Andrew Carter

Background

About Andrew Carter

I am the kind of person who thrives at the intersections of technology, entrepreneurship, and sustainable agriculture. This is an area I am dedicated to making an impact in. I enjoy working at the University of Connecticut’s Spring Valley Student farm because I get to be immersed in sustainable agriculture and production of organic vegetables so that other people can enjoy healthier food options. I am so lucky that this farm is an educational center as well, so therefore I am constantly learning about evolving agriculture trends, techniques, and policies. This past summer I was able to bring my passion for agriculture, sustainability, and entrepreneurship together by working for Atlas, a startup participating in the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI) Summer Fellowship Accelerator. I was invited to join the startup by my AgTech entrepreneurship professor, who, as a co-founder, recognized my potential and passion for the industry. I improved my entrepreneurial skills by crafting investor pitch decks and conducting comprehensive market research, including building competitor databases and preform both top-down and bottom-up market sizing analyses. This work culminated in successfully securing funding and advancing to the next phase of the CCEI Pitch Competition. I have been super grateful to tie together and apply all my knowledge at the University of Connecticut’s Hillside Ventures, a $1MM student-run venture capital fund. In the past month as my role as the Venture Capital Relationship Coordinator, I have facilitated mutually beneficial relationships on behalf of Hillside Ventures with more than 15 other Venture Capital firms by attending events. As a result, I’ve influenced other VCs to expand their network with us as a collective. These connections have been instrumental in helping the fund prioritize higher-quality deals, leveraging the expertise and backgrounds of other investors. Over the past couple months in my role as a Sustainability Analyst, I’ve conducted thorough due diligence and financial models on more than 30 AgTech companies. This process allowed me to identify and present the top industry prospects for potential investment, ensuring to maintain focus on high-potential, sustainable opportunities. Overall, I am excited about the opportunity to join an investment firm and help drive the growth of entrepreneurial solutions that are economically viable and sustainable for future generations.