Chris Wightman

President and CEO at VM Agritech, a start-up developing a ground-breaking broad-spectrum fungicide with the potential to overcome the critical threat to the world’s food supply posed by pathogenic resistance. VM Agritech has begun the EPA regulatory approval process and is running field trials covering most major food crops, with the expectation ofapproval for commercial use within a modest timeframe.

I’m driven by the challenge of trying to solve some of the world’s most critical issues, and my entrepreneurial record has focused on early-stage tech firms, working to bridge the gap between academia and industry. Previous ventures include developing and scaling PuriCore Plc, a speciality biopharmaceutical company, having managed its listing on the London Stock Exchange, investigated the application for HOCl in agriculture, and managed its patents for original formulations.

Before pursuing these critical projects in the commercial world, I was an investment banker and held various positions at Goldman Sachs (Head of Risk), NatWest Financial Products Plc (Founder, CEO), and Bank of America, previously NationsBank (Head of Global Equities).