Calumet Advisors Formed as a Strategic Consulting Company for Electronic Cigarette and Vape Segment

NEW YORK, June 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- 9.8 Group, TNV Ventures and Wingle Group, today announced the formation of Calumet Advisors, a strategic consulting company dedicated to the fast-growing electronic cigarette and vape segment. The new company was formed in response to the increasing demand for business advisory services, technology guidance and strategic thinking in this vibrant marketplace.  

Calumet Advisors is a strategic partnership of respected and widely recognized industry experts that includes 9.8 Group, a holding company with a portfolio of consulting companies in various verticals represented by Givi Topchishvili who is the Founder and President of the group possessing over 25 years of experience in international business covering marketing, communications and advisory services throughout various industries (www.98group.com); TNV Ventures, an international expert advisory group in tobacco and vaping regulatory affairs; and public policy issues represented by Ron Tully, vape industry veteran with more than 25 years of tobacco industry experience; as well as Wingle Group (http://winglegroup.com/), a China-based consulting service and sought-after authority on e-cigarette technologies, accessories and e-liquid manufacturers represented by the Founder and CEO of the company Dmitri Churakov.

The collective partners have years of experience working with a diverse cohort of clients ranging from corporate Big Tobacco, Financial Services, and Big Pharma to small and medium enterprises both with locally and in global dimension.  

E-cigarette and vape products were first introduced into the U.S. in the mid-2000's, and their popularity continues to grow with adult smokers as the total annual sales volume of the U.S. market crossing the $3 billion mark. According to market forecasts, the total revenue in this category is expected to grow in the next few years and could reach around $6 billion by 2018.

"For the first few years the e-cigarette and vape market was a highly-fragmented business, overcrowded by small players, very little rules, and a highly uncertain future," says Givi Topchishvili, the founder and CEO of the 9.8 Group. "At the moment, we are observing the usual moves toward consolidation in certain segments of the market. There are emerging leaders, with the traditional big tobacco players making significant investments in the closed-system category, and although future of Federal and State regulation is yet to fully frame this industry, there are emerging trends that make strategic planning and business analysis more manageable than they had been in the early years of the market's evolution."

"The present market is characterized by the lack of duly-structured system of technologies registration. We believe, that the basis of a successful business is the ability to analyze and evaluate trends of development and implementation of new technologies and products. Calumet will help companies achieve these goals," says Dmitri Churakov, the founder and CEO of the Wingle Group.

Ron Tully, founder of TNV Ventures welcomed the collaboration with 9.8 Group and Wingle in the creation of Calumet Advisors, stating that "the complexity of the regulatory landscape and the dynamic nature of the industry makes managing the technology curve, cohesive business planning and brand development challenging for both established players and new market entrants to the US market. We believe Calumet Advisers, with its strengths in policy issues, market analysis and evaluation of emerging technologies, will provide Calumet's clients with a solid platform from which they can make informed decisions about the US vape market."

"It's a true honor to work in partnership with TNV Ventures and Wingle Group in this vertical. Both companies are at the avant-garde of the new tobacco landscape, and are unmistakable thought-leaders in it," said Givi Topchishvili. "Many of the businesses in our portfolio work in highly-structured and institutionalized fields. One of the key goals of Calumet Advisors is to offer an institutional framework to guide companies through this rapidly consolidating and highly volatile market. At the same time, right now the e-cigarette industry is being driven by immense creativity and innovation, and that makes this venture even more exciting. In many ways the newest company in the holding is also opening the door to new opportunities and fresh energy to much of our existing portfolio."

SOURCE Calumet Advisors