About — Esolate

Our story

Founded to solve a chemistry problem.

Esolate was founded in 2019 in Burlington, Ontario, around a specific observation: most novel active ingredients — small molecules, cannabinoids, nicotine, and botanicals — degrade through processing, lose bioavailability in delivery, or carry taste and flavour profiles that limit how they can be brought to market.

We don't sell a finished product. We make other companies' actives more effective — in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and consumer packaged goods.

Today our innovation architecture is built on a portfolio of patents, patent-pending IP, and trade secrets covering compositions and formulations in a range of delivery formats. We engage with partners under licensing, custom formulation, and co-development models — from lab-scale work through scale-up and commercial production with their manufacturing partners.

Our exclusive pharmaceutical cannabinoid licensee is Avata Biosciences.

Leadership team

The people running Esolate.

Operators, scientists, and IP strategists who've built and scaled businesses across biotech, cannabis, and CPG.

Hardin Jackson

Chief Executive Officer

A seasoned entrepreneur and executive with deep experience building and scaling start-ups across industrial, manufacturing, technology, and biotechnology verticals. Hardin leads corporate strategy, business development, and commercialization, overseeing the translation of scientific innovation into market execution. He holds an Executive MBA and a track record of senior leadership roles bridging strategy, client relations, and applied science.

Jinhee Oh, MSc.

Chief Science Officer

Leading expert in the proprietary technology underpinning the esolate offering. Jinhee oversees formulation development and bespoke client product design for esolate licensees across the formulation portfolio. An expert in applied chemical engineering and cannabinoid research, she leads chemical and process engineering design. Previously research division lead at LG Chem (named inventor on LG patents), and a Commissioned Research Scientist at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology.

Dr. Devin Machin, PhD

Head of Innovation

Responsible for developing esolate's cannabinoid formulations portfolio at the pure-chemistry level, leading proprietary formulation R&D through the biochemical research phase, and designing technical research for in-house and client applications. An alumnus of the research team at the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at the University of Western Ontario, and an expert in chemical synthesis of cannabinoids and derivative formulations.

Mark Goliger

Board Member

Leads commercialization and licensing initiatives and consummates partner relationships across the group's businesses. Most recently CEO of Meta Growth, where Mark was instrumental in starting medicinal cannabis distribution in Canada and growing the company through legalization into recreational retail — 35 outlets across five provinces, revenues from $1.2M to over $55M, and 400+ employees before its merger to form the largest cannabis retailing group in Canada.

Julian Bryson

Non-Executive Director

Responsible for the group's IP development, licensing strategy, and EU and UK business development — ensuring the transatlantic operations of the group run smoothly across commercial and scientific teams. Julian previously acquired worldwide rights to a novel medical-devices sterilization technology, patented it, and founded Sterilox Technologies. The business listed on the London Stock Exchange as Puricore plc (valued at £100M) and was later acquired by Cantel Medical Corp (NYSE: CMD).

Darrell Lowes

CPG Product & R&D Lead

An established CPG entrepreneur, Darrell plays a key role in coordinating product development projects and leads research and development for innovative CPG production.

Zahra Marvi

R&D Laboratory Operations Manager

Oversees analytical testing operations within the R&D laboratory, ensuring reliable and efficient workflows while maintaining compliance with GLP. She contributes to product development initiatives, supporting the advancement of formulation and production technologies through testing and process optimization. Zahra holds a graduate degree from Polytechnique Montréal in biomedical and chemical engineering, with previous experience in startup laboratory environments focused on innovative health and sensing technologies and emerging applications.

Advisors & legal counsel

External expertise.

The IP and legal partners protecting our inventions and our licensees' freedom to operate.

Erich E. Veitenheimer, Ph.D.

IP Counsel

VEIT3IP LLP

Develops and implements esolate's filing strategies, providing us and our licensees with the necessary freedom to operate. Extensive experience obtaining and defending patent positions; recognized by Legal 500 as one of the top US lawyers for life sciences and patent prosecution. Previously a partner at Cooley before establishing his own practice.

Michael Saliken

Legal Counsel

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

Partner in the Capital Markets Group at Cassels, leading complex transactions across energy, technology, AI, life sciences, and venture capital. With over 15 years advising private and public companies, Michael acts for investors, founders, and boards on M&A, corporate governance, VC & PE financings, and public listings.

A team built around the chemistry.