Podcasts about Agtech

Tune in this week to hear Tim and Tyler's takeaways from attending the 2023 World AgriTech Innovation Summit in SF. They hit on the state of farmers, biological innovation, the retail/advisor ecosystem, M&A and consolidation, and more!

Michael Macolino is the Managing Director for the APAC region at SVG Ventures THRIVE, as well as a serial entrepreneur and business advisor. He launched his first company at 21, which started a 15 year journey to launch four other businesses across a range of industries. His long term support of entrepreneurship and mentoring was recognised in 2020, as a winner in the InDaily 40 under 40 awards. Michael's curiosity for solving problems using technology led him to Agriculture and the food system, where he now leverages his skills, experience and network to help AgriFood Tech startups commercialise and scale their innovations to redesign the food system. Prior to joining SVG Ventures Thrive Michael led AgriFood Tech at BDO Australia for 4 years, where he was an advisor to several Investors, Start-ups, Agribusinesses and Government Departments. Michael is deeply engaged in the development of the AgriFood tech eco-system, working with various startup events and programs, as well as being the co-organiser of the South Australian AgriTech Meetup Group. Michael's thinking on redesigning the food system was featured in his TEDx talk, in which he detailed the potential of emerging technologies in agriculture to build a more sustainable and resilient food system. Connect with Michael Website | LinkedIn | SVG Ventures Thrive

Try Acres for free: https://www.acres.co/AGvisorPRO: https://getagvisorpro.com/Today's episode features AGvisorPRO CEO Robert Saik. Rob is a well-known outspoken champion of agriculture, a Distinguished Agrologist, Professional Agriculture Consultant, and a veteran entrepreneur who has been on this show twice before in episodes 095 and 166. He has leveraged these strengths to found over 15 companies in the areas of Farming, Agri-Retail, Distribution, Media and Ag Tech. He was the founder and CEO of The Agri-Trend/Agri-Data Group of Companies which was acquired by Trimble. He also served as CEO of DOT Technology Corp (Autonomous Farming) through the acquisition of DOT Robotics by Raven Industries.Robert is the founder and CEO of award-winning AGvisorPRO, a technology platform that connects those seeking agriculture advice with trusted experts who can provide answers now. Rob describes AGvisorPRO as a connectivity ecosystem that combines elements of other tools like Uber, e-harmony, Twitter and FaceTime to connect seekers of agricultural knowledge with relevant experts.

Take advantage of this episode 70 of the Purpose-Driven Wealth podcast! Join us as we welcome Chris Rawley, a 29-year military veteran and founder of Harvest Returns, who discusses an innovative investment platform that brings together investors and farmers in the agriculture industry. Discover how Chris' extensive travels in Africa led him to invest in farms and start his platform, which democratizes access to agricultural investments beyond the reach of smaller farmers and those in niche agrarian spaces. From grass-fed cattle to indoor agriculture and hydroponics, we explore the many investment opportunities in this wide-open space, often providing safe and risk-adjusted yields. Tune in as we discuss everything from commodities and inflation to crowdfunding and different investment strategies within the industry. In this episode, you will learn about… Chris's background and how it led to his involvement in agricultural investing Harvest Returns, a platform for investing in agriculture, and the niche agricultural spaces it focuses on Indoor agriculture and its various types, including hydroponics, greenhouses, and vertical farms Investment opportunities in the agricultural space And so much more! About Chris Rawley: While serving as a career naval officer, Chris Rawley visited dozens of war-torn and poverty stricken countries and began to appreciate the importance of agriculture to every single person on earth. As a professional investor with this new found appreciation, he decided to invest in a farm, but quickly discovered that these types of assets were inaccessible to the average person. The problem drove him to create Harvest Returns in 2016 to democratize investments in agriculture. Rawley has held corporate management roles in Jones Lang LaSalle, Electronic Data Systems, L-3 Communications, and served as a defense consultant at Special Operations Command with Blackbird Technologies.  He has invested in real estate and income-producing agriculture for nearly two decades. Rawley is an angel investor in early stage agriculture and food companies, including the Indian agriculture FinTech company Jai Kisan. He serves on the advisory board of the AgTech start-up AgroFides. Catch Chris Rawley on... Website: https://www.harvestreturns.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harvestreturns/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisrawley/ Connect with Mo Bina on… Website: https://www.high-risecapital.com/ Medium: https://mobina.medium.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ISsEKBHlkX7lk9b68SKLA/featured Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highrisecapital/ For more information on passive investing in commercial real estate, please check out our free eBook — More Doors, More Profits — by clicking here: https://www.high-risecapital.com/resources-index

Today Gregory is joined on the podcast by Tim Rann, Managing Partner at Mercy Corps Ventures (MCV). MCV is an early-stage impact VC that backs startups increasing the resilience of underserved individuals and communities in emerging markets. Follow MCV on Twitter @MCSocialVenture. Tim brings 15+ years of experience as a founder/operator and fund manager across Asia, Africa and LatAm, along with extensive experience in AgTech, Web3, Climate Finance and ClimateTech. He sits on the boards of multiple MCV portfolio companies, and is an advisor to Goldfinch, MightyAlly, and [Empowa.io](http://empowa.io/). When not running MCV, he's chasing around after his two small kids or rock climbing. Find Tim on Twitter @timrann.

Companies and governments across the world have made commitments to decarbonization; but one of the key technologies, electrification, is still years away from being applicable to the high-horsepower, high-torque requirements of production agriculture. BJ Johnson, founder and CEO of ClearFlame Engine Technologies, has developed a technology to transform high-horsepower diesel engines to run on 100% ethanol. He joins this week to talk about ClearFlame starting as an academic exercise and accelerating into a high commercial-potential product, the economic and environmental impact of this innovation and the necessary long-term focus on net positive emissions. BJ also dives into ClearFlame's collaboration with Beck's Hybrids, their innovation as one tool for the overall sustainability toolbox and how he thinks about growth in the future.  ClearFlame's research and development is located in Columbus, Indiana. Learn more here.  

