Ep 70: Karmen Mehmen on growing a family farm through 40 years of change

Kevin Heikes was part of agtech before it was agtech. He's been involved in four different agtech startups, including his latest venture, In10t. In this episode, we dig into his perspectives on agtech from over 20 years in the space, including: Hard earned lessons from 4 agtech startups, and what it feels like to have a farmer customer call to say you've made their life better with your product The importance of tech companies partnering with farmers Why having an ag background matters in agtech What farmers are looking for when they agree to trial a new product (e.g., with FarmerTrial.com), and why trials are so tough for venture-backed companies Just how hard it is to balance working ON the business and IN the business

23 Maj 201836min

Seana Day brings a diverse background in agriculture, finance, and technology to the agtech sector where she is a Partner at  BEtter Food Ventures. Seana also tracks nearly 1,500 agtech companies in her "Market Maps" through her role as Partner at The Mixing Bowl. Seana's background gives her a unique and valuable perspective on the evolution of the agtech sector, and what the future holds. In this episode, we discuss: how more and more growers are adopting a digital strategy, and what it means for agtech entrepreneurs and investors whether the specialty crop market is behind or ahead in terms of tech adoption, and why silicon valley vs. agtech ecosystems around the world the fundamentals that agtech VCs look for when making investments, and when VC might not be a good fit what it's like to be raising a $30M venture capital fund for agtech what farmers are looking for (and not) in the livestock and dairy sectors

16 Maj 201833min