Executive team
Néstor Zúñiga Arias
Lawrence Pratt
Mr. Pratt has worked with multiple startups in Costa Rica as a consultant in sustainable finance and value chains. He is a professor Business Strategy at INCAE Business School in Costa Rica, ranked by Financial Times as one of the top ten business schools in the world, where he previously directed INCAE's think tanks, previously as CEO of bioTD and PBW BioLogica he successfully achieved FDA approval for several products in the United States.
Agustín Büchert
Dr. Büchert is a biotechnology engineer with a PhD in biotechnology and molecular biology from the National University of General San Martín in Argentina, recognized as one of the best in his class, followed by an MBA from INCAE Business School in Costa Rica. His scientific background, creativity, and multitasking ability have allowed him to turn the company into an experimentation sandbox for product design.
Alejandro Martínez Soto
As a partner and provider of financial and administrative services, Mr. Martínez-Soto has supported numerous business projects. He currently manages the financial and administrative affairs of BDA Life Sciences and ClearLeaf. He co-founded First Costa Rican Title and Trust, where he was responsible for the administration and disbursement of tens of millions of dollars for real estate transactions and the oversight of escrow accounts.
Robin Wiscovitch
With over 40 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, Dr. Wiscovitch has led areas such as manufacturing, quality control, regulatory affairs, engineering, marketing, distribution, and R&D. His startup, Home Diagnostics, a developer, manufacturer, and marketer of diabetes management products, was acquired by Nipro, a leading global healthcare company based in Japan.
Stephan Rechtschaffen
Dr. Rechtschaffen, a medical doctor by training, co-founded the Omega Institute, which offers classes and programs to over 25,000 people a year on its 75-acre campus in New York. Omega's workshops, conferences, and retreats create dialogues on the integration of modern medicine and natural healing. More recently, he founded Blue Spirit Costa Rica, in Nosara, to provide an extraordinary environment for retreats, workshops, and training programs.
Charles Gohmann
Charles, an experienced entrepreneur and business design expert, accumulated over forty years of international experience. In 1997, he was recruited to lead a reforestation project in Costa Rica. Subsequently, he co-founded and was CEO of First Costa Rican Title and Trust. Starting in 2005, he focused on financing and business development activities and worked with innovative companies in the life sciences and hospitality sectors. He was one of the founders of ClearLeaf. He passed away in 2019, leaving a legacy of generosity and brilliance that will be deeply missed.
Technical team
Rapid Innovation Group
Rapid Innovation Group is a commercialization firm focused on facilitating the adoption of high-impact, IP-rich technologies with global applications. Based in the UK, by focusing on the adoption of high-impact industrial technologies with global applications, it enables ClearLeaf to access international markets and enhance its international projection.
Pryor Cashman LLP
Firma de abogados con oficinas en Nueva York, Los Ángeles y Miami. Fundada en 1963, cuenta con más de 200 abogados y brinda una amplia gama de servicios legales a una diversa base de clientes. La firma está clasificada entre las mejores firmas de abogados en los EE. UU.
Esta representación legal sólida y de primer nivel, proporciona a ClearLeaf la seguridad para enfrentar los desafíos legales y aprovechar las oportunidades de manera efectiva.
Fox Rothschild
One of the largest intellectual property law firms in the world, with a team of 950 brilliant and creative lawyers, Fox Rothschild offers quality legal advice and optimal results, strengthening ClearLeaf's intellectual property protection and its ability to innovate and grow.
Jose Pablo Sánchez
Partner at Axioma Estudio Legal in Costa Rica brings ClearLeaf over 10 years of experience in the natural resources sector, specializing in corporate and commercial matters related to the environment, energy, and natural resources. His expertise covers regulatory, contractual, compliance, and corporate responsibility issues.
Juan Luis Calderón Quirós
As the plant manager at ClearLeaf, he plays a key role in the production of the active ingredient in the GotaBlanca product line, ensuring its quality and efficiency. With experience as an administrative coordinator at PBW BioLogica, he oversaw import, export, and inventory and purchasing management. He coordinates logistics and inventories to maintain optimal operational flow and is in charge of our production plant.
