Growing from strength to strength

David Scott

A government and business executive focused on the energy and infrastructure sectors, Mr. Scott founded the Investment Diplomacy Group (IDG), a global consultancy providing expert advice to ventures navigating commercial & political complexity.

He has previously served as an Executive Director at the Executive Affairs Authority (EAA) of Abu Dhabi and sits on the Board of Directors of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC)

Mahmoud Adi

A Founding Partner of Shorooq Partners, the leading venture capital fund based out of Abu Dhabi,UAE, Mr. Adi spearheads the firm along with Co-Founder Shane Shin. He built his career as an investment professional and is also a Co-Founder of Pure Harvest Smart Farms.

Mr. Adi was previously CEO of Hub71, Abu Dhabi. Prior to that, he spent 10 years in various investment roles at Mubadala Investment Company covering technology, semiconductors, metals & mining. He holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and also graduated with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Mechanical Engineering from the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi with Honors and Distinction.

Robert Kupstas

An entrepreneur and technology consultant with over eight years’ experience in the infrastructure and controlled environment agriculture (CEA) sectors, Mr. Kupstas specializes in energy policy and economic analysis, and has led research assignments and consulting engagements with leading global institutions, including the International Renewable Energy Agency, the Singapore Energy Studies Institute, U.S. Department of State and the Queensland Investment Corporation.

In addition to entrepreneurship and consulting, he is a member of the Young Leaders Circle (YLC) of the Milken Institute.

Mr. Kupstas holds an M.A. in International Policy Studies (IPS) from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/Economics from The New College of Florida.

Sky Kurtz

A former technology investor turned serial entrepreneur, Sky is passionate about building impactful companies that tackle global food security, human health & longevity, and resource conservation challenges. Prior to founding Pure Harvest Smart Farms, he was the Co-Founder and CEO of Vence - reinventing livestock management through a virtual fencing and autonomous animal control technology solution (sold to Merck Animal Health). He also served as a divisional CEO within Pultron Composites, pioneering novel building materials that solve infrastructure corrosion challenges (sold to Owens Corning).

Prior to building companies, Sky invested in them – most recently as a Vice President with Francisco Partners, a $30B technology investment firm based in San Francisco, CA and an affiliate of Sequoia Capital. He was also an investor with CCMP Capital, a $16B generalist investment firm based in New York, NY. Sky has served on the boards of eleven (11) companies, ranging from burgeoning start-ups to $2B+ industry leaders, and considers himself a lifelong student of business.

Sky holds an M.B.A. and a Certificate in Public Management & Social Innovation from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and a B.S. in Finance from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and was named the Turken Family Outstanding Graduating Senior (Valedictory honour). Sky is proudly married to author Kinsi Grimen and is the father of Elleste Kurtz. Together they reside in the United Arab Emirates.

Jin Heum Paek

Mr. Jin Heum (Jin) Paek has been the CEO of IMM Investment Singapore since 2024, overseeing the firm's operations and investments from their Singapore office. Previously, he had been with IMM Investment Corp. since 2013, serving as the Executive Managing Director before moving to the Singapore office. During his tenure of over 10 years, he played a crucial role in managing investment opportunities in cross-border transactions and M&A with a global business angle within the growth equity and infrastructure divisions.

Prior to joining IMM, Mr. Paek worked at Samsung Electronics for 5 years as a Project Manager / Senior Engineer. He holds a Ph.D., MS, and BS in Industrial Engineering from KAIST, and an MBA from Erasmus University.

Thomas Larssen

An engineer from the Danish Technical University in Copenhagen with three decades of experience, Mr. Larssen focused on greenhouse design principles coupled with a deep exploration of emerging greenhouse automation and climate-control technologies during his time at DTU. This unique specialization led directly to multiple successful builds with Rosager Larssen ApS, whose projects were realized primarily in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. As Mr. Larssen’s knowledge increased, so did his client base and project scope.

He next formed Larssen Ltd., whose expertise was engineering highly technical large-scale, purpose-built greenhouse projects in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. He is currently the President of ALPS, a speciality engineering firm formed to provide a broad range of technical consulting services for today’s demanding, margin-conscious greenhouse industry.

Yousef Ghareeb

Yousef Ghareeb joined Wafra International Investment Company as a Compliance Officer in February 2014 and moved on to International Investments Department in 2018. Prior to joining Wafra, he was a member of the management team at Dimah Capital, a Kuwaiti Asset Management Company. During his time at Wafra, he focused on real estate, alternative investments, and MENA public equities.

Yousef graduated from Florida International University in Miami with a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business.

Alan Winwood

Heading a syndicate of private investors that represent one of the largest early-stage investments in Pure Harvest, Mr. Winwood is an experienced angel investor involved in a number of other ventures. He has spent over a decade working in various capacities within the Abu Dhabi Government, conducting strategic review, investment advisory and performance monitoring of the Emirate’s substantial portfolio of commercial and strategic holdings, most recently with the Office of Government Investments within the Department of Finance.

He started his career with Oliver Wyman Financial Services in London, a leading strategy & risk management consulting firm. Mr. Winwood is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and holds a Masters of Engineering degree (M. Eng) in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London.

Anil Hansjee

A UK qualified lawyer with over twenty years’ experience in MENA, Europe and Asia, including over ten years with Allen & Overy in London and the UAE, Anil is an experienced investor and advisor who has served as a board advisor to Careem for over seven years and is also involved in a wide range of other ventures. He has been the General Counsel at Pure Harvest since its formation.

Anil attained his first degree in Land Economy at the University of Aberdeen and later studied Law at Nottingham Law School. He was awarded a Masters in Law at King's College London.