This Women’s History Month, we’re spotlighting founders shaping the industry through leadership, creativity, and purpose.
Alibi is rooted in intention, quality, and real experience.
Co-founder Marianne’s personal journey led her to build a brand that approaches the plant with care, high standards, and a commitment to creating something both elevated and accessible.
We connected with Marianne to learn more about the inspiration behind Alibi and her perspective on building with integrity.
What sparked the decision to start your brand? What did you want to do differently?
My journey to founding Alibi wasn’t a business plan, it was personal. In 2015, while navigating breast cancer and chemotherapy, I discovered cannabis in a completely new way. It wasn’t recreational. It was relief. It gave me my appetite back. It quieted nausea. It softened anxiety. It reduced my dependence on a long list of pharmaceuticals and allowed me to engage with my children and participate in life.
That experience changed me.
I didn’t enter this industry chasing a trend, I entered it with reverence for the plant and a deep belief that it deserved better stewardship. I wanted to build something grounded in integrity, quality and the belief that cannabis improves lives. My background is in systems and business operations, so I approached cannabis the way I approach everything: thoughtfully, deliberately, and with high standards.
I wanted to do it differently, to create a brand that felt elevated but accessible, beautiful but substance-driven, and rooted in real experience rather than hype.
If your brand were a mood, a texture, or a sound, what would it be and why?
If Alibi were a mood, it would be adventure and happiness, that feeling when you’re joyful, present, and experiencing life.
If it were a texture, it would be velvet layered over stone. Soft, inviting, but with structure underneath. Craft meets backbone.
If it were a sound, it would be a deep bass line – steady, resonant, confident – with unexpected harmonics that reveal themselves the longer you listen. Our products are terpene-forward and sensory-driven; they unfold. I want the experience to feel intentional, like something you savor rather than rush.
What’s a challenge you’ve faced that strengthened the way you lead?
The cannabis industry is not for the faint of heart. Regulations shift. Markets change. Capital is scarce. You’re building in public while the rules evolve beneath you.
Navigating multiple state markets forced me to become even more disciplined and resilient. I’ve had to make hard decisions, move quickly without panic, and stay grounded when things felt chaotic. That pressure clarified how I lead: transparent, systems-oriented, and values-first.
Cancer taught me perspective. Entrepreneurship sharpened it.
I don’t lead from ego, I lead from endurance, compassion and a deep drive for constant improvement.
What’s one assumption about women in this industry you’d love to break?
There’s still a quiet assumption that women in cannabis are either the “creative side” or the “support role.” I’d love to break the idea that women aren’t operational powerhouses or strategic leaders.
We can build infrastructure. We can raise capital. We can negotiate, scale, and win awards — and do it without compromising who we are.
I think women often come in over-prepared and under-credited. I’d love to flip that narrative.
What product or moment are you most proud of so far, and why?
There have been beautiful milestones – national recognition, awards, expansion into new markets – but what makes me proudest is consistency.
To build a cultivation facility and product line that customers trust – where every jar, every pre-roll, every batch reflects care – that’s what matters most to me.
Recognition is wonderful. But earning repeat customers? That’s the real trophy.
How do you give back or stay connected to your community?
Community is everything in this industry. I stay connected by showing up at retailer trainings, educational panels, industry events, and through mentoring. I believe education strengthens the entire ecosystem. Sponsoring a grant and providing mentorship through Latinas in Cannabis that supported a woman owned business is just one example of how Alibi engages with the community.
I also have been a board member, volunteer and advocate for our local child abuse intervention clinic. Providing a healing place for children who have experienced trauma is deeply gratifying.
I also share my story openly. When I talk about using cannabis during cancer treatment, I see how many people feel less alone. That connection reminds me why this work matters.
For me, giving back isn’t a separate initiative, it’s woven into leadership.
What advice would you give to women looking to enter this industry?
Know your “why.” This industry will test you. If your reason isn’t clear, it’s easy to lose your footing.
Build your network early. Ask questions. Learn the regulatory landscape inside and out. Don’t wait to be invited into rooms, walk in prepared and empowered to speak your mind.
And don’t shrink.
There is space for bold, strategic, compassionate leadership here.
How can we stay connected with Alibi?
