About Us
Meet Our Team
Lauren Smith
Co-Founder & Chief Cultivator (sales)
Lauren comes to FarmRaiser with a background in experiential education, curriculum and program design, and community engagement. A teach For America alumna, she has a Masters in gender research from University of Florida. As a campaign cultivator with FarmRaiser, she will be working with local communities and causes to support FarmRaiser campaigns, and make the world a healthier, tastier place.
Mariana LaFianza
Cultivator
Mariana comes to FarmRaiser with a background in environmental studies and environmental policy. Her previous positions have given her experience in program development, fundraising, and food systems. As a campaign cultivator with FarmRaiser, she will be working with local communities and partners to support FarmRaiser campaigns, and make the world a healthier, more sustainable place.
Victor Etongwe
Co-Founder, Growth/Marketing
2X Founder Growth marketing @Staffer Founder @Remodelmate Growth Marketing @Bozutto
Mark Abbott
Co-Founder, CEO
Advisors/Investors
Dr. Bobby Mukkamala
Founding Investor/Advisor
Dr. Bobby Mukkamala is the founding investor in FarmRaiser. He is a board-certified Otolaryngologist in Flint, Michigan. A prominent civic leader, he is past president of the Genesee County Medical Society and serves on the board of directors of the Crim Fitness Foundation, an organization whose mission it is to cultivate physical fitness as a community and family value. Dr. Mukkamala advises FarmRaiser on its community partnerships and health and nutrition curriculum.
Jim Epstein
Investor/Advisor
Jim Epstein is Founder and Chairman of EFO Capital Management and Co-Founder and Chairman of Blue Ridge Local, a fresh food aggregator working with small- and medium-sized farms in Virginia. A longtime member of Social Venture Partners, and passionate advocate for impact investing, Jim is a FarmRaiser investor, advisor and strategic partner.
Ray Grochowski
Outside Director/Advisor
Ray Grochowski is Vice President and General Counsel for Dynamic Precision Group. A retired corporate partner with Latham & Watkins LLP, where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions, Ray serves as outside board member and advisor for FarmRaiser, providing guidance on regulatory and licensing, corporate governance, and liability issues. He is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and the College of William and Mary. Before attending law school, he served for eight years as an officer in the U.S. Navy, and then worked for several years in the defense industry in the Washington, DC area.
Technology Team
Andrew Guk
Lead Engineer
Full Stack Ruby on Rails Engineer 10+ years Marketplaces + SaaS
Alex Maksimchuk
Tech Quality Assurance
Alex has two years of practical experience in quality assurance (QA) building processes on the project, managing and validating every task, and reporting any actual/valid issues. Alex works in the background to ensure our tech is running smoothly and that your campaigns go off without a hitch. He’s a silent hero!