Mariano Naranjo Masis
Agricultural Engineer specialized in Agricultural Economics from UCR. He has implemented sustainable quality programs for coffee, collaborated with the Center for Intelligence on Sustainable Markets and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, and has been a key consultant in the Nespresso AAA Program for almost 6 years. He joins ClearLeaf to strengthen its focus on sustainability and coffee crop quality.
José Rafael Herrera Mesén
With 10 years of experience in managing tissue culture laboratories. He has worked with state institutions (MAG, MTTS, IMAS, INA, DETCE) on agricultural biotechnology, food security, rural development, and climate change projects. For more than 8 years, he has led the plant tissue culture laboratory at CTP de Turrubares. His experience and knowledge are valuable for ClearLeaf's growth and innovation in agricultural biotechnology.
Ernst & Young
A member of Ernst & Young Global Limited, one of the largest professional services networks in the world. The Costa Rican office provides a wide range of assurance, tax, and advisory services to multiple companies. This affiliation provides ClearLeaf with access to specialized resources and knowledge and allows it to address business challenges and optimize performance in a global business environment.
Markham Norton
Markham Norton is a consulting and accounting firm with offices in Florida, USA. Founded in 1979, the firm has over 40 employees and provides a wide range of services to businesses and individuals, including tax preparation, accounting, financial planning, and consulting.
It offers solid support for ClearLeaf's financial and business needs in the US and global market.
AgroMultiservicios
A leading company in research and development for the agricultural and industrial sectors. It offers solutions in regulatory, statistical, and bioinformatics matters internationally and in Costa Rica. ClearLeaf collaborates with its experts Cristian Garita and Karina Barboza, providing us access to advanced and specialized solutions in regulatory and statistical matters, strengthening our capacity to innovate and develop sustainable agricultural products.
Karol Araya
Business Administrator with a background in project management and an MBA in Agile Methodologies. She brings over 15 years of experience in operations, administration, and finance across tourism, agriculture, and R&D sectors. She has worked in multicultural settings, excelling in resource management, internal controls, and achieving organizational goals.
Liliana Cháves
Agricultural Engineer with a Master’s in Sustainable Tropical Agriculture from CATIE. She has over 25 years of experience in tropical crop research, 18 of them in pineapple, working with companies like Del Monte. She has advised production and postharvest teams in Costa Rica, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and the Philippines. She collaborates with ClearLeaf on advisory projects to validate technologies for more sustainable pineapple farming.
Sales and Marketing Team
Carlos Lara
Agronomist with over 20 years of experience introducing innovative pathogen control products in the agricultural sector. He has worked in major regional companies providing technical advice for various crops. He has served as a sales manager in Costa Rica and Central America for a large regional agricultural supply company. Carlos also has extensive knowledge and experience in designing and managing evaluation trials for new products and technologies.
Diego Lunar
Agronomist Engineer with knowledge and experience in crops such as coffee, asparagus, corn, and rice. He conducts research projects in Colombia, with a primary focus on crop bio-stimulation in rice, potato, and avocado.
María Castro
María is an Agronomist, graduated from the University of Costa Rica, with extensive experience in agrochemical development, as well as in vegetable, ornamental, and coffee production. Coming from a coffee-farming family, she has participated in traceability and sustainability projects in this crop. Her solid academic background and passion for agriculture make her a highly skilled and committed professional in agricultural innovation in Costa Rica.
Zaria Morales
Zaria is an Agricultural Engineer with a Master's in Project Management. Experienced in farm coordination and quality management in cannabis cultivation, Zaria brings a comprehensive approach to sustainable agriculture promoted by ClearLeaf. Her active participation in the Youth Climate Council of Costa Rica demonstrates her commitment to environmentally responsible farming practices.
Marco Castro
Marco is an Agricultural Engineer with experience in dairy production, horticulture, and tropical crop management. His background includes leadership roles in business and research projects at EARTH University. Marco combines his technical skills with a strong commitment to sustainable and efficient agricultural practices to accelerate GotaBlanca adoption in the field.
EN 
ES
Mr. Zúñiga-Arias has an MBA from the University of Costa Rica and was previously a stock market trader and financial consultant. He has served as an external financial advisor for prominent institutions such as ICE, Banco Popular, and Banco Nacional de Costa Rica. Over the past decade, he has facilitated creative financing solutions for various development projects locally.