Episode SummaryJoin us as we explore the world of vertical farming with Jaz Singh, the founder and CEO of Innovation Agritech Group. In this podcast, Jaz discusses how his exposure to the farming industry in India and his family's generational farming background led him to explore innovative solutions for food security. You will learn about the challenges facing the agriculture industry, including energy costs, and how IAG is working towards reducing them. Singh also shares how IAG's modular and scalable solutions are enabling growers and users to quickly turn a profit while improving sustainability and disrupting the industry. This podcast is a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of technology and farming, and the future of food production.Thanks to Our SponsorsCultivatd – https://cultivatd.com/Indoor AgCon '22 - https://indoor.ag/Use promo code 'VFP' to receive 20% your registrationKey TakeawaysDiscover how IAG is revolutionizing traditional farming methods with the help of technologyLearn about the increasing importance of food security and how governments and organizations are partnering with vertical farming companiesFind out about IAG's certifications and how it provides consumers with confidence in the audit trail and traceabilityExplore the challenges IAG faces in terms of energy cost and how they are working with renewable energy partnersDiscover how IAG is helping their growers and users of their technology become profitableUnderstand how the talent pool for the vertical farming industry is widening and how young farmers are disrupting traditional farmingTweetable Quotes“The key for us is that any user of our technology is making profit efficiently and utilizing their energy lower than what they should be doing and really achieving those sort of targets and what renewables can plug in.”“The talent pool is definitely widening up, which is great. New blood within the industry is very, very good. You're seeing a lot of young farmers that are coming into the industry, people that don't want to do things traditionally, definitely seeing the way that AgTech and vertical farming is shaking up and disrupting the industry.”Resources MentionedJaz' Website - https://iagri-tech.com/Jaz' Linkedin - www.linkedin.com/company/innovationagritechJaz' Twitter - https://twitter.com/iAgriTechJaz' Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/innovationagritech/Jaz' Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/innovationagritechJaz' Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeskh65-fwOV313f737Pg-QJaz' Email - jaz.singh@iagri-tech.comConnect With UsVFP - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/verticalfarmingpodcastVFP Twitter - https://twitter.com/VerticalFarmPodVFP Instagram -...

Our guest this week is Anuj Goel, Head of Technology Sector and Executive Director at Macquarie Capital.    Anuj joined Macquarie's Technology, Media, Entertainment and Telecommunications (TMET) team in 2006 following a short period working as an actuarial consultant.​   Today, Anuj focuses on helping Technology companies with M&A, IPO, trade sales, capital raising and other strategic priorities. In addition, Anuj is actively involved in Macquarie's principal investing activities having been involved with companies such as Seek, oOh!media, PEXA and Temple & Webster. ​Leading a team of 22 staff across advisory and investment, some days Anuj will be solving complex problems with a large ASX company - the next - helping a Series A company think about their growth and investments.    Anuj and his team have a broad technology coverage across online businesses, classifieds, FinTech and software, and are building capabilities in emerging sectors like AgTech.   Ian and Anuj discuss a number of topics including:  Macroeconomics and a potential continuation of a flat economy Trends in the tech debt market and how corporates are going after growth  The difference between VC and PE and the relationship between them   Pre-planning for the IPO market  Investment opportunities in AI And so much more!    Quickfire Round:  Book: Total Recall - Arnold Schwarzenegger Biography  Podcast: Alan Watts on YouTube News Source: Letter of Intent, AFR  App: YouTube, Outlook  Tech CEO: all CEOs bring different things, Shemara Wikramanayake (Chief Executive Officer of Macquarie Group) is inspirational.  Productivity App: n/a  TV: Carl Pilkington  Ted Talk: How do you find your purpose?    Learn more about Macquarie Capital HERE  Connect with Anuj Goel HERE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

World AgriTech Discount Code (10% off): ACREFRIEND Elizabeth Fastiggi is the Head of Worldwide Agriculture at AWS. She partners with customers on transformative initiatives that align digital innovation with their business vision and is motivated by the opportunity to create solutions that create a healthier, transparent, and more inclusive food system. Prior to AWS, Elizabeth led Market Development at Indigo Agriculture and Business Development at Farmers Business Network. Previously, Elizabeth was a private equity investor with GE Capital and Ziff Brothers Investments, structuring investments in the energy and agriculture sectors. Elizabeth began her career at the Environmental Defense Fund, developing partnerships with market leading corporations to improve environmental and financial performance. Connect with Elizabeth AWS Agriculture Solutions | LinkedIn

Charles Carrillo talks with Michael Mccoy about tips he uses when choosing a market, what led him to multifamily and what he will be moving on to. Interested in learning from me? Visit https://www.thetribeoftitans.info/coachingJoin our multifamily investing community for FREE for in-depth courses and live networking with like-minded apartment investors at the Tribe of TitansLink to subscribe to YouTube channel: https://tinyurl.com/SubYouTubeDiaryPodcastApple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/AppleDiaryPodcast Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/SpotDiaryPodcast Google Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/GoogleDiaryPodcast Follow us on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DiaryAptInv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Diary_Apt_Inv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diary_of_an_apartment_investor This episode originally aired on March 6, 2023----Your host, Brian Briscoe, has been a general partner in 1000+ units worth over $100 million and has been lead sponsor, asset manager, capital raiser, and key principal on these properties. He has developed a multifamily education community called the Tribe of Titans that helps aspiring investors learn the game, network with other like-minded professionals, and get their apartment investing business to the next level. He is founder of Streamline Capital Group, which will continue to acquire multifamily assets well into the future. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Marine Corps in 2021.Connect with him on LinkedIn----Charles CarilloCharles Carillo is the founder and the managing partner of Harborside Partners. He has been actively involved in over $200 million worth of real estate transactions since 2006 and carries extensive knowledge In renovating and repositioning multifamily and commercial real estate.In addition to being an active investor; Charles passively invests in many different asset classes including; commercial real estate, ATMs and early-stage technology and agriculture (AgTech) startups.Prior to launching Harborside Partners, Charles Co-founded an online payment processing company that has since processed over $1 Billion in payments for clients in 5 continents across the globe.Charles is an Eagle Scout and holds a Bachelor's Degree from Central Connecticut State University.Learn more about him at:https://harborsidepartners.com/----Michael McCoyMy name is Mike McCoy and I buy apartments in the Midwest and southeast of the country and help others do so as well through joint venture and/or syndication. If there is a value add component either physically or operationally to increase the profitability of the property that would be ideal. Currently, I own Rentals in NE OH and am a licensed real estate in CA. I also run a wholesaling business assisted with VAs who have been trained to source me deals.Learn more about him at: globalallianceproperties@gmail.com

In this new monthly series, Tim and Tyler talk with Ariel about her latest Topsoil edition - "Turns out, Seasons are a Thing in Agriculture: a framework for understanding seasonal activities in agriculture." Ariel Patton is the creator of Topsoil, a newsletter bringing you monthly frameworks to help make sense of agriculture, at just the right depth. Ariel has focused her career on driving digital transformation of agriculture to help farmers manage their businesses more profitably and sustainably at Monsanto, Granular, Corteva and currently, Mineral. Connect with Ariel Topsoil Newsletter | LinkedIn

For the last few years there has been a healthy buzz around innovations for agriculture, but a deeper look at the industry shows that farmers are not all jumping right in. A new survey report from consulting firm McKinsey & Company, digs into that issue – Agtech: Breaking down the farmer adoption dilemma. It's the third survey of farmers the organization has done, and this latest includes responses from 6,000 farmers from around the world.We connect with the report's authors to discuss what they found and factors that could drive greater adoption of agtech in the future.

