Billion Dollar Start-Up

It only took five years for two brothers-in-law to create a billion-dollar, award-winning, take-no-prisoners cannabis company called HEXO. How did they do it? That’s the story.

From early roadblocks and devastating personal and financial setbacks to explosive growth and some of the biggest cannabis deals in global history, Billion Dollar Start-Up not only recounts the HEXO story but the history of Canada’s momentous road to legalization.

In this part fast-paced memoir, part high-octane business book, writer and journalist Julie Beun gives us an intimate look at the life of a start-up and the ferocious entrepreneurial drive it takes to succeed — written in real-time, as the story unfolded.

Throughout history, there have been fewer than 100 Canadians who have started a company and lived to see it become worth one billion dollars. Adam Miron and Sébastien St-Louis are two of them. This is their story.

Adam Miron (Ottawa, ON) With at least 20 start-ups under his belt, Adam Miron is a well-known figure in political and media circles in Ottawa and across Canada. Adam is the executive chairman of the Ottawa-based blockchain innovation company Brane.

Sébastien St-Louis (Ottawa, ON) Sébastien is one of the longest-serving and most dynamic CEOs in Canada’s expanding cannabis industry.

Julie Beun (Ottawa, ON) From 2014 to 2019, Julie had a privileged front-row seat to HEXO’s remarkable evolution as its publicist, content strategist, and senior writer. As a journalist, news editor, and foreign correspondent, Julie has written articles with a national and international scope in Canada, the U.S., and Australia. She is currently a marketing communications and brand consultant who owns J Beun Media, a marketing communications company.