Seedling Accounts and Business Stages

Seedling Accounts help you start relationships with CRBs before they are fully licensed and operational, while still maintaining accurate risk classification and a smooth transition once licensing occurs.

This article explains how Seedling Accounts work, how business stages are determined, and what actions FIs and CRBs should expect throughout the lifecycle.

What is a Seedling Account?

A Seedling Account in Green Check represents a cannabis-related business that is:

• Pre‑licensed, or

• Licensed but not yet operational

Seedlings allow FIs to begin onboarding, collect early information, and monitor progress before full operations begin, rather than waiting until licensing is finalized.

 

Business Stages Overview

Green Check uses business stages to ensure accurate classification and monitoring:

• Seedling (Pre‑Licensed / Not Operational)
  The business is in the application, provisional, or build‑out phase.

• Licensed, Not Operational
  The business has received a license but has not begun plant‑touching operations.

• Licensed & Operational (Active)
  The business is fully licensed and actively conducting marijuana‑touching operations.

Business stages can evolve over time and are updated as the CRB progresses.

Step 1: Create a Seedling Due Diligence Template

To support Seedling Accounts, FIs must use a Seedling – Plant Touching due diligence (DD) template.

Important rules:

• If a CRB will ever be plant‑touching, use a Plant Touching (PT) template.

• Do not use Non‑Plant Touching (NPT) templates to bypass licensing requirements.

• Green Check handles license timing and requirements dynamically as the business progresses.

This ensures the application behaves correctly as the CRB moves toward licensure.

 Part One

Invite an Account & Select a Business Stage

When inviting a CRB using a plant‑touching template, the FI selects an initial business stage:

• Seedling (pre‑licensed / not operational)

• Fully licensed & operational

• Not sure

This initial selection:

• Sets the starting stage for the account

• Determines whether additional onboarding questions are shown

• Helps Green Check clarify the CRB’s true operating status

If Seedling or Not sure is selected, the CRB will answer conditional questions during onboarding.

CRB Onboarding & Self‑Reported Status

During onboarding, Seedling or "Not sure" CRBs are asked to self‑report:

• Current license status

• Operational readiness

• Expected timeline to go‑live

License upload behavior:

• Marijuana business license upload is optional if the CRB is not fully licensed yet

• Fully licensed & operational CRBs must upload their license during onboarding

This step ensures accurate classification even if the FI is initially uncertain. You will see the responses that the CRB selects within the Business Details step of the application approval flow.

Part Two 

Seedling Check‑In Questionnaire

Once confirmed as a Seedling, the FI may enroll the CRB in a recurring Seedling Check‑In Questionnaire.

The questionnaire allows CRBs to self‑report changes such as:

• License status updates

• Build‑out or operational progress

• Target go‑live date changes

• Etc.

Cadence:

• Monthly or quarterly, or whatever you choose

• Fully controlled by the FI

 Part Three

Automated Tasks & Monitoring

 

CRB Response	Platform Result	FI Outcome
Now fully licensed	Task + banner	Review and update business stage & template
Now operational	Task + banner	Review and update business stage & template
No change	No action	Continue monitoring via questionnaire

 

This ensures FIs are notified only when action is required.

When a CRB Becomes Licensed & Operating

• A task is created for the FI

• An alert banner appears on the account

• The FI reviews the update

The FI then uses the Change Business Stage wizard flow to:

• Update the business stage

• Select a new due diligence template (if needed)

• Remove the CRB from the Seedling check‑in questionnaire

The banner remains visible until the FI takes action.

Updated Application & Account Approval

• The CRB receives an email requesting an updated application

• Prior responses are retained where possible

• The CRB completes and submits the new application

The FI reviews and approves the account, completing the transition from Seedling to Active.

FAQs

Should a Seedling ever be Non‑Plant Touching?
No. If the business will ever touch a plant, a Plant Touching template must be used. This is a change from the previous workaround that was used.

Do Seedlings require a license upload?
Only once the CRB is fully licensed and operational. Early stages allow flexibility.

Can FIs control how often Seedling check‑in questionnaires are sent?
Yes. Cadence is fully FI‑controlled.

What if the FI isn’t sure of the business stage during the invite process?
Selecting "Not sure" prompts the CRB to self‑report so the platform can accurately classify the account.

How does Business Stage affect billing for Seedling accounts?

If your Green Check subscription bills based on plant-touching deposits, Business Stage becomes especially important with the new Seedling workflow.

Today, accounts across portfolios are set to Active by default. For pre-licensed Seedling accounts, we recommend updating the Business Stage to Pending Licensed once the new workflow is live.

Why this matters:

• Green Check will bill based on plant-touching / active CRB deposits only

• Seedling accounts that are not yet licensed should be marked Pending Licensed to ensure accurate billing alignment

• This change helps distinguish future pipeline from active, licensed activity

Updating Business Stage is simple and can be done using the Change Business Stage wizard.
If you’d like help reviewing or updating accounts in bulk, your Relationship Manager is happy to assist.

If you have additional questions about Seedling Accounts or business stages, please contact Green Check Support.