Gavin Schneider has been a visionary leader in food and agriculture innovation for over 10 years, having helped build some of the most respected ag-tech companies in Canada. After completing his education at the University of Calgary in Geography and International Economics, his early career was spent in plant biotechnology and small-holder horticulture systems in South East Asia. After moving to Vancouver, he led the buildout of a high-tech greenhouse, research farm, and plant tissue culture nursery. As the former Vice President of Agronomy and Customer Success at Ecoation, he built a global team that deployed autonomous robots in ten countries with the most influential greenhouse producers on the planet. He was the leading driver of the exceptional team that won the Deep Space Food Challenge and holds multiple patents and scientific publications. Over the course of his career he has successfully raised millions of dollars in equity and grant funding. Co-founding Maia with other like minded entrepreneurs driving economical solutions with mycelium has been the most rewarding part of his career. His interest is in the alignment of business growth and sustainable food production for (inter)planetary health. He lives in the rainforest in North Vancouver with his growing family, while remaining rooted to his prairie farming background.