{"href":"http://player.captivate.fm/services/oembed?url=http%3A%2F%2Fplayer.captivate.fm%2Fepisode%2F5ba34f1e-4a91-4830-8a5d-82b9974203c8","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Captivate.FM","provider_url":"https://www.captivate.fm","width":600,"height":200,"type":"rich","html":"","title":"S1E7: 007 Nicola Kerslake - Funding the Indoor AgTech Space","description":"Nikola Kerslake is a registered investment adviser and founder of Contain, a fintech platform for indoor agriculture that aids indoor farmers in finding lease funding for their projects. Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he and Nicola discuss common misconceptions about the indoor AgTech space, access to funding, and how her experience as a manager of private equity funds has contributed to her success in the vertical farming industry.\r\n\r\nSpecial thanks to our Season 1 Sponsor\r\n\r\nIGS \u2013 https://intelligentgrowthsolutions.com/ \r\n\r\nKey Takeaways\r\n00:01 \u2013 Nicola shares her background in indoor agriculture and the origin story and goals of her FinTech company, Contain\r\n05:09 \u2013 Nicola expounds on how she got involved in finance\r\n08:42 \u2013 Nicola speaks to common misconceptions people have about the indoor AgTech space and lessons she\u2019s learned from her work with Techstars\r\n15:54 \u2013 Nicola details the process of how Contain identifies new companies to work with\r\n20:21 \u2013 Trends and shifts in the indoor AgTech space that Nicola has noticed over the past few months and years\r\n27:45 \u2013 What excites Nicola the most about the future of indoor AgTech and vertical farming\r\n29:21 \u2013 What is something that Nicola has changed her mind about recently and where listeners can follow and connect with Nicola and Contain\r\n\r\nTweetables:\r\n\r\n\u201cThe biggest challenge that indoor farmers face is not necessarily technical or growing, it\u2019s just they can\u2019t finance their farms. So, that looked like a problem I could solve.\u201d(03:03)\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s been a fairly circumlocutious route, but I think every entrepreneur has to hustle. And we certainly do that every single day.\u201d(06:41)\r\n\r\n\u201cLenders don\u2019t work like equity investors or like private investors. They have checklists and black boxes that they use and you are not going to be able to charm them, or impress them with your vision, into committing earlier.\u201d(16:55)\r\n\r\n\u201cThere are many more sources of funding than there were when we first started. And actually that\u2019s great for us because you never want to be one hundred percent of a deal. You always want to get to share it with someone.\u201d(24:56)\r\n\r\nLinks Mentioned:\r\n\r\nNicola\u2019s LinkedIn\r\n\r\nNicola\u2019s Website\r\n\r\nContain Website\r\n\r\nContain\u2019s Email\r\n\r\nIntelligent Growth Solutions\r\n\r\nWebsite | Twitter | YouTube\r\n\r\nSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/b6e9382e-a0cc-4af8-a21f-e103ad00c103/image.jpg"}