Aaron Hutchinson is the President and Co-Founder of CropTrak. CropTrak brings decades of experience as the leading cloud technology solution to document, share, and analyze an entire supply chain in real-time from source through production. By digitally enabling and connecting their entire supply chain management process, customers can more seamlessly weave together the story of their product, contract, and certification – resulting in significant efficiency gains internally and improved supplier relationships. Started more than a decade ago by a team of entrepreneurial farm kids and data security experts with a background in 3D military GIS software, they set forth to help create the most efficient, effective and transparent supply chain. Connect with CropTrak Website | LinkedIn

Kevin Van Trump and Andy Daniels sit down with Carter Williams, CEO at iSelect Fund, to discuss current thoughts and opinions regarding the markets, what the Argentina crop looks like, export outlooks moving forward, relationships with China, theories behind the Chinese balloon, new developing possibilities with Russia, overall economy outlooks from all three investors, and … Current Market Thoughts and Introduction to First Ag Tech Rolling Fund – February 2023 Read More »

When you think about agtech, you don't think about farmworkers first. Often, tech startups and venture capitalists come to mind. But what if the farmworker's perspective, ideas and needs were placed front and center while these necessary innovations propel our produce industry forward?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will Bachman and Caribou Honig, a member of Harvard and Radcliffe's class of 1992, had a conversation about Caribou's journey since graduating. Caribou graduated from the University of Virginia with a JD MBA and got his first and only real job at Capital One. During his tenure, he met his soon to be wife and had a couple of kids. In 2006, Caribou left Capital One and took a year off to spend time with his family. He then co-founded a boutique venture capital firm and launched a couple of industry tech conferences. Hosting a Successful Conference Caribou was not expecting to be in the conference business, yet he found himself creating an industry tech conference. He began to focus on the subsector insure tech around 2015 and was looking for a good industry conference to attend. He couldn't find one to his liking so he decided to create his own and has since been running the conference successfully.  He explains how he created the world's largest Insurer Tech conference. With a partner, he launched the Insurer Tech Connect conference, which became a large success. Subsequently, they launched Transform, a conference focused on the impact of technology on the workplace. This year, they are launching other conferences such as Prop Tech, Logistics Tech, Food, and Ag Tech. Caribou shared that the process of creation was exciting and interesting for him. They lined up the venue and dates for the conference, which was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Tactics for a Successful Conference Caribou talks about how they organized and promoted a successful Insurtech conference in Las Vegas. They booked the Las Vegas Convention Center, set a goal of 600-1000 attendees, and ended up with 1500. They created a one-page PDF to explain the event and sent it to potential attendees and key speakers. They also asked venture capitalists to promote the event and offer discounts to their portfolio companies. In the end, the conference was a success, and it was gratifying to see 1000 people having conversations and networking. He was a VC at a conference that wanted to make it easier for people to meet and double opt-in to meetings. To do this, they created an app where people could see who else was attending, what they were interested in, and describe what they were looking for. In addition, they had flags at tables with numbers so that when people double opted-in to meetings they knew exactly where to meet at what time. However, they had more people than they had tables and flags, so they had to make do with tape on the floor and numbered squares. In the end, the solution worked and people appreciated the simple social engineering. Events for Venture Capitalists Will asks what makes the event great for a VC, and how that could be different from what other stakeholders like an entrepreneur might value. Caribou explains that vendors can be a difficult stakeholder to work with because they often come to events with the intention of making a sale. This does not align with the investor mindset, so vendors can sometimes get frustrated when they are not able to get on stage. The conversation highlights the tension between creating an event that is tailored to the needs of the VC and the needs of other stakeholders. The conversation discusses the post-COVID period, how people are now more eager to attend events, and that people are cutting back on attending certain events. Caribou suggests that certain categories of people, such as entrepreneurs gearing up to fundraise, can benefit from attending such events. Prequalifying People for a Conference Caribou and Will  discuss how to prequalify people for a conference. Caribou explains that they would not prohibit people from buying tickets and attending, as it would be exceptional and bad behavior. However, they need to curate what's on stage, so if a company is uninteresting to them, they won't be onstage. They are open to the idea of companies paying for space in the Expo Hall. Pay-to-play on stage is something they avoid, as it cheapens the quality of the product. The events are all held in Vegas, as it is neutral territory, has great logistics, and it is difficult for people to just pop in and out. This ensures all attendees get the most out of the event. Timestamps: 07:28 Planning a Successful Conference Event  11:46 Leveraging Word of Mouth and Earned Media for Event Promotion  14:11 Designing a Networking Event  15:57 VC Matchmaking at Honig Caribou Conference  19:58 Designing Events for VCs and Other Stakeholders  26:24 Social Engineering Design Insights: Bringing in Name Brand Artists to Increase Attendance  29:11 The Economics of Running a Conference  32:47 Impact of COVID-19 on B2B Trade Marketing and InsureTech Connect Conference  40:05 Prequalifying Attendees and Benefits of Hosting Events in Las Vegas  52:28 Investing in Innovative Companies and Harvard Courses  54:19 Overcoming Challenges in Physics Math Class  Links: Website: sempervirensvc.com  CONTACT INFO: linkedin.com/in/caribou Twitter: @caribou101

Agtech continues to be one of the fastest-growing categories of the agbioscience economy as producers and those that serve them seek to deliver greater value, efficiency and ultimately, improve net farm income.  This week, we are joined by Dr. Brian Lutz, VP of Agricultural Solutions, at Corteva Agriscience. They dive into optimizing solutions for the farmer, the transformation of agtech and where we are at in its maturation cycle. Brian also talks about digital solutions letting farmers transparently see the value of the products they're investing in for their operations and how Corteva Agriscience is formatting their business in accordance. Lastly, he talks through energy, sustainability and what's ahead for the company's digital platform.  

In this episode, we speak with Agam Khare, Founder and CEO of Absolute, a bioscience company leveraging the best of nature, science and innovation to build a better future for people and the planet. The company's AI-driven operating system can be implemented across vertical farms, greenhouses, open farms, and other areas, enabling farmers to grow crops without using synthetic enzymes and GMOs. Based in Delhi, India, Absolute operates across 16 countries and is backed by Sequoia, Tiger Global, and Alpha Wave. Prior to Absolute, Agam ran India's leading Industrial Robotics & Factory Automation company working across various sectors - Food & Beverage, Pharma, Auto, Oil & Gas, Steel & Cement. I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to subscribe and drop us a comment.

