Dave Nichols has more than 15 years of experience at every stage of entrepreneurship, having co-founded several technology, agriculture, and energy startups. Dave's career began in 2005 around the same time as the advent of socially responsible investing, as he worked on carbon credit projects in developing countries under the Kyoto Protocol. He then transitioned from carbon trading to clean-tech finance, leading the development of clean-tech projects ranging from energy to agriculture. He joined AppHarvest in 2018 and has overseen the company's relationships with AgTech leaders in the Netherlands, as it seeks to adopt the technology for use in the United States through its series of controlled environment agriculture facilities in Appalachia. As part of his role, Dave worked on a unique hybrid lighting system for AppHarvest's first facility in Morehead, Kentucky. The system led to the purchase of $15 million in LEDs that will help further enhance the facility's yields. Dave holds an MBA with distinction from Columbia University, as well as a bachelor’s in environmental science from the University of Delaware.