© Vertical Oceans
Based in Singapore, Vertical Oceans was founded by John Diener, CEO, and co-founded by Enzo Acerbi, CTO, to achieve sustainable prawn aquaculture production.
Born in Australia, and having resided in Greater China and Japan since 1993, Patrick Vizzone holds an AMP from Harvard Business School, and an MBA in Finance from Manchester Business.
Patrick joins Vertical Oceans alongside John Diener and Enzo Acerbi as co-founder and CFO, where he will be responsible for financial management, strategy, and business development.
Patrick brings experience in agri-food, finance and investing, operational roles in prior startups, as well as boardroom and corporate governance.
Early in his career, Patrick co-founded and developed a vertically integrated fresh produce supply chain management enterprise in China, and remains an active early-stage agri-food tech investor. Since 2017, Patrick has been an investor and senior advisor to Agfunder.
Patrick’s most recent position was as the managing director, head of agri-food, and head of impact investment at Franklin Templeton Global Private Equity. In this role, he aided in advancing sustainable investments in the agri-food sector.
Throughout his career, Patrick has held senior roles in corporate and investment banking, focusing on global agri-food banking and sustainability. He has also had regional general management responsibilities with Rabobank, National Australia Bank, and ANZ Banking Corporation.
Patrick's boardroom and corporate governance experience includes having served for over a decade on the board of directors of China Agri-Industries, a listed subsidiary of China’s, China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs (OFCO) Group. During this time, he was granted a fellowship by the Hong Kong Institute of Directors. Patrick remains as board member and investor in Dimuto, a tech solution provider for the fresh produce industry. He also serves on the board of directors and the executive committee of the International Fresh Produce Association, and as a board member and treasurer of the Australian Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong.
The company states that the summation of Patrick's experience will be instrumental in driving Vertical Oceans' mission to revolutionise aquaculture through its AI-native and automated technology.
John Diener, founder and CEO, noted in a press release: “I’m thrilled to welcome Patrick, a long-time friend and business associate, to our team. His extensive experience and deep commitment to agri-food sustainability makes him an ideal fit for the company's mission to revolutionise aquaculture through our cutting-edge technology.”
Patrick Vizzone added: "I am truly honoured to join Vertical Oceans, which is at the forefront of AI-driven sustainable aquaculture. This is an exciting opportunity to merge my passion for finance and commitment to environmental sustainability. As co-founder and CFO, I look forward to contributing to Vertical Oceans' mission, focussing on innovation, responsible development, and the sustainable future of aquaculture. We are also planning our expansion to the USA – Los Angeles, here we come!”
