MB

Mark Brooks

Corporate VC Architect | Building What Doesn’t Exist (Yet) | Bio × Climate × Ag

Raleigh, North Carolina

Invests in

Locations:

  • Min Investment:

    $100,000.00
  • Max Investment:

    $5,000,000.00
  • Target Investment:

    $1,500,000.00

Work Experience

  • Executive in Residence

    2025

    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.

2022 - 2025

  • 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

2024 - 2025

  • 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.

2023 - 2025

  • 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.

  • 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.

2022 - 2025

  • 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.

2021 - 2025

  • 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.