Sprout Team
The Sprout team is made up of experienced business and R&D personal, all with strong experience within the agritech sector and are supported by the wider BCC team. Also supporting the management team is a advisory group that includes experienced entrepreneurs, business owners and investors with interests in all areas of agritech, from irrigation research to food production and supply chain.
Dean Tilyard
Dean is the CEO of BCC. Dean has been involved in early stage agritech companies for the last 12 years. Dean brings two fantastic fields of expertise to Sprout; deep understanding of Angel investment and capital raising, and 12 years commercialising agritech technologies.
CheLsea Millar
One thing Chelsea knows really well is talking and listening to the farming community. Chelsea joins the Sprout team from AgriHQ and FMG, where she has excelled in all areas of marketing from field sales to social media communications.
stu bradbury
Stu is the Founder of 'Where's my Cows' and Precision Irrigation (acquired by Lindsay Corporation USA) and Managing Director of Agrioptics North Ltd. Stu has extensive experience in commercialising products and services in the agricultural sector and has developed strong exit planning skills.
james bell-booth
James’ journey has gone from working on the production line for the family agriculture business, to selling software to the world’s largest and most advanced technology companies. James' skill set is in the growth phase of businesses and the interplay between sales and marketing in those formative years of a company.
stephen mcphail
Stephen is the resident mathematician and investment specialist. Stephen has covered the spectrum of capital raising from angel investment to IPOs. Stephen grew up in Southland and farming continues to run deep through the blood.
nick gain
Nick stems from a long line of market gardeners in the Manawatu region and carries with him a passion for primary produce. Nick launched his first food tech startup last year and has already learnt valuable lessons that he is bringing to the Sprout network and start-ups.
Amanda Gilbertson
Amanda is based in Tauranga, New Zealand. She is highly experienced in commercialisation of technologies and science within agritech. Specifically she has been involved in innovation programmes in dairy, kiwifruit, apples, pears and pork. Amanda works with Sprout partners in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Eastcape regions, helping support potential Sprout applicants with preparing for the annual Sprout accelerator.
Advisory Group
The Sprout Advisory Group is made up of a diverse range of successful entrepreneurs, investors, industry thought leaders and stakeholders. Their mandate is to assist the Sprout team in defining strategy for the Sprout programme.