In an exclusive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Akeem Gardner, CEO and Founder of Canurta Therapeutics, shares an unfiltered look at what it takes to build a science-driven company in one of Canada’s most complex and misunderstood sectors. From leaving a traditional legal path to leading a clinical-stage biotech company advancing botanical therapeutics, Akeem reflects on resilience, regulatory reality, capital discipline, and the responsibility of building with purpose.
Interview By SK Uddin
Akeem Gardner is the CEO & Founder of Canurta Therapeutics, a Canadian life sciences company building the next generation of botanical and cannabinoid-based therapeutics for complex inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. With a founder-first mentality and a deep commitment to long-term value creation, Akeem has helped lead Canurta from early hemp cultivation to becoming a clinical-stage company advancing programs such as CNR-401 and its broader PolyKye platform. Akeem is also part of the leadership behind PharmaDrug Inc. (CSE: PHRX), supporting Canurta’s pathway to the public markets and enabling long-term scaling through public equity infrastructure.
Akeem brings a rare blend of academic, athletic, and professional experience to leadership. He holds dual degrees in Psychology and Philosophy, along with a Bachelor of Law, which has supported his ability to navigate scientific complexity, intellectual property strategy, and regulatory execution in a highly controlled sector.
You walked away from a traditional legal career path to become a hemp farmer and then a biotech founder with Canurta. What have been the toughest hurdles on that journey and what kept you going when it would have been easier to quit?
The toughest hurdles weren’t just the work to be done, but the stigma that came with it. I was facing multiple layers of misunderstanding at the same time: people not knowing the difference between hemp and cannabis, the volatility of the Canadian cannabis market impacting hemp farmers, and the reality that traditional funding sources weren’t built for companies like the one I was building.
Even today, we’re a biotechnology company developing medicines for people with serious neurodegenerative diseases — but because one of our source ingredients comes from the hemp plant, banks, some government programs, and funds still treat us like we’re high-risk by default, before even looking at the facts. We’re building real science, real IP, and real solutions for patients who are deteriorating rapidly. We employ Canadians, and we have the ability to build medicines that can support both patients and Canada’s economy. But many institutions are still too hesitant and too risk-averse to support it, and that forces us to look outside the country for growth.
What keeps me going is the feeling that I have a deeper calling and mission — and little by little, the world continues to understand what we’re building and why it matters. And along this journey, I’ve built a team of incredible people who don’t just support the vision — they continue to expand it.
When I started on the farm, I couldn’t have imagined how big the impact would become.
Working at the intersection of cannabis, hemp, and biotech comes with regulatory, funding, and perception challenges. How did you overcome these challenges and reach your business goals, and which milestones are you most proud of?
Resilience is really the only currency that matters in entrepreneurship. Working at the intersection of hemp, cannabis, and biotech means you’re constantly proving that what you’re building is real — to regulators, to capital markets, to institutions, and sometimes even to people in your own community.
But I’ve also learned something important: behind every “system” are real people. I’m grateful for the ones who believed early. Shoutout to leaders like Ruby Sahota and Charmaine Williams, and the support we’ve received from Ontario’s entrepreneurship ecosystem — including the Brampton Entrepreneurship Centre (Home of the Hustle) and countless others. Moments of encouragement matter more than people realize when you’re in the trenches building something new.
I’m also proud of the mentors and programs that sharpened my execution — especially AdMare’s Executive Institute and Creative Destruction Lab — and of course my team at Canurta, who continue to turn vision into outcomes.
One milestone I’m most proud of was our path toward going public, and the conversations with PharmaDrug (PHRX.CN). Stepping into a public-company environment has been a major milestone for me personally, because it creates a real platform for Canadian innovation to scale with discipline, transparency, and long-term capital alignment. When the CSE approved the deal, it felt like a real breakthrough moment.
And on a personal level, meeting patients every day keeps me locked in – and my wife and my family are my foundation through all of it.
As a Black entrepreneur in a sector that has historically underrepresented Black founders—especially in cannabis-adjacent industries—what specific barriers have you faced in capital raising, partnerships, or credibility, and how have you turned those experiences into fuel rather than frustration?
