From Soil to Scale: AgriTech Founders Panel + Mixer
Berkeley Gateway Accelerator, the Fisher Center for Business Analytics at UC Berkeley, and the Consulate General of Ukraine in San Francisco invite you to an evening of deep-tech conversation and community, centered on the intersection of agriculture, technology, and innovation.
We are spotlighting founders who are tackling some of agriculture's biggest challenges: from sustainable production to supply chain innovation, and building the companies that will define the next era of food and farming.
Whether you are a founder, researcher, investor, or just passionate about where AgriTech is headed, this is your room.
How does extreme pressure shape AgriTech? Featuring experts and leaders from Ukraine and the Bay Area, this panel explores how disruption, climate change, global food insecurity, and war are accelerating the development of a new generation of agricultural technologies. From resilient supply chains to sustainable production and deep-tech solutions, the discussion will explore what the future of agri-tech looks like when resilience becomes a necessity rather than a choice.
Panelist Lineup
Kirsten Benjamin (Panelist), EVP of R&D at Oath Biome, spent years at Pivot Bio engineering nitrogen-fixing microbes as living fertilizers and helped launch nine fermentation-derived products at Amyris. She's one of the most experienced builders in industrial biotech, and she's going to tell us how it's really done.
Kseniya Sydorkina, PMP (Panelist), Chief of Party for the USAID AGRO Program at Chemonics International, has spent 10+ years on the ground driving agricultural investment and economic development in Ukraine. Big-picture, high-stakes, real impact.
Mykola Gordiichuk (Panelist), Founder and Managing Director of Agrico Ukraine. Mykola has been leading a successful agribusiness company for over 10 years. With a strong background in business management, marketing, and FMCG, he has been instrumental in driving growth, innovation, and profitability in the agricultural sector.
Mariia Mashkovska (Panelist), Chief Business Development Officer HEFT. Mariia is a business development leader in agri-tech, focused on building partnerships, driving B2B growth, and supporting early-stage fundraising. She works at the intersection of agriculture, technology, and sustainability, helping transform innovative ideas into scalable, market-ready solutions.
Gauthier Vasseur (Moderator), Executive Director, Fisher Center for Business Analytics, Institute for Business Innovation, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. Gauthier built a career spanning corporate finance, Silicon Valley tech leadership (Hyperion, Google, TriNet), and data analytics before turning to academia, where he founded Data Wise Academy and now teaches at Berkeley and Stanford.
Event Format
4:30 – 5:00 PM | Arrival + Networking
5:00 – 5:10 PM | Welcome Remarks
5:10 – 5:50 PM | Panel: Building the Agritech Future
5:50 – 6:30 PM | Open Networking
Food and beverages provided
📍 BGA HQ, Downtown Berkeley
Who should come:
Founders, investors, researchers, and anyone curious about the future of AgriTech 🌱