Cultivation Capital

Grant Pothast is a General Partner at Cultivation Capital who focuses on AgriFood Tech investments. He manages and farms 7,000 acres of corn and soybeans in northwest Iowa and previously spent 35 years on Wall Street as a Partner and Managing Director at Credit Value Partners, Credit Suisse, and DLJ. He holds a B.S. from Iowa State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan.

Joel Crater has over twenty years of experience in the medical device and biotechnology industries, focusing on commercialization, business development, and international expansion. He is Vice President of Business Development at MedAlliance, which is developing a sirolimus-based drug-coated balloon for coronary and peripheral disease, and previously held roles at Concept Medical, Phillips, US Endovascular, IDEV Medical Technologies, Foxhollow Technologies, Perclose, and Scios.

Martha Schlicher is a General Partner at Cultivation Capital focused on AgriFood Tech investments, drawing on more than 30 years in global life sciences developing and commercializing agricultural technologies at Monsanto and at startups. She has been CEO of several AgriFood Tech companies, including Plastomics and Impetus Ag, and serves as an Executive in Residence at BioGenerator. She holds a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Northwestern University.

Paul Weber is a General Partner at Cultivation Capital with over 25 years in the enterprise software (SaaS) industry. He previously served as Chief Business Officer and SVP of Sales, NA at Interactive Intelligence, Inc., which went public in 1999 and was later acquired by Genesys, where he helped set the go-to-market strategy and scale the salesforce. Earlier, he spent five years at Software Artistry Inc. in the HelpDesk (CRM) space through its IPO before its sale to IBM.

Scott Addonizio has worked for three decades in the medical device industry, with a focus on balloon, stent, and chronic total occlusion devices, along with global quality systems and regulatory experience. He is COO of MedAlliance LLC, a medical device company making limus-coated balloon catheters, where he oversees operations and led the effort to secure four US IDE approvals for the SELUTION drug-coated balloon. He previously served as COO and board director of OrbusNeich Medical and holds a B.S. in Packaging and Materials Engineering from Michigan State University and a Master's in International Business from the University of Miami.

Sean Morris has more than 25 years in the medical device field, covering development, manufacturing, testing, regulatory, reimbursement, and commercial launch across senior leadership roles. He previously served as Sr. Vice President and General Manager of the Peripheral Vascular Division at AngioDynamics, founded and led Veniti Medical (acquired by Boston Scientific in 2018), and was President and CEO of Euphrates Vascular; he currently leads Artio Medical and Amplifi Vascular. He holds a B.S. in Biochemistry from Missouri State University.

Tim Stern is a General Partner at Cultivation Capital focused on software technology companies. He cofounded Lenders One, a mortgage-banking cooperative where he served as President, until its 2010 acquisition by Altisource Portfolio Solutions, where he then led the Origination Services business group. He also cofounded the mortgage technology companies VidVerify and FinLocker, and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Andy Dearing is President of Spatial STL Advisors and leads the GeoFutures Initiative under Greater St. Louis Inc. He previously served as CEO of Boundless Spatial, a geospatial startup acquired by Planet Labs in 2019, and has worked in the geospatial industry for nearly two decades. He holds an MBA from Maryville University and bachelor's degrees in Aviation Management and Aviation Science from Saint Louis University.

Brian Matthews is an operator-turned-investor who built and exited multiple internet companies, a Seed 100–recognized mentor central to St. Louis startups who teaches founders investment-readiness with a mechanical engineering lens.

Cliff Holekamp is a cofounder, Managing Director, and General Partner of Cultivation Capital. He began his career in enterprise sales at IBM and later founded and led Foot Healers, which was sold to private equity in 2007. He subsequently served as Professor of Practice and Academic Director for Entrepreneurship at Washington University in St. Louis's Olin Business School before retiring in 2019. He holds a BA from Washington and Lee University and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.

David Smoller is a life sciences executive who was CEO of Sage Labs, a gene-editing-based contract research organization acquired by Horizon Discovery, where he then served as Chief Business Officer and board member until December 2015. He previously held roles at Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, including Chief Scientific Officer and President of its Research Biotech Business Unit, and founded ProteoPlex (acquired by Merck KGaA) and Genome Systems Inc. (acquired by Incyte Corporation, where he later became Senior Vice President). He holds a doctorate in Molecular Biology and a bachelor's degree in Biology from Emory University.

Dean VandeKamp is the Chief Executive Officer of Quantum Star Technologies Inc. and a senior executive with experience in global public and small-cap companies. His background spans financial reporting, tax, mergers and acquisitions, and sectors including information technology, cyber security, life sciences, diversified manufacturing, healthcare, and insurance, with particular focus on enterprise risk management and corporate governance across international markets.

Elise Miller Hoffman is a General Partner at Cultivation Capital, where she focuses on digital health and life sciences startups from seed to Series B. She also serves as COO of ImageMover and was previously a Board Observer at NarrativeDx until its 2020 acquisition. She holds a BA in Spanish Literature and Latin American Studies and an MBA, both from Washington University in St. Louis.

Heather Wood is a General Partner at Cultivation Capital focused on software technology companies. She spent nearly 20 years in mergers and acquisitions at Cequel III, Charter Communications, and Monsanto, most recently as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at Cequel III, where her teams acquired and integrated numerous companies in the cable television and communications tower industries and completed multiple exits. She holds an MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University.

John True is a General Partner at Cultivation Capital focused on software and geospatial technology companies. He previously served as SVP of Field Operations at Guidewire, an enterprise software firm that went public in 2012, and spent about 20 years in executive sales and general management roles at early-stage technology companies including Fortify (acquired by HP), Equallogic (acquired by Dell), Ariba (acquired by SAP), and PTC.

