Meet The Founder of YANA
ARIANA TOKES
CEO + Creative Director (She/Her)
Ariana Fleishman, also known as “Ari Tokes” in the cannabis industry, is a dynamic force in Tech Startups and in the East Coast Cannabis industry. Her educational background is as diverse as her professional journey, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Maryland with a focus on Human Computer Interaction (HCI). She then went on to receive a Master’s in Technology Management from Georgetown University while working full time as a Managing Director of an Intellectual Property Consulting Firm. Ariana's expertise spans over eight years and includes Client Relations, IT Project Management, Digital Marketing, Influencer Marketing, UX Design, PR, Event Production, Retail Operations, and Sales.
Her early career in 2015 was marked by a pivotal role at Hungry Harvest, a company dedicated to reducing food waste and increasing access to healthy food. Hungry Harvest also had a successful appearance on Shark Tank that aired on national television while Ariana led the social media marketing and customer experience. Ariana played a key role in designing their ERP system's backend to meet the needs of their delivery customers. Her talents soon led her to a prominent Private Equity group in Georgetown, DC, where she quickly rose to become Managing Director of their Intellectual Property portfolio company.
After 6 years in Startups and Private Equity, Ariana took her expertise to the Cannabis Industry in Washington, DC where she was a COO of a Cannabis Retail Brand. She was instrumental in transforming a modest retail shop into an East Coast Lifestyle Brand with 3 locations in DC, Miami, and NYC. Her tenure there included expanding the brand's reach, managing a team of 30 employees, and leading the successful launch of 2 new locations in Miami and NYC within 1 year. Her knack for social media strategies also garnered a substantial online following for the brand at the time.
Ariana is now the CEO of YANA and she is channeling her vast experience and visionary leadership to create a new paradigm in the mental health and plant medicine sectors. Ariana's exceptional ability lies in forging strategic partnerships, linking the right people and organizations to further collective missions and business objectives.
Continue to follower her journey on social media and on her new podcast, The YANAcast.
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