Frank Klemens

Managing Director, GFRP Fund at Big Idea Ventures · Joined 2022

Biography

Frank Klemens, PhD, is Managing Director of Big Idea Ventures' Generation Food Rural Partners fund, appointed in an announcement dated 15 February 2022. Before joining he was Managing Director of DuPont Ventures, where the firm's team page says he oversaw all aspects of sourcing, analysing and executing strategic equity investments and licensing for DuPont's businesses, with focus areas including biotech, food ingredients, food safety, nutrition, electronics, IoT, machine learning and advanced materials. He holds a BS and MS in Chemistry and a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry, all from Purdue University. He is listed as a director of Generation Food Rural Partners I, LP in that fund's SEC Form D. In the firm's own announcement of the fund's USDA Rural Business Investment Company licence he described GFRP as combining innovations created at the fund's 21 partner universities with market need in agriculture, food and protein sciences to create new companies. No current board of directors seat at a portfolio company is stated in any source read.

Education

• PhD, Inorganic Chemistry, Purdue University
• MS, Chemistry, Purdue University
• BS, Chemistry, Purdue University

Previous Experience

• DuPont Ventures - Managing Director, responsible for sourcing, analysing and executing strategic equity investments and licensing for DuPont's businesses, across biotech, food ingredients, food safety, nutrition, electronics, IoT, machine learning and advanced materials

Notable Investments

Career Timeline

Sources & References