St. Louis, Missouri, USA
August 14, 2017
The Yield Lab, the world’s first agriculture technology (AgTech) venture capital fund and business accelerator, is pleased to announce the addition of Sherri Brown, Ph.D., Tomás Peña, and Pat Pinkston to the team as Managing Directors.
These three individuals were selected due to the value that their impressive backgrounds and sector-expertise bring to the Yield Lab. Sherri Brown, Ph.D. hails from Monsanto, where she served in a variety of technological and commercial roles, most recently serving as the Vice President of Science Strategy.
Tomás Peña is co-founder of S4 AgTech; a company that provides agricultural risk insight to insurance companies, financial institutions, and agriculture companies. Prior to that, he spent almost two decades doing banking in Argentina at Banco Galicia (GGAL.O).
Pat Pinkston had a 40 plus year career at John Deere, where he most recently served as Vice Present of Information Solutions in the Intelligent Solutions Group.
“Inviting these extraordinary individuals to join the team was an easy and obvious decision,” said Yield Lab Managing Director Thad Simons. “Their extensive background, knowledge, and connections in the AgTech space is exactly what the Yield Lab needs to further our efforts to sustainably feed the world’s growing population.”
The Yield Lab, originally founded in St. Louis, Missouri in 2014 to bring early stage capital to AgTech startups, has invested over $1.7 million into 14 companies. These companies have raised an impressive $31+ million in total funding. As Managing Directors, Pat and Sherri will guide the Yield Lab’s continued efforts and development in North America, while Tomás’ role will focus on finding opportunities for expanding the program into the Latin American market. “Participating in the Yield Lab program first hand was a wonderful and truly valuable experience. The mentorship, opportunities, and connections made during programming furthered S4’s traction and I am thrilled to be tapped to bring the Yield Lab to Latin America to further the efforts of feeding humankind,” said Yield Lab Managing Director Tomás Peña.
The Yield Lab’s application cycle for 2017 closed with a total of 180 applications. Over 90 of those applications were headquartered in 24 different countries. The Yield Lab will begin accepting applications and reviewing investment opportunities in Fall of 2017. “The Yield Lab’s track record is impressive and what they have added to the region is remarkable,” said Yield Lab Managing Director Sherri Brown. “I feel honored to be part of the team that is helping to solve one of the world’s biggest problems, and I am ready to dive in to further the cause.” “We look forward to engaging with and supporting innovative companies to enable a sustainable future of the ag industry” said Pat Pinkston.
About The Yield Lab
The Yield Lab brings together new innovative technologies focused on improving productivity, enhancing knowledge, eroding boundaries, and merging historically independent ecosystems into a more cohesive agricultural system. For more information, please visit www.theyieldlab.com
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