LU 367: Founding an Agriculture Management SaaS Platform with Allison Kopf, CEO of Artemis (podcast)

Offering a SaaS product that services agriculture presents unique challenges for growth and today we chat with Allison Kopf, CEO of Artemis, about what this process looks like. Artemis is a cultivation management platform that enables growers to manage people, processes, and compliance all in one place while creating a virtually risk-free operation. Allison starts by telling us about her background in energy and what drew her obsession towards enterprise-level management and infrastructure in the agricultural industry, weighing in about how software can optimize farming and supply chains to streamline operations, bring growers closer to distributors, and more. We turn our attention to why Artemis services high-risk specialty crop farmers, and how the company makes money while encouraging compliance by using a subscription model that charges by acreage and complexity. From there, Allison talks metrics for growth rates before speaking to Artemis’ customer acquisition strategies and how direct to farmer lead generation in the format of digital events is faring since COVID. The risk of burnout due to over-productivity while working at home in the pandemic is real so we query Allison next about how her passion projects of baking, venture capital, and playing Zelda are working as buffers against this. Wrapping up, Allison weighs in on her favorite venture capital books and the massive strides Zoom and Slack have made in recent months. Tune in for this amazing conversation.

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:42] Allison’s background in farming and idea to tweak supply chains by creating Artemis.
• [02:25] What a cultivation management platform is and how software can optimize supply chains.
• [03:13] Why Artemis works with high-risk specialty crops directly consumed by consumers. 
• [05:24] How Artemis makes its money using a subscription-based SaaS model.
• [05:43] Encouraging compliance and why Artemis charges by acreage not user.
• [06:26] Employee size and growth rates at Artemis for Q1 and COVID’s influence. 
• [07:16] Unique customer acquisition challenges Artemis faces as an agri-SaaS product.
• [09:58] Talking virtual events as a way of generating quality leads during the pandemic. 
• [12:08] Allison’s focus on baking, venture capital, and Zelda since COVID to resist overworking.
• [16:30] New creative business models since COVID and venture deals Allison has closed. 
• [17:22] Favorite books of Allison’s about venture capital and underrepresented founders.
• [18:29] Talking Zoom’s growth, Slack’s usefulness, and Allison’s favorite work tools.

Resources From The Interview:

• Allison Kopf on LinkedIn
• Allison Kopf on Twitter
• Allison Kopf on Instagram
• Allison Kopf Email
• Artemis
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars
• Zelda
• XFactor Ventures
• Zoom
• Eric Yuan
• Slack
• Shoe Dog
• Little Black Stretchy Pants
• Must read book: Raising the Bar, and It’s About Damn Time

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