Weed on demand. Sales analytics for cannabis growers. Hardware startups for medical marijuana. Entrepreneurs in the marijuana sector are building a wide variety of startup companies. As cannabis becomes legal in a growing number of locations around the globe, savvy entrepreneurs and investors are jumping into this exploding sector. Not only is the product green, the profits could be too. With a customer base that is expanding thanks to the ever-increasing number of legal dispensaries, sales figures have a mighty good chance of experiencing the ‘hockey stick growth’ smart investors look for. If you’re intrigued by the potential of this market, following are five fresh marijuana startups you’ll want to keep on your radar.

emrld

Currently in the development stage, Austin, TX’s emrld hopes to bring mobile payments to the cannabis industry. They’re working on an app that will let you pay your marijuana dispensary with your mobile phone. If emrld succeeds, do you think Apple Pay might soon accept weed purchases?

Harvst

Currently beta testing in the San Francisco, CA area, Harvst is bringing on-demand ease to medical marijuana. With a handy mobile app that lets you discover details on everything from hybrid strains to marijuana edibles, Harvst could potentially become the Uber of weed.

Denver, CO’s GrowBuddy offers marijuana growth tracking apps. Available for iOS and Android devices, their applications help you track growth rates, strains, soil conditions, and flowering status. Keep notes on cultivation cycles, create to-do lists for specific plants, and monitor your yield rates on an ongoing basis.

Metavap

Metavap is a New York, NY hardware startup developing a vaporizer for marijuana users. Currently in the prototype building stage, Metavap’s vaporizer will let enthusiasts enjoy weed vapors in both concentrate and flower form.

Miami, FL’s Strain Merchant is hoping to connect marijuana growers, medical researchers, dispensary owners, and government officials with cannabis analytics data. Now accepting beta access requests, they hope to offer data that will help their customers understand not only laboratory data on cannabis strains, but also the impact of the growing marijuana industry on local government and the business community.

The marijuana startup sector is smoking hot right now. Ingenious entrepreneurs are creating new companies offering everything from inventory tracking software to on-demand weed apps. Whether you’re a medical marijuana user or an angel investor looking for your next investment opportunity, paying attention to the growth in this sector is highly recommended.