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FOA 197: Agritech in India

FOA 197: Agritech in India

FromFuture of Agriculture


FOA 197: Agritech in India

FromFuture of Agriculture

ratings:
Length:
39 minutes
Released:
Mar 18, 2020
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

    Mark Kahn is the Managing Partner of Omnivore, an India-based venture capital firm specifically focusing on funding entrepreneurs who are working to advance agriculture and food systems. Before this role, Mark served as the Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Godrej Agrovet and Strategy Manager of Syngenta. Mark earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and has extensive experience in rural marketing, corporate strategy, product development, research and development, mergers and acquisitions, and new business incubation.   Mark joins me today to discuss his business, Omnivore, and share his insights on the agritech landscape in India. He shares differences between the makeup of the agricultural sectors in India versus the United States, including how the family dynamic plays a role in certain Indian aspects of agriculture such as dairy farming. Mark also explains impact investing, and what Omnivore looks for when it comes to choosing which start-ups to invest in.       “Venture capital is like jet fuel. If you put jet fuel in a jet, the jet flies. If you put jet fuel in a Ford, the Ford explodes.” - Mark Kahn       This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:   What led Mark to build his venture capital firm Omnivore and some of the companies the firm has invested in. How to determine whether or not your company is suited for venture capital and the role of scalability in making this determination. Trends Mark has noticed with entrepreneurship and the talent dynamic in India’s start-up sector. The farming dynamic in India, including how many farmers there are in the country and the average farm size. How the Indian dairy industry works, the socio-cultural aspects of this, and the industries India ranks highly in. What leads many smallholder farmers to want to adopt new technologies and how accessibility plays a role. What impact funding and impact investing is, how it is a spectrum, and how it differs from ESG investing. Changes Mark has seen in agriculture, what he sees for the future of agriculture, and why Mark prefers “agritech” over “agtech.” Mark’s thoughts on exits and three ways exits could happen.     Resources Mentioned:   Upstream Ag Insights     Connect with Mark Kahn   Omnivore Mark Kahn on LinkedIn         Share the Ag-Love!    Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! And be sure to join the new Future of Agriculture Membership for even more valuable information on the future of ag.   Learn more about AgGrad by visiting:  Future of Agriculture Website AgGrad Website AgGrad on Twitter AgGrad on Facebook AgGrad on LinkedIn AgGrad on Instagram       
Released:
Mar 18, 2020
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Welcome to the Future of Agriculture Podcast with Tim Hammerich. This show explores the people, companies, and ideas shaping the future of agribusiness. If you are curious about innovations in AgTech, rural entrepreneurship, agricultural sustainability, and food security, this is the show for you! For more details on the guests featured on this show, visit the blog at www.FutureOfAg.com. Or, to learn more about career opportunities in agriculture, visit www.AgGrad.com Make sure you’re subscribed so you can catch another fascinating ag innovator next week!