Built from curiosity,
care, and chemistry.

From skeptic to student

Derek was not always pro-cannabis. In fact, before he understood the plant, he was firmly against it — the kind of former track athlete who took wellness seriously and saw cannabis through the lens most people are handed before they ever learn the science.

That changed when he started working at a local vape shop. The shop was simple: older mech-mod devices, in-house CBD tinctures, CBD lotions, and a steady stream of people looking for help. But that environment opened the door to a much deeper curiosity.

Learning the business from the inside

In 2018, Derek started his first LLC, Hemp Prep, with an early idea around CBD-infused wellness products. The concept evolved — from hemp-prep meals to CBD drinks — but the bigger opportunity eventually became the shop itself.

At the peak start of COVID in 2020, Derek took over ownership of the same vape shop where he had been working. The store had been around for a decade, but it was not meaningfully profitable. Derek believed he knew why: he understood the customers, the lifestyle, the products people actually wanted, and where the market was moving.

Starting with almost no money and a small inventory of roughly twenty products, he rebuilt slowly — reinvesting, listening, adapting, and staying ahead of trends like Delta-8 before most stores on the East Coast were carrying it. In his first calendar year, he grew gross revenue from about $32,000 under prior ownership to roughly $140,000 without outside investment.

Seeing the human side of relief

Day after day, Derek met people who were not chasing a trend. They were looking for relief — from pain, trauma, PTSD, illness, sleeplessness, anxiety, and sometimes situations where cannabis or CBD felt like one of their last hopes.

He began studying how cannabinoids move through the body, how terpenes shape effects, how different compounds interact through the entourage effect, and why two products with similar THC numbers can feel completely different.

The most memorable moments were not theoretical. They were human. People would come in worn down and uncertain, then return weeks later carrying themselves differently — lighter, calmer, more hopeful. Those experiences made the chemistry feel personal.

The experiment that sparked CannaprepAI

Years later, Derek noticed something while working through a large amount of the same strain over time. After enough repetition, the flower began to feel familiar — almost muted. Same strain, same chemistry, same effect profile.

Then came the question that became the seed of CannaprepAI: if the ratio of cannabinoids and terpenes helps drive the experience, what happens when you intentionally change that ratio before combustion?

He tested a simple partial-decarb approach, gently heating a small amount before smoking it. The difference was immediate. What had felt stale and predictable suddenly felt vivid again — like the strain had been unlocked in a new way.