Try Acres for FREE: https://www.acres.co/Magnetic Ag Newsletter: https://magnetic-ag.com/"Farm and Other F Words" https://bookshop.org/p/books/farm-and-other-f-words-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-small-family-farm-sarah-k-mock/16922376Imagine Content and Consulting: https://newsletter.imagine-content.com/"AEI.Ag Presents" podcast: https://aei.ag/podcast/"Agtech - So What?" podcast: https://www.agtechsowhat.com/One important change to agriculture that we probably don't talk about enough is the changing ag media landscape. Farmers and those of us who work in agriculture traditionally would read industry publications and listen to farm broadcasters on the radio to get ag information. Those programs were funded by agribusinesses who new they had a fairly captive audience. Well as you know all of that has been turned on its head in the past 20 years. Now companies can have much more direct contact with their target audience, whether that's a potential customer, a trade association member, a potential investor, collaborator, or any number of important people you might want to interact with. That's awesome, right? But it also means ther are no more captive audiences. You have to earn attention. And that's becoming increasingly difficult to do. After years of interacting with those of you who listen to this show, I know that for the most part you have an honest intention to improve the future of agriculture. In order to do that you absolutely will need to know how to get the word out there. That's what today's episode is all about. Sarah Mock joined me back on episode 210 to talk about the future of ag media. She jokes that she is slowly working her way through every job in ag, having worked for USDA, RFD-TV, Farmers Business Network, and others. Today she's an independent contractor who does research, content, journalism and a number of other interesting projects in agriculture including producing podcasts like AEI Presents and Agtech, So What? She is also the author of two books that I personally recommend: “Farm and Other F Words” and “Big Team Farms”. Travis Martin started his career in agribusiness, and ended up finding his love for marketing while working at Elanco. Since leaving the company in 2018 he has worked for a variety of agtech companies in both full time and contractor roles, including a couple companies you've heard on this podcast like Leaf Agriculture and Advanced Agrilytics. In 2020 he started a weekly newsletter called Magnetic Ag that really is different from just about any content you'll see anywhere else in agriculture. Still going strong, over 12,000 people read Magnetic twice a week. That led to Travis staring his own content and consulting business for agricultural clients called Imagine Content & Consulting. I'm very lucky to have Sarah and Travis on the show, and I really think this topic and their advice is important for all of us, no matter whether you see yourself as a creator or not. One quick clarification before we jump in. This was recorded in December of 2022, so when we say “this year” - we mean 2022.

Cole Jones is the CEO and Founder of Local Line. Local Line helps farmers, food hubs, and farmers' markets access new customers and digitize their businesses. Their e-commerce, CRM, inventory and logistics modules enable food producers of all kinds to control their own brand and grow their business on their terms. Connect with Local Line Website | LinkedIn

Ian Harley is CEO and co-founder of Traction Ag, Inc, a cloud-based farm accounting and management software company focused on helping farmers become more profitable and efficient. Ian has more than 25 years of experience in sales and management of AgTech companies, delivering accounting, operations and agronomy software. Prior to Traction Ag, Ian held roles at Granular, Trimble and Farm Works Software. Traction Ag is the only farm management solution uniquely built for the cloud, integrating actual accounting numbers with field operations, resulting in real-time financial analysis for timely, informed decision-making. Traction Ag delivers the most extensive suite of farm-specific accounting capabilities in a cloud application and allows users to automatically and easily maintain inventory balances for crops and supplies, tracks costs of production and field-level profitability; providing crucial insights and saving valuable time. The company is majority employee and farmer-owned business and leverages integrations with Climate FieldView and John Deere Operations Center to automate and ease the collection of field activities.

This week Natasha Mascarenhas and Becca Szkutak took to their mics to sing a duet about this week's startup news. Just kidding! But we did highlight some fun companies raising capital and talked through some VC themes that look likely to be relevant throughout 2023.Here's what we got into:For our deals of the week we talked about Artifact, the new startup from the previous co-founders of Instagram, Spill, a new Twitter alternative that raised pre-seed funding, and Disclo, a startup looking to make it easier for individuals to seek accommodations for their disabilities at work.Then we chatted about the recent flurry of new venture funds and what the timing of these announcements says about where the VC market is at right now.Last, we talked climate tech and how the recent wave of startups in the sector is a promising sign.Equity drops at 10:00 a.m. PT every Monday and at 7:00 a.m. PT on Wednesdays and Fridays, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together and more!

Knocking on the bin to see how much grain is left in there could eventually be phased out by new tech. A wifi bin monitor is an example of this, and just such a thing won first place at Manitoba Ag Days Innovation Showcase in the Ag Tech Category. The Bindapt Bin Monitor, by Adaptive... Read More

Try Acres for free: https://www.acres.co/Agtech - So What? Podcast: https://www.agtechsowhat.com/Tenacious Ventures: https://tenacious.ventures/Today's episode features a conversation on the future of fertilizer with Sarah Nolet. Both of us have been exploring the future of fertilizer on our respective podcasts, and we thought it would be fun to do a joint episode to talk about what we've learned. So you're going to get not only Sarah and I's thoughts, but also some highlights from episodes that provide insights into the future of fertilizer.Sarah Nolet is an internationally recognized food systems innovation expert and co-founder of Tenacious Ventures, a high-support, high conviction, sector-specific agrifood tech venture firm. Sarah has been instrumental in building the early stage agtech ecosystem - from advising dozens of startups, designing accelerator programs and consulting to established agribusinesses, to helping industry, universities and government develop and implement forward-looking initiatives in food system innovation. Sarah is also the host of the AgTech...So What? podcast, telling stories of innovators building the food system of the future.Sarah holds a Masters in System Design and Management from MIT, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Human Factors Engineering from Tufts University.

