at devonian capital, we believe that land based aquaculture is the best way to raise healthy, sustainable and affordable aqua products of premium quality.
Who are we?
Devonian Capital is an international investment business focused on land-based aquaculture projects with a strong technology component. We work with businesses across the aquaculture sector, from farming to support technologies and at all stages of the project development cycle. Our aim is to become the preferred strategic partner for leading onshore aqua-farming ventures.
What we do?
Devonian Capital takes an active role with the companies we work with, through direct investment, business development support and fund raising from third parties.
Why we do it?
We believe in shaping a better world for future generations. Securing an adequate food supply is one of the greatest global challenges humanity is currently facing and we believe that land-based aqua-farming holds significant promise for the planet, for its people and for long term profits.
How we do it?
We identify and invest in solid business concepts that are anchored in real market opportunities, and that use reliable technology able to deliver high quality products and sustainable economic profits. We want to get to know the people, explore their visions and help them develop business opportunities in land-based farming of aquatic organisms.
Our team shares a firm commitment to honesty, transparency and curiosity as core values of our venture.
andre bravo, Co-Founder
Andre has over 20 years’ experience in aquaculture projects using different technologies (cages, ponds and tanks in flow-through and recirculation) with various species and in several countries. He holds a degree in Biotechnology, an MSc in Aquaculture and a post-graduation diploma in Business management.
He was production manager for a Sea Bass and Sea Bream nursery and ongrowing farm (4 sites) in Portugal, General Manager for a Cypriot company producing Sea Bass and Sea Bream (hatchery, nursery and 2 cage sites), Managing Director of a large marine recirculation farm in North Wales producing market size Sea Bass, and General Manager for a Spanish group producing Sole in RAS in Portugal (including hatchery and grow-out units).
Production, operations, marketing & sales, technology development and also team and business development have been key work areas during all his projects. He has been responsible for stabilising and developing businesses, identifying improvement opportunities and outlining expansion & profitability strategies. He has also been involved in the sale and purchase negotiations and final transactions of fish farming businesses, dealing with buyers, sellers, advisors, government agencies, customers and suppliers.
Jamie Stein, Co-Founder
After working in management consultancy (Bain and Company) and financial services (St. James’s Place Capital and Russell Investment Group), Jamie established Fonte Capital to support clients who have exceptional engineering expertise, scientific knowledge, or operating know-how. These clients typically focus on the development, construction and operation of 'real assets' (energy, real estate, and agri / aquaculture projects).
Jamie works closely with these groups to build pipelines of commercial opportunities and / or to establish relationships with different forms of capital. In some cases, he has taken on non-executive positions and invested personally in their businesses.
Jamie is delighted to be part of the founding group of this exciting initiative, not least because it is the closest he will get to fulfilling his childhood dream of being a marine biologist.
Georges Gurkovsky, Co-Founder
After working in marketing (Ogilvy, London) and financial services (Credit Suisse, London), Georges established property investment companies Mercury JSC and NGB Consulting in 2005 to facilitate real estate investments in Eastern Europe for high net worth individuals and institutional clients.
Through local knowledge and strong networks Georges has been able to source and deliver high quality deals across the Balkan region over the last 13 years. Georges has also helped private owner/investors raise funds for real estate and renewable energy projects.
Georges has been interested in aquaculture since discovering the sector through an eel farm project. He believes business investments should have a clear “triple P” strategy (Planet, People & Profit) and is fascinated with the opportunity of creating businesses that will supply traceable, high-quality products in a sustainable way.
Stefan Pavlov, Co-Founder
Stefan has been an entrepreneur since 1994, driven by the challenges of developing new and exciting projects across different sectors in Bulgaria and around the world. Stefan's active participation in every project is central to attracting and retaining partners and clients. This philosophy has allowed him to successfully complete projects in real estate, e-commerce, FMCG, energy, financial services and consultancy.
Stefan has built a strong network of business partners and realized of a number of real estate investment projects – including residential, commercial, and resort projects, attracting global operators like VAMED and Marriott. More recently, Stefan created his own consulting firm – Visa Free Europe, specializing in investment immigration and asset management.
Stefan has always been interested in questions relating to sustainability, which has led him to invest in the renewable energy sector, where he developed 5 solar energy parks with a total installed capacity of 66 MW. This passion also drives his interest in high-tech land-based aquaculture projects and led him to become one of the co-founders of Devonian Capital.
Carsten Krome, ADVISOR
Carsten has worked as technical analyst for an aquaculture investment fund where he oversaw various acquisitions of companies from the feed and aquaculture as well as tech space. Carsten founded Alimentos Ventures in 2015, with a goal to invest in innovation in the aquaculture feed, health, genetics and technology sectors. Carsten invests and assists the companies with commercial potential in establishing a business structure and shaping them to become interesting for institutional investors, such as investment funds, venture capital or private equity firms.
He has entrepreneurial experience through his own start-up as a prawn farmer in Malaysia. Carsten holds a Ph.D. from the University of Stirling, U.K., in feed science and a Masters in Marine Biology from the University of Kiel, Germany.
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