What I Believe

No single technology will define the next decade. Systems will.

The advantage will go to builders who can link science, capital, and policy and then execute via M&A, minority stake investments like venture capital, partnerships, and commercialization pathways in regulated markets.

Capital moves fast. Industries bend when capital is paired with strategy and orchestration.

Defending yesterday is more risky than creating tomorrow.

The Problem I'm Tackling

Innovation, strategy, and capital are still trapped in silos, especially in regulated, science-driven industries.

• Startups move fast but struggle to scale through regulation, manufacturing, and distribution.

• Corporates have reach and assets but struggle to move with speed and conviction.

• Investors optimize for returns, often without building the strategic pathways that make adoption possible.

What’s missing is orchestration: connecting founders, corporate engines, and institutional capital into a repeatable flywheel from thesis to diligence to investment/partnership to scale to exit or integration.

That’s where I focus: helping science-driven sectors move faster - agriculture and bio, climate and energy, industrials, and health - where timelines are long, systems are complex, and the right structure unlocks disproportionate value.

Discover 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

• Reviewer, NCInnovation Grants Program

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, allocated capital, served on boards, and led in complex global environments. That mix (operator + investor + corporate builder) lets me help organizations orchestrate innovation into repeatable growth across M&A, venture, and strategic partnerships, in regulated, science-driven industries.

See full experience on LinkedIn.

Career Highlights:

• Corporate Venture & Innovation Platforms: Built and scaled three corporate innovation / VC programs across industrial, bio/ag, and financial sectors (including Fortune 500 environments). Deployed $75M+, catalyzed $250M+ in follow-on capital, and delivered 7 exits, including a $200M M&A outcome.

• Corporate Development & Strategic Growth: Designed and executed build/buy/partner strategies, target screening, diligence, structuring, and value capture - helping science-based organizations translate innovation into measurable enterprise outcomes.

• Founder / Operator Perspective: Cofounded and led a climate analytics startup; reached profitability within two years and captured 40% market share in a pilot region by selling decision-support tools to specialty crop growers.

• Scientific Rigor: Former climate scientist with peer-reviewed publications and funded research; built climate-based decision support products used by practitioners and decision-makers.

What I Want to do Next

I’m focused on senior roles where I can build the next wave of innovation, not just invest in it, inside regulated, science-driven industries.

North star:
Build platforms that shape markets and strengthen resilience.

How I do it:
Allocate capital with a clear thesis.

• Build and run venture + partnership pipelines that convert external innovation into strategic advantage;

• Lead inorganic growth like Ventures and M&A from strategy through execution;

• Design the operating system (governance, decision cadence, metrics, talent) that makes it repeatable.

Roles I’m pursuing:

• Head of Corporate Venture / VP Innovation / VP Corp Dev (science-driven company, ideally $1B+ revenue);

• Partner / Operating Partner at a climate, bio, or industrial-tech fund;

• Commercialization / ecosystem leadership at a top-tier research university.

Primary focus areas:
Climate & energy • Bio/ag & food systems • Industrials & infrastructure • Human health

Recent Thought Leadership

A selection of interviews, talks, and writing on corporate venture, inorganic growth, and building innovation systems in regulated, science-driven industries.

For speaking inquiries, inquire about availability

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

• 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, 2025.
  

• 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

• "The Underpriced Cycle Beneath Food and Ag" AgfunderNews, to be published in 2026.
  

• "AgTech is Dead. Long Live the System." AgfunderNews, November 5, 2025. link
  

• "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 Mark

If you’re building in a science-driven industry, I can help.

Advisory • Speaking • Senior Roles