Barry Adams
Founding and Managing Partner
Mr. Adams is a Founding and Managing Partner of Prairie Crest Capital, LLC, which is a Midwest-based venture capital firm focused on early stage investments in promising, transformational agriculture and technology innovation
Mr. Adams was a Principal at ColBridge Capital Management, LLC, an event driven hedge fund. Prior to joining ColBridge Capital Management, LLC, Mr. Adams served as President at Grant Park Capital Partners, LLC, a start-up, event driven fund of hedge funds. Prior to Grant Park Capital Partners, LLC, Mr. Adams was a Senior Vice President at U.S. Trust Company where he was responsible for the delivery of asset management, alternative investments and capital market solutions as well as placement of “Master Class Hedge Funds,” primarily to family offices. Mr. Adams holds B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.
Mark White
Founding and Managing Partner
Mr. White is a Founding and Managing Partner of Prairie Crest Capital, LLC, which is a Midwest-based venture capital firm focused on early stage investments in promising, transformational agriculture and technology innovation.
Mr. White has over thirty (30) years of financial, private equity, investment, management, turnaround and entrepreneurial experience. His entrepreneurial experience includes a variety of ventures in the consumer goods, alternative energy and technology sectors. Mr. White has also been involved in a number of business turnaround projects, including Steelworks, Inc., a manufacturer of home office furniture and products. In each of his engagements, Mr. White has led financial or strategic initiatives worldwide, with particularly wide experience in China. Mr. White is a native of Detroit, Michigan and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, with Honors, from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Advisory Board
John Woodberry
Advisory Board Member
From 2007 to 2012, Mr. Woodberry served as the Portfolio Manager for the India and Capital Markets Group of Passport Capital, LLC, a San Francisco-based hedge fund. From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Woodberry was the President and Portfolio Manager of Independence Capital Asset Partners, LLC. Previously, from 2001 to 2004, Mr. Woodberry was a Senior Research Analyst at Cobalt Capital, LLC, a New York City-based hedge fund. From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Woodberry worked for Minute Man Capital Management, LLC and Trident Investment Management, LLC, each a New York City-based hedge fund. From 1995 to 1998, Mr. Woodberry worked at Templeton Investment Council Ltd. Mr. Woodberry has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Stanford University.
Kevin Kimle
Advisory Board Member
Kevin Kimle currently serves as the Rastetter Chair of Agricultural Entrepreneurship at Iowa State University and Director of the Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative. Kimle’s work includes development and delivery of entrepreneurship curriculum and programs in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, outreach programs to aspiring entrepreneurs and executives, and research on entrepreneurship and risk management. He is also a serial AgTech investor, beginning as early as 1996 when he co-founded E-Markets, a pioneering business in Internet-based electronic commerce in agriculture. In 2016, he helped launch the Ag Startup Engine, a new initiative at the Iowa State University Research Park that will identify and fund innovative agricultural start-ups.
Lloyd LePage
Advisory Board Member
Mr. Le Page is the founder of Heartland Global Inc., a demonstration of his passion for new business and enterprise development through technology transfer, research and market innovation, stakeholder engagement, creative partnerships and mutually beneficial growth.
Mr. Le Page’s career includes 25 years management experience in farming, agribusiness, high value horticulture, and rural development in Africa, Asia and US. He has consulted for the World Bank, IFC, USAID, agri-business, trade associations and non-profits. Prior to starting the consulting practice Lloyd was CEO of the CGIAR Consortium, the world’s largest public agriculture and natural resources research institution, spanning 15 research centers globally, operating in over 200 locations, and supported by 64 national government and private foundation donors.
Bill Niebur Ph D.
Advisory Board Member
Dr. Niebur is president and CEO of Origin Agritech, Ltd. Prior to joining Origin, he served DuPont Pioneer as vice president and general manager with strategic oversight responsibility for China, East Asia and Oceania. Dr. Niebur has been in the seed business for more than three decades, beginning his career as a corn geneticist in Princeton, Ill. He went on to gain extensive global experience, first overseeing research and development while living in Europe, then returning to North America as the company's global vice president for R&D, and finally moving into business operations managing seed businesses. In 2015, Dr. Niebur was named as one of 50 people "Shaping the Future of the U.S.-China Relationship" in the Pacific Power Index, publicized by Foreign Policy Group. Dr. Niebur was instrumental in integrating technologies into plant genetics programs and was granted several patents which led to the commercialization of more than 30 branded products during his scientific career. Dr. Niebur holds both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Iowa State University. He earned his doctorate in plant breeding and cytogenetics from the University of Minnesota.