Guillermo Valenzuela is the VP of Sales and Marketing at WiseConn, an agtech company that has developed a technology to measure and control water and other fluids in such diverse areas such as agriculture, mining and hydrology. The WiseConn platform consists of a wireless hardware installed on the field and software that is accessible through the Internet, allowing users to view their process and make informed decisions. Connect with WiseConn Website | LinkedIn

Hi #smartcommunity friends! Welcome to the Summer Series here on the Smart Community Podcast. As you know, we're taking a little break from new content over the Australian summer holidays, and instead we are sharing the replays of a few of our all time favourite episodes. This week we're sharing my interview with Tim Neale from Episode 308, which was released in August 2022. Tim, who was named Australian Agricultural Consultant of the year 2018, has over 25 years' experience across Australia and internationally, 20 of which has been running his own agtech businesses. He is co-founder and Managing Director of DataFarming, a five-year old agtech business out of Queensland. In this episode, Tim begins by telling us about his background in agtech and current work, his passion for helping farmers to up-skill and use tech to enhance their farming, and Tim tells us what a Smart Community means to him. Tim then tells us what led him to work in the agtech space, we discuss how technology can help in this space, and Tim tells us a bit about his company DataFarming and what they do. Tim then discusses some of the positive impacts his work has had for his clients, the changes he has seen in the agtech space over time, and we discuss the role of data in the future of the agriculture industry. We finish our chat discussing the emerging trends of tackling data connectivity and data processing sustainably to unlock the possibilities that data can provide. Tim's interview is the last in our Summer Series but we will be back next week with a brand new episode and after that we will return to the fortnightly release schedule. We've got some great guests lined up in 2023 and of course if you have suggestions of guests or topics, do reach out, we'd love to hear from you. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it! Find the full show notes at: www.mysmart.community Connect with Tim via LinkedIn or Twitter Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community Connect with My Smart Community via LinkedIn or Twitter and watch on YouTube The Smart Community Podcast is produced by Perk Digital

Breaking news in the agtech world abounds here at the beginning of 2023, and as we've tracked the latest announcements, we've been thinking a lot about a few tech updates, especially from major brands, and what they might mean for the agtech landscape in the near future.Today, teammates Komal Patel and Matthew Pryor join Sarah to discuss a few pieces of news from the past few weeks that stood out. We dig into the details, read between the lines, and argue why we think they're worth paying attention to.For more information and resources, visit our website. The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should read the information memorandum and seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe Information is correct, no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness is given, except for liability under statue which cannot be excluded.

From COVID-19 to African Swine Fever and now a global recession facing supply challenges, Elanco has faced many circumstances since becoming an independent company in 2018. CEO Jeff Simmons addressed the Economic Club of Indiana last week to send a clear message: their greatest era of innovation and impact to society lies ahead (and is coming quickly). This week, we bring you his comments as a special bonus episode.  Jeff dives into Elanco's new global headquarters being a destination, not an obligation, where people want to go and work with purpose and reaching the world's animals from this new epicenter for innovation. And while acknowledging that great work has been done in Indianapolis, he calls on leaders to prioritize building an inclusive community where talent wants to be and to work quickly – because the window is small for us to seize our opportunity.  **A special thank you to the Economic Club of Indiana for allowing use of their audio for this episode. To watch Jeff Simmons' full program, click here.** 

Trey Hill is the owner and manager of Harborview Farms in Rock Hall, Maryland. A fourth generation grain farmer, he and his family sustainably produce corn, wheat, and soybeans for the Mid-Atlantic region. A graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Farm Management and Economics, Trey has been committed throughout his career to innovative agriculture sustainability.  At Harborview Farms, he and his team are breaking new ground with innovative and creative farming techniques — combining the wisdom of traditional practices with forward thinking, environmentally conscious solutions that are shaping the future of the agricultural industry. Trey talks about his operation, his focus on technology and sustainability, carbon markets, and much more! Connect with Trey LinkedIn | Harborview Farms

Agbioscience companies attracted more than $50B in venture capital globally in 2021, but venture isn't the only source of funding fueling innovation. Private equity and debt are also flowing into the agbioscience economy as investors seek new avenues to deliver returns while advancing innovation. With interest rates rising and a cool off in the tech economy, what does this mean for the future? This week, we are joined by Patrick Gilbert, Managing Director of Vine Capital, Randall Lewis, Managing Partner at Cleveland Avenue and Steve Witges, SVP of Ag Lending at Farm Credit Mid-America to examine all the potential tools for startups and early-stage companies to scale and grow.  They dive into how companies discern the right financial instrument for them given the current state of our economy, uncertainty driving the source of capital (along with an uptick in involvement from investors) and agbioscience as a growing market of attraction for investors. They also talk about capital efficiency and how it relates to trends and commitments made by companies, such as sustainability and environmental impact, and their ability to capture market while saving costs in the long-term. 

In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, Dylan is joined by Devon Wright, Co-Founder and CEO of Lumo, a California-based Agtech company providing an irrigation system that offers a wireless, cloud-managed water valve network, enabling growers to conserve groundwater while improving crop quality and reducing overhead costs.

Agtech has long had an interest in shortening the supply chain between farms and consumers. And yet after years of effort, relatively little progress has been made beyond a proliferation of farmers markets and some new “local” tags at supermarkets. There are a lot of challenges in this space that go beyond a simple technical fix, and overcoming them often requires rethinking the entire business model. Enter Michael Bosworth, farmer and founder of Next Generation Foods, a California-based food brand and distribution company that's reinventing how food moves from the fields to chefs and home kitchens alike, with a special interest in sustainability, science, and transparency. Michael's not only growing rice in a highly water-vulnerable region, he's also growing a valuable food business to market his products and those from nearby farms to ensure that his model is both environmentally and economically sustainable. For more information and resources, visit our website.

Founders Gabe Sibley and Curtis Garner are the CEO and COO, respectively, of Verdant Robotics. After coming on the show last year, Gabe and Curtis join this week to give an update on Verdant, including raising their Series A, progress on commercialization, and dealing with a changing economic landscape. Connect with Verdant Robotics Website | LinkedIn

Technology and ranching go together more than one might initially expect. In fact, technology is changing how cattle producers manage and improve their herds day in and day out. Alex Heine and Keenan Hawekotte join the show from the Cattle ID team to discuss how technology helps cattle producers and what ranchers need to know about adopting these tools on their operations. --- Full Show Notes: https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAdZHIY1ZKSEcPH0DsqB-QA Newsletter: https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ranching-resources RancherMinds: https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ranchermind-events --- Social Media Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cattleconvos Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cattleconvos/ Cattle ID: https://www.cattleidapp.com/

In this series, Drew Demler of Big Tex Urban Farms will break down the top lessons from thousands of questions he has been asked about hydroponic farming. Big Tex Urban Farms is a demonstration greenhouse at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas. Drew and his team oversee many systems of hydroponic farming including deep water culture, vine crops in dutch buckets, microgreens, NFT, aeroponic towers, grow racks: all in a greenhouse plus a container farm utilizing shallow water culture completely indoors. Each week through Big Tex Urban Farms the State Fair of Texas donates 100% of its harvested crops to local community centers, schools, churches, and food banks. In 2022 they surpassed 1,000,000 servings of hyper-local food donated to these community organizations in South Dallas.  Today's PC is the combination of the first 11 videos in the Elements of Hydroponics Series produced by Bootstrap Farmer. Videos can be watched on Bootstrap Farmer's YouTube channel Follow Drew at https://www.instagram.com/drewdemler/ https://bigtex.com/supporting-texans/big-tex-urban-farms/ www.bootstrapfarmer.com

