Spokane-based company WeedShare Inc. has launched a social media network named Social High.

Co-founder and Chief Operations Officer Marsh Sutherland says WeedShare hired Spokane Valley electronics and software engineering company Infinetix Corp. to design the app, which became available earlier this month on the Apple Inc. iOS platform.

“We were live in the Apple store Sept. 8, but there were a few bugs so we set the 14th as our official launch date,” says Sutherland. 

He says the application had been downloaded 192 times as of last week. 

While WeedShare is the company’s name, Sutherland says the founders wanted a tag line for the app that would seem a bit friendlier and more inclusive to medical marijuana users in particular, so they came up with Social High. WeedShare Inc. has its headquarters at Fellow Coworking, at 107 S. Howard, in Spokane. However, most of the team is in the Boston area working out of their homes. 

Incorporated in April 2015, funding for the company has been provided mostly by Massachusetts investors and totaled around $150,000. Sutherland says $100,000 more is needed for an Android app development, which has already begun and is set to launch in October, a web application development, as well as marketing for user acquisition. 

“We are launching business pages for revenue in November after we achieve our milestone audience of 30,000 users in the next couple of months,” he says.

Sutherland says that besides himself and company CEO Scott Bettano, there are four other co-founders, two contractors, a contract public relations firm, and several lawyers on contract. The company does not currently have any paid employees. 

Sutherland says of the app, “We wanted it to be similar to Facebook in both design and function. Mostly because we figured that a familiar set-up would keep people engaged, and so far that’s proved to be the case.” 

The iOS platform is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple and is used exclusively for Apple mobile devices, including iPhones, iPads, and the iPod touch. 

The current app includes personal profiles, the weedcast feature where users can interact through shared content and post comments, search features that allow users to look for their favorite strains or other users who share their interests, direct messaging, and Facebook or Twitter sharing features. The app is designed to engage users through shared experience and interests. 

“Two of the popular marijuana related sites out there right now are Weedmaps and Leafly. These two sites give people a way of finding out which retailers have what strains,” says Sutherland. Indeed the app’s searches are powered by Leafly. “What’s different about us is that we’re working to help users meet up with one another,” he says.

Sutherland says the company has considered expanding into other products in the future, but for the moment is focusing on software product improvement. “So far Social High is only an iOS, but we’re working on a Web application to hopefully launch this October. It’s just a matter of selecting the right developer,” says Sutherland.

Sutherland says WeedShare began as an idea the co-founders started kicking around two years ago when Bettano, who sold marijuana before it was legal, began seeking a way to use his knowledge of the cannabis industry to create a legitimate business and to connect people digitally.

“Scott’s experience has kind of made the phrase ‘turning over a new leaf’ our company’s motto,” says Sutherland. 

He adds, “I’m a five-time start-up CEO, but I’m not an expert on the subject of marijuana. Scott is, though, and I think he is doing a phenomenal job.”