Chris is a Pathfinder.
As a key cog in the Tall Grass machine, Chris’s niche is in fund operations and portfolio management, where he works closely with prospective founders to identify fits between their mission and ours. Being a heavy proponent of critical thinking, Chris ensures risks are well understood and are balanced with investment upside through breaking deals into little pieces and understanding how they fit back together. An active endurance cyclist (or more realistically “a former”), Chris loves the challenge of his latest “race” in Tall Grass.
Chris has 20 yrs of professional experience, with a focus on deploying capital into multi-million dollar oil and gas projects in Canada and abroad, M&A evaluations, and managing diverse multicultural teams. More recently, Chris has been an independent investor, conducting deal sourcing and investment analysis, working inside angel syndicates, and supporting other venture funds. Using an empathetic and thoughtful leadership style, he pairs well with startups seeking advice on how to approach obstacles as they commercialize. Chris spent a large portion of his career working internationally where he was exposed to a range of global perspectives and thinking patterns that led Chris through a transition to the agriculture industry.
Growing up in small town Canada, he is at home in both the prairies of southern Saskatchewan and the boreal forests of northern Alberta, where he was exposed to agriculture throughout his life. While abroad, Chris gained a realization of the global reach of Canadian agriculture and its ability to fuel prosperity globally. This cemented his move into agri-food innovation.