AgStart's team is dedicated to supporting the growth of innovation in Ag|Food|Health in our region.
Management team
Amanda Portier
Program Director As Program Director, Amanda coordinates our AgStart programs to better support our startup and emerging company clients as we grow. Amanda has a strong background of leadership and coordinating complex tasks. In 2021-2022, she served as the overall chair for the UC Davis Picnic Day, was second author on a published research paper, and has initiated a number of ‘firsts’, including founding the first collegiate chapter of ‘Women in Data’, and other extensive volunteer activities as well. Amanda was recognized as UC Davis’ top graduating senior, receiving the University Medal, in June 2022. She graduated with a degree in Community and Regional Development with a Statistics minor. She is excited to bring her diverse skillset to AgStart and help support the startup community thrive.
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Sudhee Lakshmana
Lab Manager Sudhee Lakshama serves as AgStart's Lab Manager, working directly with our client companies to support their work and overseeing the lab. Sudhee brings a background of work in academic labs and his own start-up. Sudhee's background includes a stint at UC Davis as a postdoc in 2009, working on nano-photonics. In that period, he discovered his entrepreneurial DNA and co-founded Sonanutech Inc with Prof. Ian Kennedy, raising over $1.3 million in grant and $100,000 in industrial support for the rapid bacteriophage test. Since 2019, he has been working as an instructor and program director at Carrington College. He brings with him a passion for science, technology and instrumentation, along with the experience of building and managing a biotech lab. He has served as a principle investigator and as a reviewer for National Institute of Health and National Science Foundation grants. He is the recipient of the prestigious Alexander-von-Humboldt fellowship. Sudhee holds a PhD in Materials Chemistry from India.
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board of directors
John Selep
Chair
Chair
John Selep serves as President of the AgTech Innovation Alliance, the 501(c)3 non-profit behind AgStart. As a business consultant, investor, and technology executive, John has worked with dozens of startup companies launching new technologies in the Agriculture, Food tech, and other technology domains. John is a frequent mentor at AgStart Office Hours and AgStart founder education workshops. John is also a Board Director for the Sacramento Angels, a regional investor organization, and is a Principal Advisor through LARTA to numerous startup entrepreneurs associated with USDA SBIR awards.
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Trish Kelley
Director |
Ken Hiatt
Director |
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Trish Kelly is Managing Director at Valley Vision, leading portfolios in food and agriculture, workforce development and broadband. She has helped elevate the profile of the region’s food and ag economy, from promoting ag tech entrepreneurship and innovation to addressing critical workforce skills gaps and food insecurity and advancing Farm to Fork. She also helps lead Valley Vision’s efforts to develop the Capital Region’s economic prosperity strategy, in collaboration with partner regional leadership organizations.
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Ken Hiatt is the City Manager and Director for the City of Woodland and lead “evangelist” for The Food Front – a public-private initiative to promote and grow Woodland’s thriving food and agriculture economy. He oversees all development projects for the city including the 350-acre Woodland Research and Technology Park. Prior to working for Woodland, he was with the City of Davis where he served for over 20 years in various economic development and planning capacities. Ken is a founding board member of Ag Tech Innovation Alliance that operates AgStart – California’s longest establish AgTech incubator.
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Matthew Peyret
Director |
Pam Marrone
Director |
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Matthew Peyret is a senior vice president at First Northern Bank, an independent community bank with 11 branches. He works alongside agricultural companies to provide customized financial solutions. Matt manages agricultural relationships, studies market conditions and ensures his customers receive superior service throughout the entire banking process. His client base includes growers, processors and manufacturers throughout Northern California. Prior to joining First Northern Bank, Matt worked for 13 years in the financial services industry in management, lending and business development roles. Matt coaches soccer and basketball, volunteers with local school districts and is active in Rotary. He is a fellow with the California Agriculture Leadership Foundation (Class 50). Matt is a lifelong Northern Californian.
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Pamela G. Marrone, PhD spent her 30+ year career focused on leading the way to a more sustainable agriculture through discovery and commercialization of biological products for pest management and plant health. She is currently Executive Chair of Primary BioAg Innovations and Global BioAg Linkages, founded to help agtech/bioag innovators scale and succeed in market adoption. She started Davis-based Marrone Bio Innovations in 2006 and was recently named “Most Admired CEO, Distinguished Career Award” by the Sacramento Business Journal. On August 2, 2013, MBI listed its stock as MBII on NASDAQ. On August 2nd 2020, she retired as CEO and continues to serve on the Board and as an advisor. Before Marrone Bio, she started and led the bioprotection company AgraQuest, Inc.
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