Laura Zaim is Chief Executive Officer of Edison Rubber, where she is leading the build-out of a clean, resilient U.S. supply of natural rubber, starting with American-made natural rubber from sunflowers to strengthen a strategically fragile supply chain for U.S. manufacturing. She brings a founder’s operating mindset and a systems view of agriculture and biomaterials, shaped by years working alongside growers, technologists, and industrial partners to translate innovation into real-world adoption, strong unit economics, and scalable commercial execution.

Before Edison Rubber, Laura built her career at the intersection of company-building and venture investing. She co-founded WorkAmerica, a venture-backed workforce development company (500 Startups alum), helped scale it into a national platform, and ultimately helped guide the business to a successful exit - experience that informs her investor-grade approach to leadership, operating cadence, and value creation. She later invested across multiple venture platforms, including with a strategic-backed venture arm (Louis Dreyfus Company Ventures), backing and supporting founders across agriculture, food systems, and enabling technologies with a focus on resilient, lower-carbon supply chains. Laura holds an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School (VP, Wharton Agribusiness & Food Security Club) and graduated summa cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis with highest honors in Anthropology.

David brings over two decades of experience in investment analysis, corporate development, and agricultural innovation to Edison. As CEO of Blue Prairie, he led the commercialization of chicory as a U.S. specialty crop, and as Vice President of Finance & Development at Chromatin he built global business cases for sorghum applications. His Wall Street career spanned a decade as a sell-side research analyst. An MBA graduate of the University of Chicago Booth School and co-owner of his family’s Midwestern farm, David pairs financial expertise with hands-on agricultural experience to advance Edison’s mission of transforming American agriculture into a strategic rubber production capability.

Matt is an entrepreneur, investor, and executive recognized for building category-defining companies at the intersection of agriculture, biotechnology, and sustainable systems. He currently serves as Chairman and CEO of Ichor Agriculture, and Executive Chairman of Quercus Biosolutions, Lilac Agriculture, and Edison Agrosciences. Matt also founded Crisp & Company, an advisory and investment platform that partners with institutional investors to create and scale innovations in ag-tech and bio-based industries.

His approach to translating science and technology into investable platforms has established new models for commercializing complex biotechnologies. He was previously co-founder and CEO of Benson Hill, which he built from inception through IPO into a pioneering force in AI-driven crop improvement and food ingredients. Earlier in his career, he was Founding President of the AgBio Division at Intrexon Corporation and a Managing Director at Third Security, a venture firm and family office focused on life sciences and synthetic biology. Today, he advises and supports a range of early-stage companies and investors, and is a frequent speaker and panelist on biotechnology, sustainable agriculture, and the role of capital in scaling innovation.

Tom brings over four decades of rubber and latex industry expertise to Edison, with a career spanning R&D, manufacturing, and senior executive leadership in medical device and industrial markets. Previous leadership roles include The Ore & Chemical Corporation, and Corrie MacColl Limited, a Halcyon Agri subsidiary, where he oversaw global sales, distribution, processing, and technical services for natural rubber. Most recently, he served as COO at Pioneer Worldwide and CTO at Advanced Sustainable Polymers, driving growth in both established and startup settings. Tom’s industry leadership includes serving as Chairman of the Board of ASTM International and Chair of its Technical Advisory Group to ISO TC45 on rubber. He holds degrees in General Science from The Ohio State University and Business Management from Liberty University, with additional expertise in polymer technology and process development.

Paul brings deep expertise in genetics, breeding, data science, and platform design to Edison Agrosciences. At Benson Hill, he served as Vice President of Data Science and Platform Engineering, leading the development of advanced analytics for crop improvement. He previously spent 17 years at Monsanto, where he built the company’s first advanced analytics team and guided global data science strategy, applying machine learning and predictive modeling to boost crop yields and reduce risk. Paul holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has a proven record of scaling data-driven technologies that transform agricultural innovation.

Ann brings expertise in microbiology, molecular biology, and biotech development to Edison’s board. She is a Principal at BioGenerator Ventures, where she invests in and builds new biotech companies, and previously served as Director of Research at agtech startup Pluton Biosciences, guiding the company from founding through Series A. Ann earned her PhD in Molecular Genetics and Genomics from Washington University as a Monsanto Graduate Fellow, leading research on metabolic regulation and drug resistance in malaria parasites. Her experience spans academic research, startup execution, and venture investing, giving Edison both scientific depth and strategic perspective.

Karen brings over two decades of agricultural technology investment and commercialization experience to Edison’s board. She is Managing Partner at LeVert Ventures, Venture Partner at Pappas Capital, and President of Ag TechInventures, an innovation lab that spins out agbiotech and precision agriculture companies for acquisition by leading industry players. Her entrepreneurial track record includes founding and exiting Environmental Biotech, a bioremediation company, and leading Southeast TechInventures to commercialize university research. Karen holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Dayton and brings her experience building and scaling agricultural innovations to support Edison’s mission of establishing American agriculture as a strategic source of natural rubber.

Melissa brings extensive experience in venture capital, entrepreneur development, and startup operations to Edison’s board. She is Venture Capital Portfolio Manager at the Missouri Technology Corporation, overseeing a portfolio of 75 high-growth companies across the state, and previously led entrepreneur development at ITEN, supporting more than 2,000 founders from idea stage through fundraising and scaling. Her career also includes leadership roles at cleantech startup Akermin, BioGenerator, and Monsanto’s M&A and New Products divisions. Melissa holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Missouri–Columbia and brings her experience building innovation ecosystems to support Edison’s mission of establishing American agriculture as a strategic source of natural rubber.

Tom brings nearly three decades of agricultural biotechnology leadership and deep expertise in plant and fungal isoprenoid biosynthesis to Edison Agrosciences. He has held senior R&D roles at Intrexon, founded and sold Dorsan Biofuels to Novozymes, and spent 11 years at Syngenta directing development of crop disease traits through genetic engineering. Earlier, his research at USDA produced the first published report of a cloned terpene synthase gene from any source. Author of 65 publications and patents, Thomas combines metabolic engineering expertise, regulatory knowledge, and business development experience to guide Edison’s strategy from lab research to commercialization. He holds a BS in Biology/Chemistry from Central Michigan University and a PhD in Microbiology from Washington State University, and brings his scientific and entrepreneurial track record to Edison’s mission of establishing American agriculture as a strategic source of natural rubber.

Dr. John A. Greaves is the vice president of Specialty Crops and Plant Science at Kemin Industries. In this role, he coordinates a global team of plant breeders, plant biologists, and extraction chemists. Dr. Greaves began his career at Kemin as director of R&D and has held multiple executive leadership positions. He is credited with establishing Kemin's global leadership in using rosemary as a source of natural antioxidants. Prior to Kemin, Dr. Greaves was the manager of trait breeding at ICI Seeds in the USA, which is now Syngenta. He is an inventor on over 16 U.S. and international patents. Dr. Greaves also serves on the board of advisors for the Iowa State University Plant Sciences Institute and Iowa's EPSCOR Committee. He is a scientific advisor to GoodLeaf Farms and NuCicer, in addition to his role as a scientific advisor to Edison. A native of Lancaster, England, Dr. Greaves graduated from the University of Wales with a B.Sc. in Agricultural Botany and a Ph.D. in Plant Physiology.