- May 7, 2021
EPISODE #
Sky Kurtz on spearheading technology, sustainability and food security with Pure Harvest
About this episode
In an increasingly digital world, you have to appreciate people who work with their hands—artists, tailors, buildings, designers, cooks. I’m joined on this episode by Sky Kurtz, co-founder & CEO of Pure Harvest, a new breed of tech startups that has raised $50 million to build high-tech greenhouses.
We talk about how he got started with entrepreneurship after graduating from Stanford, moving to the UAE and eventually setting up Pure Harvest with a “demo” farm based on which he raised his first $5.8 million from 31 investors. I believe Sky is on a path to build a unicorn in the region (a business valued at over $1 billion). Listen in to hear why he believes education was his ticket to get somewhere in life and how he’s looking to send the elevator back down and give back.
listen to the episode
guest profile
Sky Kurtz
Sky Kurtz is the CEO of Pure Harvest and a former technology private equity investor turned serial entrepreneur who is passionate about building impactful companies that tackle big problems in the world.
Prior to building technology companies, Sky invested in them as a Vice President with Francisco Partners, a $15B tech investment firm based in San Francisco, CA that is an affiliate of Sequoia Capital, a world-leading venture investment firm. He was also an investor with CCMP Capital, a $17B generalist investment firm based in New York, NY. He has served on the boards of five (5) technology companies of all scales (from $2MM to $500MM+ of sales) and considers himself a lifelong student of business.
Sky has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.S. in Finance from the W.P. Carey School of Business where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and was named the Turken Family Outstanding Graduating Senior (valedictory honor).
You can connect with Sky on LinkedIn