An audible gasp filled the room at CES 2023's opening keynote as the world's leading innovators heard John Deere unveil its new robotic technology, ExactShot, which gives farmers the opportunity to dose fertilizer with precision rather than apply an entire stream – creating healthier plants with less chemical use while saving farmers money. AgriNovus caught up with John Deere's VP of Production and Precision Ag Production Systems, Deanna Kovar, to talk about this continuation of the company's smart industrial strategy and putting farmers at the heart of everything they do. Deanna also talks about the critical problems facing farmers – both economically and environmentally, the history of John Deere's investment into groundbreaking technology and being precise to make sure their tools create efficiency.  She also dives into what's ahead being bigger than what's behind us, finding and creating new uses for their current tools and drawing inspiration on tech solutions at the show, paving the way for potential application in agbioscience.  

Thanks to Tinia's innovative approach, her 8-employee urban start-up in Brooklyn, New York, provides safe and nutritious fresh produce with no environmental impact. Here's what we talk about in this episode: Alternative, Business, Creativity, Environment, Entrepreneur, Future, Inspiration, Nature, Science, Sustainability, Technology

My guest Dr. Rosemary Ku is the Chief Medical Officer of UnitedAg.Rosemary is a practicing physician with dual-board certification in Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine. She majored in Molecular Biology with a Certificate in Neuroscience at Princeton University and went on to obtain her MD/MBA from Columbia University and Masters in Public Health in Health Policy and Management from UC Berkeley. Rosemary joined the UnitedAg team as Chief Medical Officer in 2019.My conversation with Dr. Ku brings out the ethos of UnitedAg. Dr. Ku reminds us that the story of human connectedness is not just a one to one relationship with a member but a relationship with the entire community.  We also talk about the impact  of long term thinking on the overall healthcare cost, and much more. Please enjoy our conversation. This episode is sponsored by UnitedAg,  one of the largest association health plans to offer healthcare to the agriculture industry of California and Arizona.  Kirti Mutatkar, President and CEO of UnitedAg. Reach me kmutatkar@unitedag.org, www.linkedin.com/in/kirtimutatkarUnitedAg's website - www.unitedag.orgThe episode is also sponsored by Brent Eastman Insurance Services Inc. - https://brenteastman.com/Blue Shield of California - https://www.blueshieldca.com/Elite Medical - https://www.elitecorpmed.com/Gallagher - https://www.ajg.com/SAIN Medical - https://sainmedical.com/ 

Erik Westblom is the Co-Founder and CEO of Provision, and agtech startup that makes cloud software to streamline food safety and QA. Clients can build simple digital templates that expedite recordkeeping, with automatic schedules, rules, and alerts that increase compliance. All food safety and quality data is centralized in one hub with automatic history and customizable reporting. This makes it faster to complete audits, and easier to analyze processes. Connect with Provision Website | LinkedIn

What does the future of agriculture look like? It's a question often pondered as one year draws to a close and another dawns, with prognosticators thinking about everything from market outlook and economic conditions to questions of technology, innovation, and the rate of change in the business.Aidan Connolly, a long-time feed industry leader now working as an investor in the ag-tech space via his AgriTech Capital firm, recently published a book tackling the question of “The Future of Agriculture.” The book offers information that will help readers from a range of backgrounds toFind ways to protect, maintain and prudently deploy limited resources; andMap technological innovation to produce foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of a burgeoning population; andEnsure that food and farming evolve in ways that will also ensure the sustainability of the planet's natural resources.Connolly focuses on practical answers and specific examples, innovative ideas and new concepts, and thought leadership across a rich array of technologies. Sorted by both technologies and species, with local examples and a global perspective, it offers readers a unique snapshot of a food and farm industry in mid-evolution, providing insight, context, and framing for the coming changes.

We are rebroadcasting this episode of the Hawaii-based “What School Could Be” podcast featuring Oahu Hawaii agriculture teacher Jackie Freitas because there is such a strong connection between the content and our work at the SOW project. Josh Reppun, brother to Paul and Charlies Reppun who are long-time Oahu farmers, is a friend of the SOW project and when he completed this interview, thought of us and kindly offered that we could share this podcast with our ag producer audience. We thank Josh for thinking of us and hope you enjoy it.Associated Links:“What School Could Be” podcast seriesLeilehua High School in WahiawaFuture Farmers of AmericaKupu Program in HawaiiPeterson Egg FarmGEER Funds“Scaling Up” movieFind out more about us: Seeds Of Wellbeing website Seeds of Wellbeing Resource Hub All the SOW links

As an Illinois grain farmer, self-proclaimed precision ag evangelist, and more professionally, the executive vice president and chief operating officer of AgGateway, Jeremy Wilson is passionate about bringing improved interoperability through data to all levels of agriculture. And rightfully so, he has a few opinions about what ag tech trends will be crucial in the near future. In this episode of Precision Points, Jeremy joins Morgan to dive into the top three technologies he thinks growers should watch for in 2023. He shares his optimism around these technologies for not only today's growers but future generations, too.  Show Notes:https://www.precisionagreviews.com/post/ep-56-ag-tech-trends-2023-jeremy-wilson Connect with: Precision Ag Reviews - Twitter or Facebook Morgan Seger - Twitter Jeremy Wilson - Twitter

2022 was a wild year– both in the world of agtech broadly, and for us here at Tenacious Ventures. We've covered a lot of ground, spanning everything from scaling soil tech, to the future of ag marketing, to alternative protein, novel investing tactics, and most recently, the next generation of farm inputs.Today, we're taking some time to reflect on the most important lessons we've learned on the podcast this year– and for us, it all came back to the question of how tech can help mitigate risk in agriculture. You'll hear snippets from five episodes that we found particularly thought-provoking in relation to the risk question.For more information and resources, visit our website.