A lot of people don’t want to say it out loud, but the truth is this: cannabis has historically been framed through a Black market lens — quasi-criminal, “underground,” and stigmatized. So when you’re a Black founder building in a cannabis-adjacent space, some people already think they know your story before you even open your mouth.
My goal has always been to change that perception. Black people are smart. We’re builders. We’re innovators. We can participate in legal industry openly as lovers of the plant, without hiding from it — and without being treated like we don’t belong.
That’s why I always double down on science and I double down on building a legal business in a legal industry. We keep our licenses up to date, we stay disciplined, and we’re not scared to hold our head high about the work we’re doing.
If we have to go to court to defend our rights, we’ll go to court.. If I have to speak out publicly, I will. I won’t let us be bullied for the plant we chose to work with — especially when the patients my company serves, including the ALS (About Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) patients I meet all the time, need the therapeutics we’re building to help them stay alive longer, manage their symptoms and live a better quality of life in the face of the terminal nature of their diagnosis.
February is Black History Month, a time to honour both legacy and the future. What message would you like to share with Black entrepreneurs who are building in complex or highly regulated spaces and may feel that the deck is stacked against them?
My message is simple: don’t let the system convince you that you need permission to win. If you’re building in a complex or discriminated against space (or if you are just early in your vision), you’re going to face friction—sometimes fair, sometimes not. But you can’t let that stop the mission.
And I’ll add something I really believe more entrepreneurs need to hear: learn Bitcoin. Not as a trend—as a tool. Bitcoin is freedom money, and in a changing world order, people should study why it matters. The same way we study science, markets, and law—we should study hard money. The permissionless network is real, and it gives builders a way to protect value, preserve purchasing power, and think bigger than survival mode.
If you’re serious, look at the Bitcoin24 model on GitHub (https://github.com/bitcoin-model/bitcoin_model). Michael Saylor—one of today’s great entrepreneurs—is literally showing us the playbook in real time. Why wouldn’t we learn from that and futureproof our companies, our personal autonomy and our families?
And lastly: think in generations. Past, present, and future. What we build today can change the next chapter for everyone after us—just like Canada gave us a window in 2017 when it came to legalizing Cannabis before the rest of the world; the world is giving us an opening right now to understand the Principles for dealing with the Changing World Order, and understand What’s The Problem? so we can understand why Bitcoin is part of the solution, and what the opportunity is today, right now. The world is shifting. Pay attention.
That’s why I’m excited about what we’re building with Canurta and PharmaDrug — it’s not just science, it’s also infrastructure: public markets, hard money principles, and the ability to build for the long term.
Looking ahead to Canurta’s next chapter—advancing candidates like CNR‑401 and scaling your PolyKye platform—what mindset or practical advice would you offer young Black innovators who want to create globally relevant companies while staying true to their communities and values?
My practical advice is: pay attention to the signal, not the noise. Today there are a thousand things designed to distract you, discourage you, and keep you reactive. If you want to build something globally relevant, you have to think critically for yourself, stay curious, and never stop learning.
And honestly, people underestimate how powerful it is to invest in your own mind. A $20/month subscription to a “super brain” is one of the best deals in the world. Use the tools. Use deep research. Spend $60/month and test GPT, Claude, Grok, and others. Stack them, compare them, and learn everything you can—because knowledge compounds.
But ultimately, I’m going to say this as clearly as I can: study Bitcoin. If you read this entire article, please take that step. It will be one of the best decisions you ever make for yourself, your family, and your future.
If you want recommendations, start here, read (or listen to): The Bitcoin Standard, The Genesis Book , Layered Money, and The Big Print. And watch this Jack Mallers presentation:https://youtu.be/Pef22g53zsg?si=z-tlte5yLkkneGUx
Build with purpose. Learn relentlessly. Own real assets. And if you believe in what we’re building, the simplest way to support is to stay engaged, follow our progress in the public markets, and learn how ownership and long-term conviction can help fund the future.
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CanadianSME Small Business Magazine. Our platform is dedicated to fostering dialogue and sharing insights that inspire and empower small and medium-sized businesses across Canada.
