What I Believe

I believe that the intersection of capital, biology, entrepreneurship, resiliency, and corporate power is where the biggest transformations will happen and the most wealth will be created within our lifetimes.

Capital is the sharpest lever for shaping an industry and unlocking transformation.

But just investing isn’t enough. To have lasting impact, capital has to be put to work with a strategy that brings the whole ecosystem along.

The Problem I'm Tackling

Too often, innovation, capital, and strategy operate in silos.

Startups build promising solutions, corporates struggle to deploy them at scale, and investors chase returns without truly shaping markets.

The missing piece is orchestration: bringing the right people, ideas, and resources together to transform entire sectors.

I’m focused on bridging this gap - aligning innovation, investment, and strategic leadership to drive outcomes that matter, especially in science-driven sectors like agtech, biotech, energy, built environment, human health, and beyond.

Discovering Mark

Select Board & Observer Roles:

• AgroSpheres (US), Micropep (France), Niqo Robotics (India), Premier Crop Systems (US), Solasta Bio (UK), SP Ventures (Brazil), Traive Finance (Brazil).

Strategic Engagements:

• Executive in Residence, North Carolina Biotechnology Center

• Commercialization Board, Plant Science Initiative at NC State University

• Venture Partner, LongLeaf Studios

Education:

• MBA, concentration in entrepreneurship, NC State University

• Graduate Certificate, Entrepreneurship & Technology Commercialization, NC State University

• Graduate coursework in Biotechnology and Business, Harvard University

• B.S. Meteorology, NC State University

I’ve built startups, funded innovation, sat on boards, and navigated global corporate complexity. All of that gives me a unique vantage point for building the next wave of integrated innovation platforms, in ag and well beyond. I hope I’ve left a mark, but I’m not done.

See full list of experience on LinkedIn.

Career Highlights:

• Corporate Venture Capital Leadership: Built two and scaled a third global CVC programs, allocated over $75m in venture capital, catalyzed $250m+ in follow-on funding, and backed startups that are now industry shapers in biologicals, AI, robotics, and more. Led teams across North America, Europe, LATAM, and APAC; served as board member and advisor to companies from Seed to Series D across five continents. 8 exits to date.

• Corporate Strategy & M&A: Drove high-value M&A strategies and enterprise-wide transformations for science-based organizations. Recognized for designing and executing bold strategies and building elite teams.

• Startup & Entrepreneurial Leadership: Co-founded and led startups in climate tech, scaling to profitability and capturing significant market share.

• Academic & Scientific Rigor: Former academic climate scientist, securing research grants, publishing peer-reviewed work, and building decision support products used globally.

What I Want to do Next

Corporate Roles

• Head of Corporate Venture Capital / Chief Innovation Officer

• EVP/VP Strategy & Corporate Development

• Partner level

Venture / PE Fund

Climate Sectors:
bio, ag, food, health, energy, industrials, water, digital, etc.

My How:

Allocate capital to back promising innovations

What I Want To Do:

Orchestrate ventures, M&A, corp dev, culture of innovation

My Why:

Create and bend markets that drive resilience

For me, it’s about shaping an industry, not just playing in it.

Here’s what it could look like:

Recent Thought Leadership

Interviews

• Featured in "10 practical tips for agri-tech start-ups in 2025" by Agri-TechE, September 5, 2025. link
  

• Guest on the Caplander Podcast, August 25, 2025. link
  

• Guest on the Modern Acre, episode 418, July 29, 2025. link
  

• Appeared on the Charles Aris webinar - Seeding the future of Agtech, June 4, 2025. link
  

• Featured in Software is Feeding the World, the strategic role of corporate VC, March 19, 2025. link

Speaking (inquire about speaking availability)

• Speaker in "Inside the Boardroom: What Works, What Breaks in Corporate Venture Capital," hosted by Trampoline VC, September 29, 2025.
  

• Panelist at NY Climate Week, "Cultivating Alignment: Scaling Solutions to Reduce Fertilizer Emissions" hosted by PACT, Vere Initiatives, and the McKnight Foundation, September 24, 2025. link
  

• Panelist and Moderator at the Santa Fe Business Forum, Rosario, Argentina, September 2-3, 2025. link
  

• Speech at the 9th Microbiome AgBioTech Summit, Raleigh, NC, "Fast Capital, Slow Science: Why We’re Starving the Next AgBio Revolution," August 26, 2026.
  

• Panelist in a Congressional Briefing about AgTech, hosted by Congresswoman Budzinski (D-IL) and the House Committee on Agriculture, Washington DC, June 25, 2025. link
  

• Spoke at the Bonny Doon Insights Forum, Santa Cruz, “Why CVCs fail,” May 14, 2025. link
  

• Panelist at the Agri-Venture Forum, Toronto, Corporate Strategics in AgTech, May 8, 2025.
  

• Keynote speaker, Africa Agri-Tech Conference, “Funding 2040 and Beyond,” Pretoria, South Africa, March 20, 2025. link

Writing

• "When rebuilding the bridge, founders and funders can’t afford the ‘slow maybe’", AgfunderNews, September 22, 2025. link
  

• "Five ways startup investment can bend markets," Global Corporate Venturing, September 19, 2025. link
  

• “The Quiet Trends Reshaping Ag and Food,” AgFunderNews, June 23, 2025. link
  

• “AgTech x AGI: The Convergence That Changes Everything,” AgTechNavigator, June 16, 2025. link
  

• “The end of Corporate Venture Capital as we know it,” Global Corporate Venturing, June 11, 2025. link
  

• "How to unlock trillion-dollar opportunities in agrifood and climate,” AgFunderNews, March 12, 2025. link
  

• “Why agtech needs new capital models… and investors who can keep up,” AgFunderNews, January 7, 2025. link

Get in Touch with Me

Let’s build something bold. Reach out.

I am seeking a senior leadership mandate inside a forward-thinking organization, with select advisory and speaking roles as a complement, not a substitute.