Jim Schultz

Bio

Mr Schultz passion for entrepreneurship and building businesses was born from lessons learned within his family’s seed company. In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s Jim worked with the Brazilian unit of the family soybean business, the J.M. Schultz Seed Company – a global seed and chemical business with operations in North and South America. In addition, he managed over 13,000 acres of Midwest farmland which he acquired during the late 1980’s. He has carried those lessons with him throughout his twenty-five year career as an adviser and investor Today, he is Founder and Managing Partner of Open Prairie Ventures and was responsible for the launch of two funds which invested in agriculture technology companies with disruptive technologies. In 1999, Jim founded Open Prairie Ventures I, a $40 million fund focused on Midwest seed and early-stage technology opportunities. In 2008, he launched Open Prairie Ventures II, a fund focused on agriculture and technology companies Mr Schultz is on the board of Vestaron, an eco-friendly insecticide company, and has served as Chairman of the Board of Prime Banc Corporation, a Central Illinois multi-bank holding company. In addition, he has served on the board of several of the Open Prairie Ventures investments along with numerous Midwest-based technology companies Mr Schultz received an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, a Juris Doctorate from DePaul University, and a Bachelors degree in Business Administration cum laude from Southern Methodist University