My guest on the show today is Ingo Mueller, CEO of AgriFORCE Growing Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: AGRI). AgriFORCE Growing Systems is an AgTech company focused on the development and acquisition of crop production know-how and intellectual property augmented by advanced AgTech facilities and solutions. Looking to serve the global market, the Company's current focus is on North and Central America, Europe, and Asia. The AgriFORCE vision is to be a leader in delivering plant-based foods and products through advanced and sustainable AgTech solution platforms that make positive change in the world—from seed to table.   Agriculture technology or "AgTech" sector has garnered a lot more attention in recent years due to growing demand to feed a growing global population with entrepreneurs around the globe working tirelessly for solutions to this problem. AgriFORCE is right there in the fight, and we dive into:  AgriFORCE's technology solutions and brands GrowHOUSE facilities opportunity The company's business strategy, and; Where CEO, Ingo Mueller, would like to see the company in 3-5 years. With that, please enjoy my conversation with Ingo Mueller, CEO of AgriFORCE Growing Systems Ltd. For more information about AgriFORCE, please visit: www.agriforcegs.com   Today's episode is sponsored by: Socialsuite takes the complexity out of Environmental, Social, and Governance or ESG reporting. Socialsuite helps organizations to measure, monitor and report on their progress to create value through ESG in order to raise capital, improve brand and reputation, as well as mitigate risk. Socialsuite's software platform makes ESG reporting fast, simple and affordable. Companies can start building a baseline report in under 60 minutes and start reporting publicly within 30 days. Start your ESG journey - today. Visit https://www.socialsuitehq.com/ to learn more. This podcast was recorded and is being made available by SNN, Inc. (together with its affiliates and its and their employees, “SNN”) solely for informational purposes. SNN is not providing or undertaking to provide any financial, economic, legal, accounting, tax, or other advice in or by virtue of this podcast. The information, statements, comments, views, and opinions provided in this podcast are general in nature, and such information, statements, comments, views, and opinions, and the viewing of/listening to this podcast are not intended to be and should not be construed as the provision of investment advice by SNN. The information, statements, comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast do not constitute and should not be construed as an offer to buy or sell any securities or to make or consider any investment or other course of action. The information, statements, comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast (including by guest speakers who are not officers, employees, or agents of SNN) are not necessarily those of SNN and may not be current. Reference to any specific third-party entity, product, service, materials, or content does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the SNN. SNN assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. The views expressed by guest speakers are their own and their appearance on this podcast does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. SNN does not make any representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any of the information, statements, comments, views, or opinions contained in this podcast, which may include forward-looking statements where actual results may differ materially. SNN does not undertake any obligation whatsoever to provide any form of update, amendment, change, or correction to any of the information, statements, comments, views or opinions set forth in this podcast. SNN EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST. By accessing this podcast, the listener acknowledges that the entire contents and design of this podcast, are the property of SNN, or used by SNN with permission, and are protected under U.S. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial educational purposes. No other use, including without limitation, reproduction, retransmission, or editing of this podcast may be made without the prior written consent of SNN.

In this week's North American Ag Spotlight Chrissy Wozniak speaks with Alon Ascher of Bluewhite, about the cutting edge company that is revolutionizing modern agriculture. Alon Ascher, serves as Bluewhite's Chief Business Officer where he oversees innovation and business development of the company. As part of the leadership team at Bluewhite, Alon leverages his former autonomous and entrepreneurial experience to oversee all business operations, strategy, and leadership of the company. Serving in the Israeli Air Force for 12 years, Alon worked as a systems engineer for unmanned vehicles; a background he brings Bluewhite. His previous expertise includes deploying autonomous systems on a large scale, which has helped propel Bluewhite to being one of the most innovative companies in the autonomous space.The Bluewhite mission is to build resilient farms by maximizing the grower's productivity and reducing their operational cost. They equip existing fleets with autonomous technology, combined with an easy to use platform, and end-to-end service; supporting their journey to a more profitable and sustainable farm. Founded in 2017, with a vision to bring sustainable innovation to growers worldwide, Bluewhite is headquartered in Fresno, California with R&D taking place in Israel. Learn more about Bluewhite at https://www.bluewhiterobotics.com.Sponsored by Tractors and Troubadours:Your weekly connection to agriculture industry newsmakers, hot-button industry issues, educational topics, rural lifestyle features and the best in true country music. Brought to you by Rural Strong Media.Listen now at https://ruralstrongmedia.com/tractors-and-troubadours/ Lasso helps the cattle sector decrease its emissions and farms receive the recognition and real dollars they deserve by doing so.Our platform will play a key role in making cattle farming carbon neutral and financially sustainable, eliminating nearly 15% of total global warming potential.Visit https://agr.fyi/lasso to learn more.

A conversation with Eric Archambeau, co-founder of Astanor Ventures, about the early-stage space slowly getting crowded, the enormous influx of talent focussing on food, agriculture and soil, health care costs, AI/ machine learning, the computational power and the future of regenerative agriculture.---------------------------------------------------Join our Gumroad community, discover the tiers and benefits on www.gumroad.com/investinginregenag. Support our work:Share itGive a 5-star ratingBuy us a coffee… or a meal! www.Ko-fi.com/regenerativeagriculture----------------------------------------------------We talk about it at conferences and discuss it over coffee: we should get institutional investors (the pension funds, insurance companies, and very large asset managers) investing in the space. But very few people have actually raised from these players and thought about their role. Who can write $100M checks to give the scale-ups in the regenerative agriculture and food tech space the time to grow? Why now is the moment for regenerative food and agriculture (as health care costs are getting out of control, institutional players are forced to invest in impact, technology and raw computational power make almost magic possible)?More about this episode on https://investinginregenerativeagriculture.com/eric-archambeau.Find our video course on https://investinginregenerativeagriculture.com/course.----------------------------------------------------The above references an opinion and is for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. Support the showFeedback, ideas, suggestions? - Twitter @KoenvanSeijen - Get in touch www.investinginregenerativeagriculture.comJoin our newsletter on www.eepurl.com/cxU33P! Support the showThanks for listening and sharing!

