Accelerating the
world’s food ecosystem
transformation.
Food at the intersection of taste, planetary and human health.
Mission
There is an increasing awareness among consumers that our food system is broken and would not be able to scale to feed the extra 2 billion people expected to live on earth by 2050, without compromising the health of the planet, and our survival as a species. The food industry is now changing at its core as we are rethinking everything we are doing since the agricultural revolution.
Together with our corporate food partners, Great Circle Ventures is identifying, investing and accelerating the growth of the companies that address this market shift and the transition to a climate smart and healthy food system.
Our Team
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Managing PartnerJacob Afriat was a Director at Danone Manifesto Venture ($500M+ AUM) - the venture arm of Danone S.A - a $30Bn revenue company and the largest B Corp in the world. He was a founding member at Symbrosia, a CleanTech startup reducing methane emissions with seaweed. He is a mentor at IndieBio, Big Idea Ventures & Techstars – Farm to Fork. He received his MBA from INSEAD and studied Finance at YU.
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PartnerRani Aliahmad was a managing Partner at Venvest Capital for 10+ years - an opportunistic equity investment & buyout firm and a Director at Craftsman Capital Advisors providing venture structure, financing, and merchant banking services for entrepreneurs and venture investors in the technology, biotechnology, and food industries. He received an MBA from MIT in entrepreneurship and a BA from Yale University in Economics.
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Venture PartnerRenee Wurth, PhD, RD, is a Venture Partner at Great Circle Ventures. She is a research leader, having led research for 7+ years at a range of consumer facing companies, including the healthy meal delivery company, Daily Harvest, and the next generation probiotics company, Fitbiomics. She has been a registered dietitian for 15 years, and has an MS in Nutrition and PhD in Population Health with a focus on Environmental Health from Northeastern, as well as having trained and contributed to research at Harvard, MIT, UC Berkeley and UPenn.
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InternAriella Landau is an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, studying Applied Math and Economics, with a strong interest in social impact investing and innovation that drives meaningful change. She is inspired by the potential of startups to solve real-world challenges and is eager to support their growth and impact. Ariella is passionate about developing strategies to help businesses succeed, whether by assisting a fashion brand's expansion into the U.S. market or implementing AI solutions to enhance customer service. At UC Berkeley, she actively fosters community by organizing events that cultivate valuable connections and networking opportunities.
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Venture FellowAngelina Xu is an MBA candidate at the Wharton School passionate about the intersection of food, wellness, and consumer health. She has held roles at Humana, Stellar Health, and Health Catalyst Capital, gaining experience across investing, startups, and industry operations. Previously, she was a Consultant at L.E.K. Consulting, leading diligence and growth strategy projects for private equity and C-suite clients in food & beverage, consumer, and healthcare. She began her career in credit research at Bank of America and investment banking at Jefferies. Angelina holds a B.S. from Vanderbilt University.
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VC Associate InternManya Kheria is an Economics graduate from the University of Pennsylvania with a strong interest in early-stage investing, food tech, and sustainable innovation. She has experience in venture capital, management consulting, and social impact, with a focus on diligence and market analysis. Before joining Great Circle Ventures, Manya worked in strategy consulting at Alvarez & Marsal and took part in VC fellowships. She is also the founder of Project Shiksha, a COVID-era initiative that enabled digital education access for students in rural India.
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Venture FellowRyan Perry is a graduate of Columbia Business School with a passion for emerging consumer brands and the tech tools that power them. While at Columbia, he explored early-stage brand-building and investing through roles at Coefficient Capital, CPGD, and ALTR, with a focus on consumer psychology and the future of food and wellness. He began his career as a Business Analyst at AQR Capital Management, working on strategic projects across the firm. Ryan holds a B.A. in Economics from Fairfield University and studied behavioral economics at the London School of Economics.
Portfolio Highlights
Team Insights
Contact
Great Circle Ventures is a proud member of Venture Access Alliance by NYCEDC and part of RECAST Capital program (cohort 8).
