A VENTURE STUDIO
FOR COMMERCIALIZING AGTECH
A VENTURE STUDIO
FOR COMMERCIALIZING AGTECH
ABOUT CARROT VENTURES
Seeding New AgTech Ventures
Carrot is a venture studio that forms and funds new companies to commercialize high-impact agricultural and food technologies.
Verdex Capital launched Carrot Ventures to address systemic challenges faced by AgTech startups.
Carrot sources and vets new technologies, recruits experienced leadership, forms new companies around the tech and talent, and leads the first round of financing.
The goal is to offer AgTech IP owners a compelling option for commercializing their IP.
MARTIN VETTER
Founding Partner
Martin helps bring great technology to market. He brings his operating and financing expertise to bear on sourcing technologies, recruiting talent, negotiating investment terms, and enabling investee success.
Martin earned a BEng from Memorial University of Newfoundland, and an MBA from the University of Calgary.
“Carrot has the ability to radically transform the AgTech landscape. I’m excited to be part of unleashing innovation and bringing great technologies to market.”
MARTIN VETTER
Founding Partner
Martin helps bring great technology to market. He brings his operating and financing expertise to bear on sourcing technologies, recruiting talent, negotiating investment terms, and enabling investee success.
Martin earned a BEng from Memorial University of Newfoundland, and an MBA from the University of Calgary.
“The AgTech community is challenged to develop solutions to feeding an ever-expanding global population. Carrot helps make it possible.”
JIM HARDIN
Founding Partner
As a past company founder and entrepreneur, Jim has insight into the challenges of early-stage company formation, and the actions needed to address them. He draws on this experience to identify investment opportunities, define value propositions, and lead investment transactions, with a goal to build and finance innovative agricultural technology companies.
Jim has worked closely with a variety of companies to build value and realize commercial opportunities including Baby Gourmet, Botaneco Inc., Livestock Water Recycling and Decisive Farming.
Jim earned a BSc and a PhD from the University of Calgary.
JIM HARDIN
Founding Partner
As a past company founder and entrepreneur, Jim has insight into the challenges of early-stage company formation, and the actions needed to address them. He draws on this experience to identify investment opportunities, define value propositions, and lead investment transactions, with a goal to build and finance innovative agricultural technology companies.
Jim has worked closely with a variety of companies to build value and realize commercial opportunities including Baby Gourmet, Botaneco Inc., Livestock Water Recycling and Decisive Farming.
Jim earned a BSc and a PhD from the University of Calgary.
DANNY WAY
Venture Partner
Danny is an innovator, founder, entrepreneur, and mentor with 18 years of involvement within the Alberta and Canadian innovation, angel investor and venture capital communities.
He has experience serving in CEO, CFO, COO, and CTO roles, and created or supported over 20 ventures resulting in more than $30M of capital raised and 150 people employed.
He has a BSc in Software Engineering from the University of Calgary.
“I’m motivated to leverage my start-up, Angel, VC and early-stage commercialization experience to bring promising new AgTech to market.”
DANNY WAY
Venture Partner
Danny is an innovator, founder, entrepreneur, and mentor with 18 years of involvement within the Alberta and Canadian innovation, angel investor and venture capital communities.
He has experience serving in CEO, CFO, COO, and CTO roles, and created or supported over 20 ventures resulting in more than $30M of capital raised and 150 people employed.
He has a BSc in Software Engineering from the University of Calgary.
“I have an insatiable curiosity and a powerful drive to create sustainable solutions for people, the environment, and the economy through the commercialization of innovative technologies.”
KELLY KRAHULIC
Principal
Kelly thrives at the intersection of science and entrepreneurship. Her passion is the development and commercialization of technologies that support sustainable solutions for people, the environment, and the economy.
In prior roles, she led the development of multiple market-focused innovations through technical and product development, and was directly involved in raising debt and equity capital through multiple rounds of financing.
Kelly earned a PhD in chemistry from the University of Calgary.
KELLY KRAHULIC
Principal
Kelly thrives at the intersection of science and entrepreneurship. Her passion is the development and commercialization of technologies that support sustainable solutions for people, the environment, and the economy.
In prior roles, she led the development of multiple market-focused innovations through technical and product development, and was directly involved in raising debt and equity capital through multiple rounds of financing.
Kelly earned a PhD in chemistry from the University of Calgary.
Verdex Capital (formerly AVAC Group) is a purpose-driven, evergreen venture capital firm that invests in the Canadian food and agricultural sectors.
Our mission is to advance Canadian agriculture by investing in venture and community development. We look to invest in ways that achieve strong financial returns with measurable environmental and social impact.