Mark Kahn is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Omnivore, India’s leading agritech and climate-tech venture capital firm with more than $300 million under management. Backing over 45 startups transforming food, agriculture, and sustainability, Omnivore has played a defining role in shaping India’s agritech ecosystem and the country’s emerging climate investment landscape.
He joins the podcast to discuss how Omnivore is building bridges between India and the GCC, why he’s not trading India’s deep venture ecosystem for newer regional opportunities, and how food sovereignty, controlled-environment agriculture, and life sciences innovation will define the next decade of climate resilience and food security.
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Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction
04:01 - India vs GCC Focus & Why Not Pivot to MENA
07:00 - Misunderstanding of India's Venture Depth
10:03 - India's IPO & Exit Environment
13:47 - Food Sovereignty vs Food Security in the GCC
19:50 - GCC-India Agricultural Investment Opportunities
24:03 - Controlled Environment Agriculture & Vertical Farming
31:02 - The Vertical Farming Bust vs Traditional CEA
35:27 - Alternative Protein: Why Omnivore Avoided It
43:57 - Founding Omnivore & Mark's Unconventional Path
50:04 - Fund Evolution: Corporate Venture to Independence
57:53 - The Dangers of GMV-Focused Marketplaces
1:01:20 - LP Base & Climate Framing
1:05:40 - Life Sciences: India's Missed Opportunity
1:11:01 - Eruvaka Exit Story
1:15:42 - Exit Paths in India: M&A, Secondaries, IPOs
1:18:01 - Value-Add as a Sector-Focused VC
1:21:17 - What Mark is Most Excited About
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