While Western cannabis companies burn billions chasing recreational highs, Helius Therapeutics is executing a disciplined biotech playbook in New Zealand—building a $3.6M revenue business with just 31 employees and zero VC funding. This isn't a growth-at-all-costs story; it's a precision strike in the medicinal cannabis space.

"The most telling metric about Helius isn't revenue—it's zero web traffic. They're not building a consumer brand; they're building a pharmaceutical asset."

The $3.6M revenue figure is intriguing. With 31 employees, that's roughly $116K revenue per employee—a healthy ratio for a biotech in early commercialization. This suggests they've moved beyond pure R&D into revenue-generating activities, likely through partnerships or early-stage product sales. The absence of funding data implies they're either self-funded, privately held, or have strategic investors who don't require public disclosure.

• Zero web traffic but active social media presence—prioritizing B2B relationships over direct-to-consumer marketing
• Tech stack includes Zendesk—indicating customer support infrastructure for healthcare clients
• LocalBusiness schema suggests they're optimizing for New Zealand search, not global reach
• Careers page active—hiring mode despite lean team size