Sarah Nolet - Partner & CEO
Sarah Nolet, originally from Silicon Valley, is a globally recognized food systems innovation expert. A systems thinker with an understanding of the complexities of the food system, Sarah brings a visionary yet pragmatic approach. She is committed to results. Sarah works across the global food system supply chain, helping farmers, agribusinesses, universities, investors and entrepreneurs to achieve their goals.
Sarah holds a Masters in System Design and Management from MIT, a certificate in sustainability from the Sustainability Initiative at MIT Sloan, and a B.S. in Computer Science and Human Factors Engineering from Tufts University.
Sarah is on the board of the Future Farmers Network of Australia, a non-profit dedicated to empowering and supporting young people in Agriculture, and was named a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum in 2016. Sarah is also a writer, startup investor and advisor, and in demand speaker.
Matthew Pryor - Partner
Matthew Pryor, who grew up in country Victoria, is recognized for his expertise in building and scaling agricultural technology businesses, from early prototyping, to capital raising, to exit through trade sale. Matthew was the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Observant, established in 2003 to use technology to manage scarce agricultural water in drought-hardened north Western Australia. Observant expanded to provide irrigation solutions for all types of farming operations throughout Australia and globally, leading to its acquisition by Jain Irrigation. Matthew is also on the board of Rocket Seeder, a not-for-profit, member-based organisation committed to supporting food and agriculture entrepreneurs.
Cass Mao- Principal Advisor
Cass Mao is a strategy and growth specialist with a focus on emerging technology. With a background in sales and marketing, she has led the go-to-market of two Australian startups, scaled social enterprise incubator Vibewire as Executive Director, and managed portfolio companies at venture capital fund Trimantium Capital.
As a consultant and presenter, Cass has worked with organisations including GroupM, ABC, the Foundation for Young Australians, National Council of Social Services, Vivid Ideas, University of Technology Sydney, Optus and Private Wealth Network.
Cass holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Sydney. She is a Board Director of Youth Without Borders, and was named a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum in 2015. She represented Australia as a delegate to the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance Global Summit in Germany and was selected by the U.S. Department of State for the International Visitor Leadership Program in 2017.
Georgia Pugh- Principal Advisor
Georgia Pugh is an experienced commercial agribusiness professional. She is passionate about food and agriculture, bringing a strong background and deep understanding of operations and key performance drivers across all levels of the sector. She specializes in providing commercial and strategic business support, leadership, research and analysis to optimize business performance.
Georgia grew up on, and continues to have an active interest in, her family’s mixed cropping and livestock farm in southwest Western Australia. She has also worked as a senior commercial analyst at a large international food processing and logistics agribusiness and as a specialist AgTech R&D incentives consultant at PwC.
Georgia holds a Bachelor degree in Agricultural Science (with First Class Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce with majors in accounting, entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Western Australia.
@georgiapugh21
