Rob Leclerc (AgFunder): Intersection of agtech and venture capital [Episode 16]
Finishing a PhD in tech during the 2008 financial crisis, Rob Leclerc, Founding Partner of AgFunder, identified food as a critical industry that you can “be your career on”. AgFunder was born out of the recognition that the food and agtech industries do not have a physical center of gravity. In response to this gap, AgFunder a source for information and an investment platform based in Silicon Valley, with a global reach.
Our conversation with Rob Leclerc, Founding Partner of AgFunder, is a behind the curtain glimpse at the intersection of agtech and venture capital. This is a conversation for entrepreneurs wanting to understand how venture capital funding decisions are made. And it is a dialogue on tech innovation for anyone interested in the future of food.
AgFunder is about attracting the best talent to food and agriculture, and getting the best businesses funded. Through the lens of AgFunder’s alternative proteins and ESG funds we’re exploring how creating specific funds concentrates capital and creates more opportunity in a sector. And Rob is sharing his take on what makes companies ripe for investments: what stands out are exceptional founders. It is all about the right team coming along to solve key problems--and Rob talks about what qualities make up that special sauce.
We are going far beyond investment strategies and to talk about the need to fuse technological innovation with respecting for ecological limits to solve our global food system challenges. And Rob is sharing analysis of where to focus food system investment and innovation in the time of Covid-19. The headlines: it’s about localizing and securing food chains through automation, alternative proteins, indoor agriculture. And focusing on how food technology supports better nutrition and health. Join us!