About VM Agritech
We exist to transform how we grow food, treat illness, and protect soil with toxin-free solutions that deliver real results.
Protect What You Grow and Who You’re Growing For™
VM Agritech is building a future where growers don’t have to choose between what works and what’s right. Our revolutionary crop protection and nutrition technologies defend plants from pathogens while preserving the health of people and the planet.
Our patented Cyncore formulation technology drives everything we do, advancing the solubilization of essential minerals like copper and zinc to deliver cleaner, smarter performance in every field.
We believe healthier plants lead to healthier people and ecosystems. That’s why our mission is simple: protect what matters, innovate relentlessly, and make things right with science that works.
Based in Geneva, New York, VM Agritech unites biochemistry, agronomy, and environmental science to create the next generation of crop protection. Our team is focused on replacing harmful, outdated chemistries with smarter alternatives that strengthen soil biology and yield potential instead of depleting it.
We’re proving that performance and principle can coexist: every product we make is engineered to help growers achieve measurable results while protecting the ecosystems that sustain them.
Our History
Legacy Rooted in Purpose
We restore balance between productivity and sustainability. We’re driven by the belief that innovation should serve the grower, the soil, and the generations ahead.
A Few Results That Speak For Themselves
VM Agritech products are proven effective and registered for use on 130 crops. From disease control to meaningful yield observations, every result reinforces what we stand for: science that performs without compromise.
Potato Yield Increase
In a major New York field trial, Curezin® boosted marketable yield compared to the grower standard program.
Higher return in sugar beets
In Michigan Sugar Company trials, Curezin® programs achieved a 10.7% higher net $/A than the trial average, with a 5.8% RWST increase.
Snap Bean Yield Increase
In NY Cornell University trial, Curezin® produced 41% higher yields than UTC and 23% greater yield than the next best program.
Increase in Soil Microbiology
Over 2 years of BeCrop® soil testing, unheard of for a non-biological input.
Leadership Team
Chris Wightman
President and CEO, VM Agritech
Chris has focused his career on the challenges of some of the world’s most intractable problems. He leads the company’s mission to solve the problem of feeding people with more nutritious and safer food without toxic chemicals, whilst at the same time improving farming profitability and sustainability by increasing crop yield and quality.
Since he established VM Agritech, Chris has leveraged his diverse experience across science, business, and academia to bring the unique discovery of the efficacy of solubilized copper/zinc to market.
Under his leadership, VM Agritech has, in 2025, secured EPA approval for its first product, Curezin®, and continues to extend its unsurpassed knowledge of this groundbreaking technology and its impact on plant and soil health. He has filed and continues to file patents that have been granted around the world underpinning the discoveries, which are themselves supported by global in vitro and field trial data from both world class universities and research centres.
Peter Karos
Head of Corporate Development
Peter is a financial executive who has 18 years of experience working at investment firms researching, analysing, and trading small-cap companies. His history of investing across all sectors of the economy, and in particular commodities, ensures he has the skill set to manage both the operational and investor-facing sides of VM Agritech.
Prior to joining VM Agritech, Peter held senior investment management and trading roles at Arbor Capital Management and Polar Asset Management Partners from 1995 to 2013. Peter has been consulting investment banks, PE funds, hedge funds, and corporations primarily for shipping and commodity investments and analysis since 2013.
Eric Pettee
Chief Financial Officer
Eric brings more than 25 years of corporate finance experience across life science, clean energy, and information technology industries. Prior experience includes leadership positions at Fortune 100 companies Hewlett Packard, General Motors, and Thermo Fisher Scientific. While at Thermo Fisher, Eric led Finance for multi-billion dollar divisions and supported the company’s rapid scale-up in the global fight against COVID-19. Most recently Eric held senior leadership roles at startup companies Quadrant Biosciences and Hyzon Motors. At Hyzon, Eric built their global finance organization and brought the company public, listing on the NASDAQ in 2021. Eric received his bachelor’s degree from the University at Buffalo, and MBA from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Derek Wolfe
Chief Chemist
Derek is a chemist with diverse experience from working in startup, midsize, and public companies to originate new chemistries at lab-scale, introduce new processes to chemical plants, and custodialize mature production.
Prior to joining VM Agritech, he worked variably on topics in research and development, plant support, and technical strategy with pharmaceutical (Johnson & Johnson, Cambrex), specialty and commodity (Wacker Chemie, Abitec Corporation), and fine chemical and advanced materials (Fluidic Energy) companies. Derek completed a BS in Chemistry from Roanoke College (Salem, VA) and a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Georgia, with additional training at the University of Giessen.
Steve Princinsky
Chief Commercial Officer
Steve Princinsky’s career spans more than 25 years working with growers and turfgrass professionals in both the US and Canada developing national sales channels and leading distribution organizations. Curezin® is his 3rd new product launch.
His background includes experience with both conventional and biological crop protection products. In addition to his experience at Petro Canada Lubricants and AgBiome, Steve was most recently the president of the Huntmore Group, assisting clients in launching new products related to agriculture and turfgrass.
Steve is a graduate of Northern Michigan University with a B.S. in Land Management in addition to attaining his MBA from Baker College.
Stuart Hensman
Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee
Stuart is a seasoned executive with over 45 years of experience in the financial services industry. He began his career at Sun Life of Canada in Toronto working as an investment analyst and portfolio manager. He then moved to London working for Scotia Capital as Managing Director of Institutional Equities. Subsequently, he was appointed Chairman and CEO of Scotia Capital (USA) inc. based in New York.
Since 2004, Stuart has served as a corporate Director. Past roles include Chairman of the Board of Governors of CI Funds, Lead Director of Creststreet Power and Income Fund and directorships at Canacol Energy Inc and Rifco Inc.
Mark Palamountain
Director and Chair of the Audit committee at VM Agritech
Mark was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Limoneira Company in April 2024. He previously served as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since January 2018. He was also the Corporate Secretary from January 2018 through July 2022. He has served as the Company’s Senior Director of Agricultural Operations since 2014. From 2012 to 2014, Mark served as Director of Business Development and Business Integration at the Company.
Prior to joining the Company, Mark was the Chief Executive Officer and a founder of Perpetual Power LLC, a leading solar integration company specializing in finance and product technology. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Managing Director, Head of NASDAQ Trading for Broadpoint Securities where he was responsible for all trading desk management functions for a team of 25 traders. Between 2001 and 2003, Mark was a Principal at Thomas Weisel Partners and from 1997 to 2001, he was a trader at JPMorgan Chase.
Mark is a graduate of University Colorado at Boulder, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance.