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Jarred Maxwell | Partner
A lifelong Austinite, Jarred went to work at Dell Inc. as a test engineer after graduating from college. Following a desire to get out of laboratories and cubicals, he left the high tech world and entered the world of real estate. Jarred founded The Happy Land Company, which specialized in the acquisition, restoration and preservation of rural land across Central Texas. Following a passion for supporting rural communities across the state, Jarred became involved with the Slow Money movement and his foray into the world of food and finance officially began. He got involved with Slow Money Austin in 2010 and his work there laid the groundwork for what would become Foodshed Investors. Jarred is a full-time Texan and a part-time rancher, having managed over 400 acres of family ranch outside Lampasas, Texas. He has a BS from UT, and lives in SW Austin with his wife and son. |
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Eric de Valpine | Partner
Eric brings over 20 years of working in or advising small businesses. He served in the top financial role in three companies, an Intel-funded start-up, an IT services firm and a software development company. He was the managing member of an LLC with a proprietary investment strategy that outperformed the S&P 500 by more than 25% during the fund’s existence. He has been a financial and strategic consultant to small and mid-sized companies across a range of industry segments, including engineering, music, hospitality, renewable energy, higher education, and digital media. Eric initially moved to Austin to attend UT, where he earned a BA in Philosophy. He later earned an MBA from the University of California, Irvine, where he co-founded the Social Responsibility Initiative and served as the Associate Director of the Centers for Leadership Development and for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. |
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Curt Nelson | Senior Advisor
Curt retired from Foodshed Investors in July 2019. He now serves as an Advisor. Originally from Minnesota, he earned a BA from the U of M then, fleeing snow, an MBA from the University of Arizona. Curt was a corporate stooge at Hewlett-Packard for ten years, then an internet entrepreneur through 2008. In 2014 he helped found Foodshed Investors. Says Curt: "I sincerely enjoyed my time with my friends and colleagues at Foodshed Investors, and gained much admiration for the farmers, food entrepreneurs, and food system advocates that strive to increase the supply of good, of local, and of food every day, year after year." |
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Amy Bell | Senior Advisor
Amy acts as a senior advisor to Foodshed Investors, supporting development of the FI platform and working with entrepreneurs on business planning, capital structure and fundraising. She brings over a decade of experience in the impact investing field, currently with Whole Foods Market. Prior to WFM, she was a consultant with Tideline, a boutique advisory firm providing tailored advice to asset owners and asset managers developing impact-aligned investment strategies, products, and solutions. Prior to Tideline she helped to lead the Sustainable Finance practice at JPMorgan Chase & Co., managing a $100 million proprietary impact investment mandate that helped to pioneer the market. Amy’s passion for healthy food systems started early, playing Supermarket Sweep in her father’s grocery store, and she’s been down that rabbit hole ever since. |