Episode SummaryBrandy Keen is the Co-founder & Senior Technical Advisor at Surna, an organization that designs, engineers and manufactures application-specific environmental control and air sanitation systems for commercial, state, and provincial-regulated indoor cannabis cultivation facilities in the U.S. and Canada. Today, Harry and Brandy discuss the origins of Hydro Innovations and their acquisition by Surna, the powerful impact that controlled environment agriculture has on the world's water supply, and what the future holds for the growth of the cannabis industry.Thanks to Our SponsorsCultivatd – https://cultivatd.com/Indoor AgCon '22 - https://indoor.ag/Use promo code 'VFP' to receive 20% your registrationKey Takeaways07:06 – Brandy Keen joins the show to discuss the value she's gotten from her experiences at conferences like the AgTech & Brazilian Harvest Conferences10:21 – The origin story of Hydro Innovations and the decision to focus on climate management16:06 – Engineering & Cannabis19:34 – A strategic acquisition: Enter Surna23:36 – The growth and maturity of the cannabis industry in recent years26:37 – Surna's offerings and ideal clients29:30 – An increased interest in food production34:43 – How the proliferation of new technology is shifting the cannabis industry36:54 – Brandy speaks to her time with The Cannabis Sustainability Working Group39:02 – Lessons in food production via vertical farming and why indoor farms fail44:54 – Brandy speculates on the endless possibilities of controlled environment agriculture49:42 – A tough question Brandy has had to ask herself recently and something she's changed her mind about recently51:38 – Brandy speculates on the future of the CEA and cannabis industries54:45 – Harry thanks Brandy for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can go to connect with her and learn more about SurnaTweetable Quotes“There's no ‘one-size-fits-all' answer to climate systems, in particular, in cultivation facilities. Sometimes there are ten different ways you can do it and none of them are wrong.” (21:03) (Brandy)“It's interesting because somebody asked me, ‘what brought us to pivot from cannabis to food?' And, my answer was that there was no pivot. We've always served the indoor cultivation market. And food just didn't exist at the scale that cannabis did. So it was really just a product of the existence of a market, not of us consciously making a decision to also do this other thing.” (28:22) (Brandy)“I think that in the food industry, folks are a lot more open to technologies that can drive down operating costs as opposed to in the cannabis industry where they can be a lot more wary of changing the way they do things.” (32:09) (Brandy)“Traditional agriculture uses somewhere between seventy and ninety percent of the world's water resources. And, if you are cultivating in a completely controlled environment, your plant doesn't consume water. It uses water as a delivery mechanism and then transpires that same moisture right back out into the space. So the ability to recapture and reuse water and reduce or eliminate runoff entirely in an indoor cultivation facility, that could be hugely impactful to water resources in the world, especially when you start going places where water is exceptionally scarce.” (45:27) (Brandy)Resources MentionedBrandy's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandy-keen-14651017b/Surna –

I was excited to interview Rick for The VentureFizz Podcast, as he has a very unique background in terms of scaling great retail and restaurant brands like Borders, Panera Bread, and Wahlburgers, which was a startup at the time when he joined as CEO. Sure in the case of Wahlburgers, it is helpful when the owners are celebrities and you have an A&E reality show to support the company, but regardless… you still need to have the right vision, product, and service… and even more importanlty, you need to have the ability to execute, which is where so many companies fail. Rick is now tackling a new but related industry and that is in the world AgTech as CEO of Freight Farms. It is a company that I have been following and have admired since I first heard about them from their time at MassChallenge and Techstars. It is such a cool concept - hydroponic container farms where can grow food any time and anywhere. Freight Farms recently announced a $17.5M Series B3 round of funding to support the growth of the business. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * Advice for scaling companies in the food industry. * Rick's professional background throughout his early career including his time as the EVP and Co-COO at Panera Bread. * How he sought out Wahlburgers and became the company's first CEO and helped it grow to a $100M brand, plus details on working with the Wahlberg family and the A&E show. * All the information on Freight Farms in terms of how their container farms work, plus details on the company's business model which includes hardware, software, and services. * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

Episode SummaryMagdalena Szawarska is the Co-Founder and CEO of Nangatech, an organization that designs the most effective nanogas technology to boost the productivity of farming. Today, Harry and Magdalena talk about the state of AgTech in her hometown of Warsaw, Poland, her background in psychology, and the numerous benefits that nanogas and nanobubble technology has on the agriculture industry. Magdalena discusses the low barrier to entry for farmers to utilize this technology and how it can even be used to benefit animal breeders.Thanks to Our SponsorsCultivatd – https://cultivatd.com/Indoor AgCon '22 - https://indoor.ag/Use promo code 'VFP' to receive 20% your registrationKey Takeaways07:14 – Magdalena Szawarska joins the show to discuss her hometown of Warsaw, Poland and how her background in psychology has served her well in her career17:21 – Nangatech's origin story20:42 – The scientific discovery of nanobubbles and the potential for this technology23:53 – Early adoption challenges28:01 – Agricultural benefits to nanobubble technology and the low barrier to entry for farmers31:16 – Presenting at AgTech NYC33:16 – Animal breeders and nanobubbles37:02 – The current state of the AgTech industry looks like in Poland39:35 – A tough question Magdelena has had to ask herself recently, something she's changed her mind about recently, and a specific ask she has for her colleagues in the industry47:34 – Harry thanks Magdalena for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can go to connect with her and learn more aboutTweetable Quotes“For me, the transition from science to business was a beautiful opportunity to see how those other things I was learning - and also, at the next level, I was teaching to my students - really work in real life.” (12:35) (Magdalena)“I guess, for me, this is extremely beautiful that there are unfinished projects. And there's always a path we can unfold and there's always ways in which we can improve.” (17:08) (Magdalena)“Starting with the benefits, we can increase the efficiency of crops up to twenty percent. The plants, in general, grow better because the oxygen is a biogenic gas, and when we deliver more oxygen to the plant-root systems, the plants grow faster and bigger.” (28:19) (Magdalena)“In general, we don't face that many climate issues in Poland. The climate is moderate. There's still plenty of land that can be used for agriculture. But I guess what's more important for us, as I mentioned before, people from Warsaw and Poland in general who becoming really aware when it comes to ecology. There are lots of vegans in Poland. Vegans not only don't eat animal products, but they also think about the environment a lot. So they want to buy local products and for them vertical farming is great because it means no chemistry, no pesticides, fresh product, no deliveries, no carbon dioxide emissions, and so on.” (38:33) (Magdalena)Resources MentionedMagdalena's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/magdalena-szawarska-059566180/?locale=en_USNangatech – https://www.nangatech.com/Nangatech YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=nangatechNangatech LinkedIn –

On today's episode, Evan sits down with Adam VanWingerden, CEO and Founder of Lexington AgTech startup, Silver Fern Group, to cover the details reported in the Lexington Herald Leader's recent article on AppHarvest. The article, covering AppHarvest's recent disclosure alerting investors that it's running out of cash, comes after a rough year for the Lexington-based startup. Through their financial disclosures, it became evident that the massive investment in the future of AgTech was having difficulty producing a sustainable business model and burning through cash at an alarming rate. In addition to their business woes, Evan and Adam discuss the shadiness of some of AppHarvest's investors that also were involved in other high-profile startup failures, how the ESG movement has allowed this failure to happen, the dark side of SPACs, and more. Visit us at MiddleTech.com Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Logan's Twitter Evan's Twitter Middle Tech is proud to be supported by: Our presenting sponsor, KY Innovation Endeavor Midwest