Rock Legend Gene Simmons Elevates Invictus (GENE) Above Competition

Gene Simmons is familiar to most as the lizard-tongued bassist and co-lead singer for pyrotechnic, renegade rock-and-roll band KISS. But don’t be fooled. Underneath the high-heeled galactic demon costume and makeup lurks the adroit mind of a born entrepreneur.

The foremost evidence of Simmons’ business acumen is the undeniable success of the KISS empire, which has proven to be quite lucrative and long-lasting. Aside from its more than 100 million albums sold and devoted fanbase, KISS also boasts more than 2,500 licensed products and merchandised items.

Simmons was the architect behind the rock outfit’s marketing empire, modestly valued at more than $1 billion. He has spun that success into multiple ventures including Simmons Records, Erebus Pictures, the Cool Springs financial services firm and the Rock & Brews restaurant chain, among other ventures. Simmons and his family also starred in the Gene Simmons Family Jewels reality television show, which ran for seven seasons on A&E.

While KISS and his other successful ventures are the visible harvest of an expert salesman and enterprising mogul, the beginnings of Simmons’ knack for business are little-known and began during his childhood in Israel. As a poor youth in the city of Haifa, Simmons partnered with a friend to sell cactus fruit to commuters to help earn money for his single mother.

“We didn’t realize that it was a business venture, and we wouldn’t have known what the phrase meant,” Simmons wrote in his book, Me, Inc.: Build an Army of One, Unleash Your Inner Rock God, Win in Life and Business, “but we didhave a sense that if we worked hard, we might make money. And that was an exciting idea: making money. It still is.”

Simmons’ newest business venture is with Invictus MD Strategies Corp. (GENE:CA) (IVITF), joining the company as its Chief Evangelist Officer. His involvement adds an entirely new and exciting dynamic to Invictus, attracting major attention from investors, and has the ability to generate media coverage few other companies can match. Most importantly, however, is it further validates the potential of Invictus’ business model given Simmons’ track record as an entrepreneur and opportune investor.

The move is symbolic of Simmons’ evolving perspective of the potential of legalized cannabis, and one that reflects the opinions of the general public.

Fully converted, the music legend will play a vital, boots-on-the-ground role of getting the word out as the company approaches exciting milestones and Canada marches toward nationwide recreational legalization. Without a doubt, Simmons’ addition to Invictus adds significant value by bringing widespread investor community exposure to a maturing cannabis company with important catalysts in play.