E88: Sky Kurtz: the $300M agri-tech giant, avoiding down round disasters, founder self-sabotage, the hard truth about MENA exits, tariffs, and bad actors ruining a multi-billion dollar industry
I sat down with Sky Kurtz, Co-founder and CEO of Pure Harvest Smart Farms, to explore the $300M journey of building an agri-tech giant in the Middle East. In this episode, Sky shares his hard-earned lessons on avoiding down round disasters, the pitfalls of founder self-sabotage, and why a high valuation isn’t always a good thing.
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (pscrb.fm) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
In this episode, we dive into the hard truth about why exits in MENA are so challenging, the role of tariffs in protecting domestic production, and how bad actors have tarnished the reputation of an entire industry. Sky also gives us a masterclass on navigating capital markets, working with your board (hint: don’t deprive them of their learning moments), and what to do when you’re stuck with an inflated valuation.
From ag-tech failures to billion-dollar blunders and business model innovation at scale, this conversation is packed with insights for founders, investors, and anyone interested in the future of food production.
Support for the show comes from Capital.com, a global investment platform with offices in Dubai. Click herefor a chance to win AED 1m.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.