In this episode Pam Marrone, a serial entrepreneur, having founded, built and sold two biopesticide companies, joins us. She is currently the CEO and founder of Marrone Bio Innovations Inc, a Nasdaq listed company at the forefront of the drive towards sustainable agriculture. This purpose drove my work at Syngenta, and is central to that of Terramera, the Vancouver-based agtech company that I am on the Board of.
In our discussion we cover:
- The arc of Pam's fascinating career. She shares her unique perspective, developed over four decades in the industry and some of the ups and downs that characterise every entrepreneurial journey
- How agriculture is being shaped and transformed by digital technologies such as drones, sensors, robotics and big data
- What it takes to be a paradigm breaker and intrapreneur in an industry like agribusiness, characterised by long product lifecycles, an increasingly challenging regulatory environment, and industry consolidation
Key takeaways and learnings include:
- Valuable insights for intrapreneurs, irrespective of industry, on to how to drive change from within a large company
- How important it is for an entrepreneur and business builder to create a strong and sustainable culture, with a focus on hiring slowly and firing fast
- The disruptions underway in agriculture and the impact these can have on us all