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Vincent Ayar

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Vincent Ayar

Vincent Ayar is a Metro Detroit entrepreneur and co-founder of Ooze, the Michigan-born cannabis accessory and vape battery brand founded in 2015. He has overseen the design and development of Ooze and its brand since day one, helping grow it from a 2,000 square foot warehouse in Oak Park, Michigan into a national name.

Vincent Ayar, Metro Detroit entrepreneur and co-founder of Ooze, photographed from the waist up in a dark suit jacket and white shirt
Vincent Ayar, co-founder of Ooze.

Vincent Ayar — quick facts

Known for
Co-founding Ooze
Company
Ooze — cannabis accessories & vape batteries
Founded
April 1, 2015
Based in
West Bloomfield Township, Michigan (Metro Detroit)
Education
Walsh College, Troy, Michigan

Building a brand from Oak Park

Ooze launched on April 1, 2015 with a line of personal vaporizer batteries — years before Michigan voted to legalize adult-use cannabis in 2018. At the start, the founding partners were the entire staff. By September 2019, the company occupied about 42,000 square feet and employed more than 50 people.

Vincent Ayar's focus has been the product and the brand: how each item looks, how it works and how it fits into a larger system. That thinking shows up in the Ooze ethos — fun, function, interchangeability and portability — and in the company's choice to source every component of its products itself, down to the batteries.

Beyond the product

Alongside Ooze, Vincent Ayar is a Partner at Ooze Wholesale, the Oak Park distribution business later renamed Cannatron, which supplies a network of more than 500 distributors and 8,000 retail shops across the US and Canada. He is also listed as President of the Ooze Foundation, a Michigan private foundation that supports organizations across the state.

His roots are in Metro Detroit retail, including ownership at Shoe Rack Outlet and earlier work at Foodtown Supermarket. He studied at Walsh College in Troy, Michigan, and lives in West Bloomfield Township.

From the blog: Vincent Ayar: 6 Business Lessons From Building Ooze →

Philanthropy

Vincent Ayar is listed as President of the Ooze Foundation, a Michigan private foundation based in Oak Park that received its IRS ruling in 2020. The foundation has made grants to Michigan organizations including the Shades of Pink Foundation, the Chaldean Community Foundation, The Shelby Jane Seyburn Foundation and Habitat for Humanity, and runs Oozegiving community giveaways.

Vincent Ayar and the Ooze Foundation →

Metro Detroit roots

Vincent Ayar lives in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, in the Detroit metropolitan area, and co-founded Ooze in nearby Oak Park, where the company remains headquartered. All of Ooze's owners are Michigan natives, and Vincent has described the company's expansion as being about creating local jobs.

Vincent Ayar in West Bloomfield & Metro Detroit →

In his words

“We source every single piece that goes into our products.”
— Vincent Ayar, The Weed Blog (2019)
“I'd much rather spend millions down the road than mere thousands today.”
— Vincent Ayar, on reinvesting early profits
“When you think 'ooze,' you think slime.”
— Vincent Ayar, on the origin of the Ooze name

Questions about Vincent Ayar

All FAQs →
Who is Vincent Ayar?
Vincent Ayar is a Metro Detroit entrepreneur and co-founder of Ooze, the Michigan-born cannabis accessory and vape battery brand founded on April 1, 2015 in Oak Park, Michigan. He has overseen the design and development of Ooze and its brand since day one.
What company did Vincent Ayar co-found?
Vincent Ayar co-founded Ooze, a Michigan-based cannabis accessory brand headquartered in Oak Park, Michigan. He is also listed as a Partner at Ooze Wholesale (now Cannatron), the company's distribution business.
When was Ooze founded?
Ooze was founded on April 1, 2015. It launched with a line of personal vaporizer batteries, years before Michigan voters approved adult-use cannabis in 2018.
Where is Ooze based?
Ooze is headquartered in Oak Park, Michigan, in Metro Detroit. The company started in a 2,000 square foot warehouse and by September 2019 occupied about 42,000 square feet.