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Crazy World Travel — Finding a New Home
Talks about Travel, Asia and Kuala Lumpur
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Mark Brooks
Managing Director at FMC Ventures
Raleigh, North Carolina
Overview
Mark Brooks is a seasoned VC and board member specializing in AgTech and ClimateTech, currently serving as a Managing Director at FMC Corporation and on the boards of various innovative companies. With a strong background in strategic planning and entrepreneurship, Mark has played pivotal roles in driving growth and success in the AgTech sector, making impactful contributions to companies like AgBiome and Traive.
Work Experience
Executive in Residence
2025 - Current
Part-time. Mentoring entrepreneurs, providing domain expertise, and guiding the Center on due diligence for its startup loan program.
Venture Partner
2025
Supporting the launch of LongLeaf Studios, a venture platform focused on early-stage innovation across energy, sustainable ag, and bluetech. In this part-time role, I’m contributing to capital formation, founder support, and platform design. This opportunity reflects my continued passion for unlocking new capital models and mentoring purpose-driven entrepreneurs. I remain open to full-time roles in venture, platform leadership, or innovation strategy—especially where deep tech and planetary health intersect.
Commercialization Advisory Council
2023
The Commercialization Advisory Council helps identify promising technologies with market potential, provides their expert advice on commercializing N.C. PSI technologies and uses their experience to provide high-level mentorship to N.C. PSI startups.
Managing Director, FMC Ventures
2022 - 2025
Led the venture capital arm of FMC Corporation - focus on finding and investing in game changing startup companies that are shaping the future of agriculture and food production. Seed through Series B stage, global scope. #AgTech - Professionalized venture capital inside the corporate. Designed and led the ventures strategy, driving investments to game changing startups in biologicals, robotics, fintech, generative AI, IoT, analytics, carbon, energy - Built a high-performing team, recognized as one of the most well-respected in AgTech venture capital - Executed 9 new or follow-on equity investments, including diligence, syndicate negotiation, and internal approvals - Oversaw portfolio of committed capital, delivering strong strategic and financial outcomes; sat on 5 boards advising management on strategy and execution - Engaged hundreds of startups annually throughout the world, resulting in actionable strategic insights for FMC, startups, and stakeholders in sustainability-focused ecosystems - Busted internal silos and positioned FMC Ventures as a key strategic partner to the CEO, Board, and business unit leaders, shaping corporate growth strategies - Lead voice and voting member of the investment committee, ensuring alignment of deal flow sourcing and investment strategies with corporate objectives and long-term growth
FMC Corporation is an US-based chemical manufacturing company producing solutions for the agricultural, textile, and healthcare industries.
Board Observer
2024 - 2025
Peptide discovery platform for insect control in crop protection. FMC Ventures co-led the oversubscribed $14m Series A round in mid 2024.
Board Observer
2023 - 2025
AgroSpheres is developing game changing biodegradable encapsulation technologies that enable the development of high efficacy biological pesticides. The platform directly addresses the three key bottlenecks facing biologicals today: cost, performance, and stability. FMC Ventures invested in the company's Series B equity round.
AgroSpheres develops novel technologies that aim to set a new standard for bio-based delivery of active ingredients.
Raised $52,949,653.00 from Ospraie Ag Sciences, Lewis & Clark AgriFood, Bidra Innovation Ventures, FMC Ventures, Cavallo Ventures, Zebra Impact Ventures, Ospraie Ag Sciences, Bidra Innovation Ventures, FMC Ventures and Lewis & Clark AgriFood.
Advisory Council Member - Global Agri-Food Council
2023 - 2025
The Global Agri-Food Council was established for CVCs to connect, explore innovation and investment opportunities, as well as dive deeper into the issues currently affecting agri-food investors and their portfolio companies.
Member Board of Directors
2022 - 2025
Micropep is developing micro-proteins to turn up or down gene expression in plants. Company is building a discovery platform to identify solutions that (1) increase plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, (2) improve yields.
Board Member
2021 - 2025
Traive is a FinTech startup, reimagining credit in agriculture. The company's platform assesses farmer's credit profiles by looking at their credit scores and considering factors like agronomic performance, behavior, experience, and growth potential, thereby enabling agricultural businesses to improve financial decisions based on the risk score of each farmer individually. The company operates throughout Brazil.
Director Board Of Directors
2020 - 2022
Board director and member of compensation committee. Premier Crop Systems is a leading precision ag-data processing and analysis company. Premier’s technology drives better agronomic decisions, leading to higher yields, increased profits and more sustainable practices for their customers. Often working behind the scenes and headquartered in Des Moines, IA, Premier works with leading retailers, agronomists and directly with growers. Premier has been in the investment portfolio of Syngenta Ventures since 2017.
Premier Crop Systems is a precision ag-data processing and analysis company.
Raised $4,650,444.00 from Syngenta Ventures.