Team

Putting decades of experience transforming science and industry to work

Go To Market Partners

Karen Wilson

Karen Wilson

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Karen has founded multiple start-ups and served in senior executive roles at Fortune 500 companies in the technology, media, and healthcare sectors. In the course of her work, she has generated over $300MM in strategic partnerships and alliances with companies such as Pearson Publishing and Compaq. As a start-up founder in Silicon Valley, she successfully raised $50M in private equity from seed financing through Series C.

Featured Research

Karen Wilson

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Karen has founded multiple start-ups and served in senior executive roles at Fortune 500 companies in the technology, media, and healthcare sectors. In the course of her work, she has generated over $300MM in strategic partnerships and alliances with companies such as Pearson Publishing and Compaq. As a start-up founder in Silicon Valley, she successfully raised $50M in private equity from seed financing through Series C.

Karen Wilson

Go To Market Partners

Elizabeth Hood PhD

Elizabeth Hood PhD

Founder, Director of Research and Development

Dr. Elizabeth Hood has worked in plant biology for more than 40 years, generating 80+ publications and patents. Her groundbreaking work developed the agrobacterial strain EHA101, which is now used globally for gene transfer into plants for crop improvement. In her work at Pioneer Hi-Bred International and ProdiGene, she developed the first commercialized product from a plant production system, and led an internationally recognized transgenic plant research group. Later, she served as a cell biology program director at the National Science Foundation.

Featured Research

Elizabeth Hood PhD

Founder, Director of Research and Development

Dr. Elizabeth Hood has worked in plant biology for more than 40 years, generating 80+ publications and patents. Her groundbreaking work developed the agrobacterial strain EHA101, which is now used globally for gene transfer into plants for crop improvement. In her work at Pioneer Hi-Bred International and ProdiGene, she developed the first commercialized product from a plant production system, and led an internationally recognized transgenic plant research group. Later, she served as a cell biology program director at the National Science Foundation.

Elizabeth Hood PhD

Go To Market Partners

Kelly Phipps

Kelly Phipps

Chairman of the Board

Kelly is the former owner and CEO of Armor Seed, LLC, an independent agricultural field seed company. During his 20-year tenure, Armor Seed grew from $5MM in sales to more than $100MM, becoming one of the top five independent seed companies in the United States. Armor Seed sold to Land O’Lakes in 2017.

Featured Research

Kelly Phipps

Chairman of the Board

Kelly is the former owner and CEO of Armor Seed, LLC, an independent agricultural field seed company. During his 20-year tenure, Armor Seed grew from $5MM in sales to more than $100MM, becoming one of the top five independent seed companies in the United States. Armor Seed sold to Land O’Lakes in 2017.

Kelly Phipps

Go To Market Partners

Jeff Armstrong

Jeff Armstrong

Director of Manufacturing

Jeff served as a crew chief in the United States Air Force's 34th Fighter Squadron before becoming the director of operations at Armor Seed, LLC. He was part of the management team responsible for the company's success, leading to a Land O'Lakes acquisition in 2017. Over his 10+ years in operations, Jeff has gained extensive experience with research and development, production, manufacturing and distribution.

Featured Research

Jeff Armstrong

Director of Manufacturing

Jeff served as a crew chief in the United States Air Force's 34th Fighter Squadron before becoming the director of operations at Armor Seed, LLC. He was part of the management team responsible for the company's success, leading to a Land O'Lakes acquisition in 2017. Over his 10+ years in operations, Jeff has gained extensive experience with research and development, production, manufacturing and distribution.

Jeff Armstrong

Go To Market Partners

Stephen Lallo

Stephen Lallo

Director of Corporate Development

Stephen has spent the past 21 years in the public sector, building public-private partnerships. He has worked most of his career at the Narragansett Bay Commission — a quasi-public agency that is tasked with running the 11th largest wastewater system in the country. More recently, Stephen has managed senior client issues for Inno360/Swarm Intelligence.

Featured Research

Stephen Lallo

Director of Corporate Development

Stephen has spent the past 21 years in the public sector, building public-private partnerships. He has worked most of his career at the Narragansett Bay Commission — a quasi-public agency that is tasked with running the 11th largest wastewater system in the country. More recently, Stephen has managed senior client issues for Inno360/Swarm Intelligence.

Stephen Lallo

Go To Market Partners

Tim Avila

Tim Avila

Chief Technology Officer

A leading authority in the global nutrition industry, blending 33 years of experience in discovery, validation and marketing of bioactive ingredients and consumer packaged nutrition products.

Featured Research

Tim Avila

Chief Technology Officer

A leading authority in the global nutrition industry, blending 33 years of experience in discovery, validation and marketing of bioactive ingredients and consumer packaged nutrition products.

Tim Avila