ADVISORY SERVICES IN AGRIFOOD
TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
MISSION
Technology is changing the face of food and agriculture at every step from the farm to the fork. Genesis helps strategic and financial investors navigate these changes, and also helps founders of technology companies find their footing in a complex industry.
Nick Halliwell's experience has been focused on startups in food and agriculture. Nick has worked on behalf of family offices seeking to manage existing investments or to undertake new ones in food and agribusiness, and he also has seven years operational experience as CEO of two businesses in the sector that he built up from scratch.
Nick is deeply familiar with the landscape of agrifood technology and is currently mentoring the next generation of agrifood technology founders with the Mass Challenge EIT Food Accelerator, Startupbootcamp FoodTech, and Kickstart Accelerator.
Nick has now been focused on food and agribusiness investments for more than fifteen years. He led a project to build one of Russia’s largest dairy complexes from breaking ground until first revenue, and also built from scratch one of the largest vegetable growers in Ukraine. Nick also co-founded a company to give international investors the opportunity to gain exposure to agricultural land in Ukraine, and led the structuring and fundraising for this opportunity.
Nick began his investing career with Millhouse Capital, one of Russia’s largest private investment firms, where he oversaw an investment in an integrated food producer with annual turnover of $100m+. He later joined a US-based private investment firm with a multi-billion dollar capital base which was actively investing in agribusiness in the US and Ukraine.
Nick obtained his Master in Business Administration degree with a concentration in finance from Yale University, and also has a Master of Arts degree in Russian and French from the University of Edinburgh. Nick speaks English, Russian and French, and is a citizen of Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
For investors in early stage ventures, a decision to invest is just the first step. Without support and nurturing, too often young companies will take wrong turns that they could have avoided and miss too many opportunities that they could have claimed for themselves.
Without active and ongoing engagement, investors and investees can quickly lose the alignment they had when the investment was first made. Fixing these problems often ends up taking more of the investor’s time than would have been spent avoiding them in the first place.
For founders, building the sources of revenue that will guarantee the company’s future is all that matters. But too often their time is consumed navigating the challenges of fundraising or learning how to address everyday issues that do little to impact the long-term value of the company.
Having a trusted advisor who understands the industry and has been there before can help avoid these pitfalls and focus on the things that truly matter.
The following assignments were undertaken in various capacities prior to the establishment of Genesis Agribusiness Partners, and are listed here to give a better sense of specific experience and capabilities.
MERGERS AND ACQUISITION AND FINANCING
- Raised $7m equity capital to build a vegetable production and trading business with multiple growing locations and a national distribution platform
- Structured €5m investment by international dairy processor into dairy farming business, and concluded innovative cost-plus supply agreement
- Managed successful $5m sale of Ukrainian agribusiness with 5,000 ha on behalf of foreign multinational owner
- Conducted successful $25m recapitalisation of integrated Russian meat producer
- Negotiated planned $35m investment by institutional investor into diversified Russian agribusiness group, leading to execution of term sheet
- Initiated and structured proposed $100m capital raise for Ukrainian farming business, undertook pre-marketing among international institutional investor base, negotiated term sheet with intended core investor
- Led negotiations and due diligence for planned acquisition of major dairy processing business
- Managed tender participation for planned acquisition of stake in global diversified genetics business
OPERATIONS AND STARTUP MANAGEMENT
- Built from scratch and led as CEO to first revenue one of the largest dairy farming complexes in Russia
- Built from scratch and led as CEO a vegetable production and trading business in Ukraine
- Undertook strategic review and prepared anti-crisis plan in relation to Ukrainian farming business on behalf of foreign private owner
- Led planning and execution of successful action in conflict situation with partner to transfer management control of Ukrainian agribusiness to CEO appointed by majority shareholder and to recover contested assets
INVESTMENT ANALYSIS
- Undertook analysis of food and agriculture export opportunities from Russia to China, negotiated with potential Chinese partners
- Produced research into proposed joint venture between two dairy processors for production and sale of lactose
- Assessed potential acquisitions of a wide range of farming businesses
- Compiled analysis for proposed grain terminal project
- Created business plan for egg production business in Ukraine
- Undertook assessment of proposed biomass electricity generation project
- Developed extensive analysis in relation to an investment in a broiler startup in Ukraine
- Prepared financial analysis to support investment in US-based entrant to the poultry genetics market
CONTACT
© Genesis Agribusiness Partners LLC
Genesis Agribusiness Partners LLC
Avenue des Acacias 7
1006 Lausanne
Switzerland
nick@genesispartners.ch
+41-78-685-8051