S3E27: Allison Kopf - Leveraging Software & Technology in the AgTech Space

Episode Summary

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show speaker, investor and entrepreneur, Allison Kopf. Allison is the Founder and CEO of Artemis, the market-leading Cultivation Management Platform serving the fruit, vegetable, floriculture, cannabis, and hemp industries. Allison was named one of Forbes 2019 30 Under 30 as well as one of New York Business Journal's 2019 "Women of Influence." In this episode, Harry and Allison discuss Allison’s background in physics and what influenced her to enter into the field of AgTech. They talk about Allison’s time at the startup BrightFarms, lessons she’s learned throughout her entrepreneurial journey and her passion for developing software that can help the overall AgTech industry.

Episode Sponsor

CULTIVATD

Key Takeaways

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• 03:22 – Harry welcomes to the show Allison Kopf, Founder and CEO of Artemis, who talks about her passion for science and what inspired her to work in agriculture
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• 14:56 – Allison talks about the supportive role her mother played in her entrepreneurial journey and what she loves about mentoring other founders
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• 18:01 – Allison recalls her time working at the startup BrightFarms and provides best practices for aspiring entrepreneurs
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• 32:14 – The inspiration to launch Artemis and the need to leverage new technologies and systematize processes
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• 47:21 – What excites Allison the most about the future initiatives of Artemis
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• 50:40 – Allison’s role at the investment firm XFactor Ventures
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• 56:49 – A tough question Allison has had to ask herself recently
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• 58:23 – Harry thanks Allison for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can connect with her 
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Tweetable Quotes

“My mother always tells me, ‘A girl can dream.’ She loves to let me dream and always has supported my brain and the weirdness that comes with that.” (15:12)

“I love mentoring. I really love coaching other founders, if only just to avoid all the mistakes that I’ve made and to speed up their paths to success. It’s a lot of fun. There’s something infectious about founders and entrepreneurs in that, it’s being around that energy of ‘I can do something that has a meaningful impact on this world and can make a dent and secure my place in this universe.’” (17:02)

“You really have to just go out there and do it. You have to go out there and sell stuff and talk about your vision.” (25:35)

“I started becoming obsessed with this idea that software could broaden the [AgTech] industry, could help it expand, could help operators do it in a sustainable and profitable way.” (35:16)

“We’re not gonna build fast just for the sake of building fast. We’re gonna build good products, get them out to the market fast and work with our customers to always improve.” (44:30)

“There is something to say about understanding the founder and the founder mentality and trying to find that and invest in that. And that is something that you can do as a founder because you know what the day-to-day is like so you can recognize that.” (54:27)

Links Mentioned

Artemis Website

Allison’s LinkedIn

Allison’s Investment Blog

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