Cannabis has come a long way but it’s about to go one step further.
The “devil’s lettuce” as some call it is ingested a few different ways through edibles, smokables and topicals. Much use appears to be for medical purposes but patients and more casual users alike have difficulty dosing. After all, when’s the last time you saw someone smoke anything and explain the exact volume of what he or she took in?
To tackle that market Grit Daily caught up With GoFire CEO Peter Calfee to take a look at how he’s tackling that market.
1. Before we get to inhalers, what’s the current breakdown of how cannabis is consumed?
Consumption methods for plant-based medicine have gotten complicated, to say the least—from loose-leaf products to vaping concentrates to infused edibles and topicals, all these products affect people differently. It’s particularly challenging when alternative medicine is consumed with a health-related goal in mind, such as pain relief or better sleep.
Patients need a way to track how each strain affects them, and replicate that method for future use. In relation to a particular health goal, patients need to have the means and opportunity to replicate what’s working for them, similar to how they would replicate their dosages with pharmaceuticals.
The Gofire health suite—which comprises a health app, precision-dosing inhaler and community science platform—allows patients to tap into the power of health data by tracking their dosages and health outcomes so they can hone in on what products are working best for them.
Beyond that, Gofire collects anonymous patient feedback and product review so that all patients in the Gofire community have access to valuable information on products as they relate to conditions and health goals, such as helping with social anxiety or boosting appetite.
2. What’s behind the Gofire name?
During the early development of Gofire, we knew we wanted our technology to replace all of the tools needed for patients to use plant-based medicine effectively and achieve consistent results.
The Gofire health suite is for patients who need to utilize plant medicine when on-the-go, hence the name Gofire. Over the past four years, the Gofire team has worked hard to deliver on our singular objective: To give patients the tools they need to take control of their health and wellness by getting the most out of plant-based medicine. At Gofire, we believe in alternative health. And we believe in connected healthcare. It just made sense to combine the two.
3. How does your inhaler work?
The Gofire Inhaler uses patented dose control to extrude plant-based extracts in 2.5mg increments. The device was built from medical-grade materials, with FDA approval in mind. It is compatible with loose-leaf or extract products, with precision dose control coming in the form of Gofire SMART Cartridges.
These proprietary cartridges contain a microchip that stores the lab-tested chemical profile of the extract, so the patient knows exactly what’s in each dose. By downloading the Gofire App and pairing the Inhaler (via Bluetooth), patients can view the chemical breakdown of their product, track the details of each dose and rate the product’s efficacy for their targeted ailments.
Over time, they will learn which products and dose sizes work best for their relief, so they can be more economical with products and establish a worry-free dosing regimen. The Gofire App also pairs with the Inhaler to enable single-degree temperature control, dose reminders, device locking and extensive personalization, among many other features.
4. You’ve had your own entrepreneurial journey before Gofire. Share that.
I came into entrepreneurship in a roundabout way after leaving home at a very young age. I spent time in the Northeast working on a farm. The back-to-basics life helped me get my priorities straight, then I moved to Colorado to attend the University of Colorado-Boulder and learn about business. Yet I found myself bored in school. It just didn’t move quick enough for me and I wanted to narrow in on what I was passionate about: helping others. I dropped out of school and joined a startup where I learned the basic operations. I started utilizing my green thumb to teach people about indoor plant cultivation techniques.
From there, I continued to learn how to set up large-scale operations and created Absolute Research Consulting, and later Calfee Consulting, where I helped other organizations streamline internal structures and processes. Eventually, things started to flatline with the consulting route and I wanted to shake things up again. I decided to start my own plant extraction company. We were doing great but ran into a funding regulatory issue that forced us to close the doors. I paid back all of our investors and actually took a big personal hit to do so.
That week, I called my mother with tears in my eyes. I didn’t know what to do. She simply asked me, “Why don’t you make the bottle, not the beer?” From there, the Gofire journey began.
5. What intellectual property is involved? What’s stopping industry giants from stepping on your toes?
Gofire is constantly innovating and has multiple patents pending. We were recently granted approval on a patent regarding our metered-dosing technology, in addition to the copyright protection on our mobile app that you can download in the iTunes App Store. Industry giants might have a leg-up when it comes to dollars, but at the end of the day, consumers and patients want superior technology, and that is our forte. We focus on innovation to stay ahead and provide the best in quality.
6. When can consumers get their own demo?
The Gofire App is available to everyone in the iTunes App Store, where patients can explore the app at their own pace and learn more about how the Gofire health suite works. We’ve also been spreading the word through pop-ups at Colorado retailers and fitness-minded events to show patients the Gofire inhaler in action and how it works in harmony with the Gofire app.
