementation, production management, and launch of nutritional products in all distribution channels including building a nutraceutical products company from $2MM to $150MM in annual sales. He created, launched, and managed over 260 botanical SKUs including house store brands for large chains such as Costco, CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart. From early 2017 through December 2019, Neil was CEO of a vertically integrated CBD company, where revenue grew by over 500% during his tenure.