Kyle Welborn is a cofounder and General Partner at Cultivation Capital, where he leads AgTech investments and previously ran the firm's operations. He founded FinServe Tech Angels in 2012, a St. Louis investor group that later merged into the St. Louis Arch Angels network, and he writes about AgTech investment trends for CropLife.com. He holds a B.A. in Political Science and International Studies from Loyola University Chicago.

Paul Meier is a partner at Cultivation Capital who works on the firm's software and geospatial technology investment strategies. He has more than fifteen years of experience in company finance, growth, and investment across the geospatial, industrial automation, information technology, manufacturing, and travel industries, spanning both early-stage and global public companies. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a bachelor's degree in Finance and Economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Rick Ryan has over 35 years of experience in business management and technology development within the life science industry, holding executive roles at both multinationals and early-stage ventures. He was VP of the Drug Discovery & Development business unit at Millipore until 2010 and previously served as President of LINCO Research and held Director-level positions at Monsanto. He currently serves as CEO of Apertus Pharmaceuticals, and holds a B.S. in Chemistry, a PhD in Biochemistry, and an executive MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.

Bill Schmidt leads Cultivation Capital's healthcare and life sciences strategy and has more than thirty years of experience in medical devices and healthcare IT. He cofounded and later sold the digital health company LDM Group, which built a software platform focused on behavioral adherence, and previously held executive roles at United States Surgical Corporation (now part of Medtronic) and Catalina Health Resource. He holds a B.S. in Electrical & Computer Engineering from the University of Wisconsin.

Alana Mann is Venture Ecosystem Lead at Nebius (Nasdaq: NBIS), where she develops VC partnerships on the West Coast and works with AI-native companies scaling to production. Previously, she was a General Partner at Eleven Wall Ventures, a seed fund focused on applied AI investments, and held partner roles at Latimer Ventures and Cultivation Capital, where she sourced and invested in enterprise software companies. She serves as an independent board member for Circle Engage.

Kristina Hood is a Principal at Cultivation Capital, where she focuses on life sciences and healthcare innovation investments. She previously worked as a product manager at a digital health startup and was a Venture for America Fellow. She holds a degree in Entrepreneurship and Finance from Washington University in St. Louis.

Matt Phimphavong is a 2021 Venture for America Fellow who holds a degree in Finance & Banking from the University of Missouri – Columbia, with minors in real estate and entrepreneurship. Before joining Cultivation Capital, he worked as a Corporate Development Analyst at Spire and as a Valuations Senior Associate at Grant Thornton.

Catherine ("Cathy") Matthes is the Founder and Managing Member of MedFINiti, LLC, which provides financial, operational, transactional, and strategic services to venture-backed life sciences and medtech companies. She previously served as CFO of Veniti, Inc., a venous stent company acquired by Boston Scientific in 2018, and has over thirty years of experience in life science businesses with a focus on the vascular medical device industry. She holds a BSBA from the University of Missouri and is a Certified Public Accountant.

David Narrow is co-founder and CEO of Sonavex Inc., a Johns Hopkins University spin-out that develops AI/deep-learning ultrasound tools for surgical patients, including technologies to assess AV fistula maturation and guide needle cannulation. He earlier founded MonoMano Inc. and worked as a healthcare consultant at Health Advances LLC. He holds a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Rochester and a master's from Johns Hopkins University, holds several patents, and advises startups and investors.

Dennis Muilenburg is a Venture Advisor at Cultivation Capital supporting the firm's geospatial investments, with more than 35 years in the aerospace and defense sector. He is CEO and Chairman of New Vista, a special purpose acquisition company in emerging aerospace and defense technologies. He previously served as President and CEO of The Boeing Company from 2015 to 2019 and as Chairman from 2016 to 2019.

Scott Herman is a Venture Advisor supporting Cultivation Capital's geospatial investment strategy. His career has focused on remote sensing, earth intelligence, imagery analysis, sensor fusion, and geographic information systems for the national security community. He was previously CTO of BlackSky, CEO of the AI satellite operations startup Cognitive Space, and currently serves as Chief Product Officer at Maxar.

Will Cadell is a Venture Partner at Cultivation Capital supporting the firm's geospatial investments. He is the founder and CEO of Sparkgeo, which helps startups, enterprises, and non-profits across North America apply location data and geospatial technology. He has an academic background in engineering and remote sensing and has worked across the government, science, resources, and technology sectors.

Caleb Eidem serves as General Counsel for Cultivation Capital, where he drafts and negotiates term sheets for initial investments, handles legal review of follow-on investments, and coordinates transactional matters with the investment team, portfolio companies, and outside counsel. His responsibilities also include fund formation, securities regulatory compliance, and the firm's day-to-day legal issues. He earned his law degree from St. Louis University School of Law in 2021, joined Cultivation Capital as Associate General Counsel that summer, and was promoted to General Counsel in January 2026.

Kyle Kerns is Chief Financial Officer and Operations Lead at Cultivation Capital, where he oversees the firm's principals supporting the general partners and handles investor reporting across multiple fund strategies. Before joining the firm, he spent 15 years at Edward Jones Investments in operations leadership and internal audit roles, and earlier worked at accounting firm BKD, LLP in St. Louis. He holds an accounting degree from Missouri State University and is a Missouri Certified Public Accountant.

Martha Gallagher previously served as General Counsel at Cultivation Capital and now provides part-time legal advice to the firm as Of Counsel. Her work focuses on negotiations, fund formation, and the internal legal maintenance of the firm's funds.

Verlensia Bates is the Accounting and Operations Coordinator at Cultivation Capital, where she supports the CFO and legal team with the firm's day-to-day operations. She holds an Accounting degree from Harris-Stowe State University and previously worked at Wells Fargo and Conner Ash.