With Deepfake Avatars And Tokens, AI Transforms Weed, Fintech And Real Estate Markets, CEO Explains How
Darius Bruner, CEO of 8blockchainfund, manages a turnkey special purpose vehicle (SPV) fund that uses AI technology to streamline business capital formation.
In a detailed discussion, Bruner describes his journey from managing a $500 million cannabis fund to developing innovative web-based avatars for budtenders and his ongoing expansion of AI applications in both the cannabis industry and fintech-driven real estate ventures.
Entrepreneurial Beginnings And Venture Into Tech
After moving from San Francisco to Silicon Valley in the late 1980s—a key period for technological innovation—Bruner quickly realized the power of capital over pure innovation.
“I learned that it wasn’t about being an entrepreneur or an innovator, it was about controlling the capital, having access to the money,” Bruner told Benzinga Cannabis in an exclusive interview.
He established several social equity cannabis-focused funds, including a notable SEC-compliant fund managing $500 million, and later his own minority-owned SPV fund.
Launching Funds With AI
Bruner’s company utilizes what are known as “white label 506c’s and 506b’s” frameworks. These frameworks are pre-structured fund models that are compliant with SEC regulations, allowing for quicker setup times.
The term “white label” refers to fund structures that are ready-made and can be customized or branded by the fund managers using them without needing to develop everything from scratch.
Additionally, Bruner mentioned that these frameworks have made it significantly easier and less expensive to launch a fund compared to the past.
The efficiency is also supported by the regulatory environment in the United States, where a 506c fund can raise capital from non-accredited investors and a 506b …