Valeria Kogan is Founder and CEO of Fermata. She holds a BSc and MSc in applied mathematics and a PhD in bioinformatics. After beginning her career as a lab researcher, Kogan transitioned into leadership roles, managing AI teams in biotech start-ups across Europe and the United States. She later co-founded Smartomica, an AI-driven platform that supports oncologists in diagnosing complex cancer cases. Drawing on her biotech expertise, Kogan founded Fermata to tackle the global challenge of crop loss due to plant disease. Under her leadership, Fermata has developed AI-powered solutions for early detection of plant health issues in greenhouses and open fields, and has been recognized among the top start-ups in agricultural technology and AI.