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Mark Lewis is co-founder and managing partner ofÌý, a mission-driven investment firm advancing innovation in food and agriculture by connecting established global players with disruptive startups. The firm invests in solutions that support human, soil and planetary health through regenerative agriculture. Leeds first heard Lewis speak at an ag-tech panel for Boulder Climate Venture speaker series, where his career journey and insights on the future of global food systems inspired this Q&A.

Trailhead Capital Co-Founder Mark Lewis at the Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture.

What drew you to pursue your MBA at Leeds, and how did it shape your career path?

My parents met at CU in the ’60s and I've been a lifelong Buff.ÌýI was particularly drawn to the entrepreneurship track and the ability to take a few courses in the law school and other graduate programs to round out my experience. I am grateful for the professional network and lifelong friendships forged at Leeds. The MBA program very much put me on the career path I'm on today, accelerating the path I was already on by equipping me with new tools and insights.

Tell us about founding Trailhead Capital. What does mission-driven investing mean in practice?

My partners and I came together during the pandemic in 2020 and saw an opportunity to create an early stage venture capital firm dedicated to building a better food and agriculture system.ÌýWhile the current system has done an incredible job of creating calories for 9 billion people, it has come with negative consequences for human health, water stewardship, biodiversity, climate externalities and rural livelihoods.

We saw an opportunity to build a bridge between the old and new food system using our collective business experience, global network, innovation ecosystem, and passion for creating a better world for future generations—while also recognizing that the system is largely made up of wonderful people trying to do the right thing.

Agriculture is one of the most analog industries remaining on Earth, and we saw a generational opportunity to use technology and innovation to drive better practices and outcomes throughout the supply chain.ÌýOur Fund 1 now has 30 portfolio companies and Fund 2 will add to that portfolio.ÌýÌý

Prior to founding Trailhead, you worked in farming. What led you there, and what has stayed with you from that experience?

I was raised in the oil and gas industry and previously worked in biodiesel, environmental nonprofits, solar energy financing, lobbying and policy work, and running a small local business.ÌýI was consulting for a local food group after my MBA, which led me to try my hand at managing a farming business.Ìý

In 2013, I convinced my family to buy a farm near Hoyt, Colorado, and we spent 10 years trying to build soil health and grow clean, regenerative and organic food. We spread truckloads of compost our first year and then experimented with cover and perennial cropping, livestock integration, strip tilling, and intensive crop rotations to invest in the soil with an eye toward improved financial, social and environmental stewardship of our land.

We made nearly every mistake you can make, and the biggest thing that stayed with me is a deep and enduring respect and admiration for the farmers who feed the world.ÌýIt hard and risky work—with slim margins and many factors outside of one control. I like to think that experience gave me a different perspective than the average Silicon Valley venture capitalist investing in food and agriculture technology.

ÌýImagine the world we could create if our brightest minds and most impassioned hearts were able to pursue the work they know will create the future we want.Ìý

—Mark Lewis (MBA’11), Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Trailhead Capital

How does the hands-on perspective of farming influence the way you evaluate investments?

To be clear, I don't consider myself a farmer. I was more of the desk jockey coming up with plans and buying seed and inputs, paying bills, doing organic certification paperwork and selling crops.ÌýI did spend one backbreaking summer trying to cultivate a hemp crop, which wasn't a financial success.ÌýÌý

One of my favorite experiences was keeping bees on the farm.ÌýWhen you study how a hive works and see the incredible coordination and shared mind of our pollinators, it blows you away.ÌýI keep those lessons with me as we evaluate potential investment opportunities at Trailhead.

You spoke on a panel for Boulder Climate Ventures. What role do initiatives like this play in advancing climate innovation and opening new career pathways?

Boulder Climate Ventures is a fantastic initiative that more people should dive into. We need more forums like that where folks from all walks of life can convene, learn and build things together.ÌýI met students and other professionals working on amazing projects and driving positive change. This is what being part of a university and business community is all about, and we need more of that collaboration and innovation.ÌýÌýÌý

What are some of the key lessons you’ve learned along the way about following your passion when building your career?

I've been extremely blessed and have a strong conviction that those blessings come with a huge responsibility to give back and be a good steward of your resources—whether financial, intellectual, social or otherwise.Ìý

I'm convinced there is unrealized potential in all of us, and there is no better way to cultivate it than by following your passion and finding and doing the thing you’re meant to do. Imagine the world we could create if our brightest minds and most impassioned hearts were able to pursue the work they know will create the future we want. Sometimes that will come with sacrifice, but it can lead to fulfillment, meaning, stewardship, and a sense of community that make life beautiful.Ìý

What advice would you give students interested in careers in sustainable food systems or regenerative agriculture?

Welcome to perhaps the most important, fun, challenging, rewarding and delicious industry in the world! What is more important than good food grown in a way that honors the dignity and—dare I say sanctity—of fresh water, biodiversity and rural communities?ÌýThere are enormous and myriad challenges facing our agriculture system, which means there are gigantic new businesses to be built in our lifetime to solve those problems.ÌýFood is also a major driver of culture throughout history.ÌýWe are what we eat!

What motivates you day-to-day, and what do you find most rewarding about running your own company?

General industry statistics suggest that 74% of Americans are overweight or obese.ÌýThe majority of Americans have chronic diseases, which we can connect to the food we eat.Ìý

Industry estimates also indicate that agriculture accounts for 34% of all greenhouse gas emissions and 70% of all freshwater usage and is the leading cause of biodiversity collapse worldwide.

There is compelling evidence now that the chemicals we spray on crops in the form of herbicides, pesticides and fungicides are harmful to humans.Ìý

By recent global estimates, there are 1.4 billion farmers worldwide. Improving their livelihoods is perhaps the greatest poverty alleviation and social justice opportunity available today.Ìý

Having the privilege and responsibility of running Trailhead Capital is the greatest honor of my professional life.ÌýFinding a path where my skills and passions are aligned with helping to solve some of our most pressing problems is incredibly rewarding.Ìý

If nothing else, I know I'll be able to look my two young daughters in the eye and tell them I did everything I could to help build them a better world. I'm forever grateful for the opportunity.Ìý

Leeds offers a Master in Sustainable Business. Learn about how you can lead organizations toward a future where business drives positive environmental and social impact. >>