Russel Wilenkin

CEO & Co-Founder
Old Pal LLC

Rusty Wilenkin was a co-founder during the origins of Old Pal in 2018. He and co-founder Jason Osni realized that since the legalization of cannabis in California, there was a huge segment missing in the cannabis market for affordable cannabis. At the time, the majority of legal cannabis was extremely expensive and virtually unaffordable for the average consumer. This is where they began to brainstorm if it would be possible to create a cannabis brand that not was not only affordable but also aesthetically pleasing. They came up with the name Old Pal and decided to lean into the nostalgia of hippie culture during the late 60s and early 70s when friends would share cannabis socially.

Fast forward to 2022, Old Pal has closed its Series A round with an $8-million investment from Turning Point Brands and is available in seven states, with many more to come.