Kieran Gartlan
Managing Partner at The Yield Lab LATAM
Kieran Gartlan
Managing Partner at The Yield Lab LATAM
São Paulo, São Paulo
Overview
Work Experience
Managing Partner
2018 - Current
General Partner in the Yield Lab Latam Accelerator and VC fund, focused on the AgriFood Tech sector. Head of the Brazil office, responsible for developing the local AgTech ecosystem, raising funds for our Latam Accelerator and Venture Capital growth funds and to source deal flow, including the most disruptive and innovative Ag and Food Tech startups in the region. The Yield Lab is one of the world’s leading AgriFood Tech Accelerators and VCs, with HQs in St Louis, Missouri, and offices in Latin America, Europe, and Asia. The YL global investment portfolio contains over 55 AgTech startups at various stages of development, including 13 in the Latam region.
Board Member
2020
@Tech is a technology innovation company focused on precision animal and livestock management. Their flagship solution, Beeftrader, allows feedlot owners to transform agronomic information into financial data in real-time to identify low performing animals and increase profits. They are introducing similar technology for the poultry and fish sectors.
Board Member
2021
Independent Board Member of Grao Direto, one of the fastest-growing digital marketplaces for Brazil's physical grains market.
Board Member
2019 - 2022
TerraMagna is a Brazilian high-growth AgFin Tech Startup focused on managing credit risk for Agricultural lenders, including input distributors, trading firms, banks, and co-ops. They use satellite imagery combined with cutting edge algorithms and artificial intelligence to monitor crops and provide real-time insights in a highly cost effective and efficient manner.
Senior Director, Latin America Commodities
2016 - 2018
Worked with the Latam team on business development in the commodities space as well as with the ventures and Innovation Lab on projects such as Bitcoin derivatives and electronic marketplaces for grains, and the potential for the digital transformation of physical Ag marketplaces, including the Paranagua Paper market, the largest soybean market in the world outside CBOT.
Senior Director, Head of Brazil
2012 - 2016
Head of Brazil office, and responsible for growing volume for CME Group products across all asset classes, including Interest rates, FX, Equity Indices, Agriculture and Energy. Responsible for coverage of Southern Cone, including Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Helped grow trading volume from the region on average 30% over the past three years, through educational and marketing initiatives aswell as special incentive programs.
Director, International Mkt Development, Latin America
2010 - 2012
Responsible for CME Group’s customer relations and product development in Latin America, dealing mainly with banks, asset managers and commercial hedgers.
Founder
1999 - 2016
Founded Brazil's largest English-language website for the expat community, with over 1 million page-views per month, for almost two decades. Offered information and advice to newcomers as well as active discussion forums to share experiences and meet like-minded people. Gringoes facebook groups still active with over 30k members.
South America Correspondent, Agricultural Commodities
2004 - 2010
Award winning journalist, responsible for coverage of South America grains and oilseed market, including analysis and reporting on soybeans, corn and wheat, identifying supply and demand trends, evaluating risk factors and compiling regular reports and articles for the company’s North American customers, including grain producers, exporters, the crushing industry and traders. Daily responsibilities included reporting on South America grains market through articles and blogs, maintaining strong relationship with local producers, policy makers, Ag Associations and traders. Frequent travel throughout the Latam region, especially Brazil and Argentina. Winner of prestigious Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for best Webcast series in 2010. National Excellence Award from the NAAJ (North American Agricultural Journalists Association) with First place in “Columns & Analysis” for 2007.
Commodities Reporter
1999 - 2004
Responsible for coverage of South America’s agricultural commodity markets, including coffee, sugar, cocoa, beef, soybeans, corn and wheat. Daily responsibilities included fundamental market research and regular communication with traders, analysts and economists to evaluate market trends and provide real time market moving information to overseas customers. Winner of several awards for outstanding coverage of Brazil’s commodity markets and a regular contributor to the company’s many publications including the Wall Street Journal and Barron’s financial magazine.
Equity Research Analyst
1995 - 1998
Equity Research Analyst with Banco Santander. Responsible for coverage of Brazil’s energy sector which at the time was going through a large privatization process. Daily responsibilities involved writing company and sector-wide reports for the bank’s clients, including local and foreign private investors, pension and investments funds. Building and maintaining supply and demand models, as well as writing research notes and industry pieces. Responding to requests for data and information from internal and external clients. Assisting in the design and preparation of analyst marketing strategy and materials.
Mergers and Acquisitions Analyst
1991 - 1994
Junior analyst with the International M&A division, based out of Paris, France. Involved in research and due diligence of major merger and acquisition deals at the law firm over a three-year period.