Scott Friesen spent 15 years building tech startups in Austin. He has founded and exited three companies with a focus on integrity, collaboration, and results. In 2013, inspired by a trip to Ethiopia, he launched Verdant Frontiers to apply his business expertise to fighting poverty in Africa. The firm identifies billion-dollar opportunities and builds the strategy, team, and capital structure needed to scale them into enduring businesses that deliver both investor returns and human flourishing. Over the past decade, Verdant Frontiers has launched four ventures across agribusiness, real estate, and fintech, including one successful exit.
Tony Chen is an entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience, having started seven companies with three exits. For the past 10 years, he has invested in 30+ companies across Africa, including raising and running an African fintech fund with 10 portfolio companies. He and his family lived in rural Kenya for three years, where he gained deep insight into Africa's business landscape and entrepreneurial ecosystem. This combination of operating and investing experience drives his approach at Verdant Frontiers, where he focuses on identifying and scaling transformative opportunities that create lasting value while generating meaningful impact. Tony earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA in Finance from the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management.
Sherri Holland is a seasoned CFO with over 20 years of experience across real estate, private equity, technology, agriculture, and media industries. She has been with the Verdant group of companies since 2015, leading GAAP and IFRS accounting teams and building financial systems that scale across multiple markets. Today, she oversees a portfolio of companies totaling over $200 million in assets under management spread across seven African countries. Her focus is ensuring Verdant's ventures have the financial infrastructure and oversight needed to achieve sustainable growth while maintaining the highest standards of financial transparency and accountability.
Emily Mihailoff is a professional with a strong background in information technology, database management, and executive administration, holding both BS and MS degrees in mathematics. Her analytical foundation combined with operational expertise allows her to manage complex investor relationships and communications with precision. Her motivation and passion for service drive her dedication to ensuring Verdant's investors have clear, timely access to portfolio updates and strategic insights. At Verdant Frontiers, she focuses on building strong investor partnerships that support the firm's mission of creating transformative businesses across Africa.