Zack Porter Email & Phone Number

Proteus is a boutique investment and advisory firm focused on investing in and scaling start-up, growth and real asset opportunities addressing food, water, agriculture, energy, waste, built environment, natural capital, and healthy living challenges. Over the last decade, we have helped build and manage diversified portfolios of opportunities for our institutional and family office clients.

The Kirchner Group was founded in 1985 on two fundamental premises: all businesses should contribute to a positive human future and that every business, and portfolio of businesses, can be made more valuable. Today, the firm is a values-based corporate ecosystem, committed to the integration of “earning and returning”. The firm provides advisory and operational services, enterprise development and transactional support to companies, investors and institutions through a proprietary approach that dovetails domain and process expertise. Kirchner Group also manages assets for family offices and some of the world’s largest insurance companies, commercial banks and institutional investors.

Kairos Society. Global, online accelerator for youth entrepreneurs focused on resource scarcity challenges. Advising on strategic partnerships, fundraising, operations, K50 Selection Committee Precision Agri-Technologies. Novel indoor agriculture company focused on disrupting the agriculture supply chain. Advising on strategic relationships, fundraising, operationsSeatrec. JPL-originated energy generation technology to provide remote power for environmental, scientific, defense, and intelligence sensing applications. Advising on business strategy, team expansion, fundraising, go-to-market strategyLocal Roots. Indoor farm network based in Los Angeles. Provides nutritious produce using substantially less water that outdoor agriculture.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Washington D.C. based think-tank focused on addressing global security. Advising on developing for-profit solutions that reinforce national security interests, with a particular focus on food security.

Greater Los Angeles Area

Regeneration Ranchland builds and transforms agricultural real asset portfolios to deliver economic and environmental value. The company’s initial offering – North American Ranchland I – offers institutional access to an undervalued and underinvested asset class on the verge of a generational transition. The mechanisms that drive rapid and sustained productivity gains also lead to substantial climate benefits.

Co-led the 2014 acquisition of Midwestern BioAg, a leader in biological agriculture with a 30-year history and more than 4,000 farming customers. Co-led mergers & acquisitions (3), and continue to provide business development services for the company. Developed partnerships and business models to engage ag lenders and farmland investors to spur adoption of MBA products and practices. Developed additional financing strategies and aided in closing subsequent capital raises leading to a significant step-up in valuation. Held multiple positions at the company, including service on the Board of Directors.

Pegasus Capital Advisor is a middle-market private equity firm focused on growth investments in food, water, energy, building efficiency, and waste-to-value. Work in Agribusiness and Security & Intelligence divisions. Led teams focused on aquaculture, seed genetics and perishable supply chain issues.