From Plant Science to Agri-Food VC with Maddie Mitchell

In this episode of Women Innovators in Food & Farming, Amy Wu sits down with Maddie Mitchell, investment principal at Tenacious Ventures and a plant scientist turned agri-food tech investor. Maddie shares her journey from researching novel biotech crops at Cambridge to backing deep-tech startups shaping the future of sustainable agriculture. She talks about the rise of AI-enabled breeding technologies, robotics adoption on farms, Australia’s unique role as a testbed for climate-resilient ag innovation, and how Tenacious Ventures supports diverse founders pushing the sector forward. It’s a thoughtful, wide-ranging look at the science, strategy, and passion behind building a more sustainable and food-secure future.