Expertise

Scientific rigor + Pragmatism + Diligence

finres is a company created by Florent Baarsch, formerly a senior economist at the World Bank and the United Nations, that offers operational solutions to a major societal problem: food security and sovereignty in a context of climate change. To this end, he has assembled a team of scientists and developers motivated to revolutionize decision-making in agricultural finance. By breaking down the barriers between research and investors, they are building a bridge between finance and resilience.

finres has a deep knowledge of the needs of investors thanks to our long-standing collaborations with governments, commercial and development banks, and international funds.

As a university spin-off, we offer tailored and standardized scientific solutions as well as the capacity to mobilize new computing methods (eML and eAI) to support investors.

With cloud automation and high-performance computing solutions, finres offers lightning-fast results.

Join Our Team: Explore our range of job opportunities here.

 

Team

Experience+Science+Technology

Florent Baarsch Founder & CEO

Florent completed his doctoral studies at Ludwig Maximilian University and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Cited more than 1,400 times for his academic work, he began his career as an environmental and climate economist at Climate Analytics gGmbH, IFAD and the World Bank. He founded finres in 2019.

Michiel Schaeffer Chief Scientist

With a PhD in meteorological sciences and over 10,000 citations, Dr. Schaeffer has extensive experience in multidisciplinary research and applied science. He was Chief Scientist of the Global Center for Adaptation (GCA) between 2022 and 2022. He currently holds the position of Senior Scientific Advisor at Climate Analytics, alongside his work at finres.

Mike Girling Head of Marketing and Communications

Joining finres from the Global Center on Adaptation, Mike has extensive experience working with and for companies, governments and international organisations. With degrees from the University of Oxford and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Mike has a focus on the power of communication for achieving social impact.

Mathilde Duvallet Agronomist

Mathilde graduated from AgroParisTech as an agricultural engineer and holds a master's degree in economics from the Université Paris-Saclay. She completed a PhD on rice production risks in West Africa at the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD).

Joe Freeman Senior Software Engineer

With an academic scientific background from Imperial College London, Joe brings a wealth of experience building software at innovative companies, including working on climate-irrigation control systems and crop modelling.

Vhiny Mombo Data scientist

Engineer in Applied Mathematics from ENSIIE and graduate of a Master's degree in Data Science with a minor in Finance from Université Paris Saclay, Vhiny has built several machine learning models during his past experiences in the transport and healthcare sectors.

Caroline Vu Administrative Coordinator

With over a decade of diverse professional experience, Caroline has managed projects across various sectors, including banking, insurance, real estate, and finance. Her versatile skill set encompasses compliance control, quality management, accounting, HR, and commercial operations, complemented by a background in private law.

Ben Martineau Senior Software Engineer

With a strong scientific background, Ben brings a wealth of experience in programming and machine learning, honed through his Master's and PhD at Cambridge University, and most recently within various fintech and AI start-ups.

Mohamed Alkassem Agricultural Modeling Scientist

Mohamed has a PhD in predictive modeling in agro-hydrology systems from the French national research institute for agriculture, food and environment (INRAe), and has extensive expertise in advanced agricultural modeling, including hydrodynamic soil parameters and remotely sensed data from satellites.

Sidiki Sanogo Climate Scientist

Sidiki has expertise in atmospheric physics and climate modeling. His PhD work with MeteoFrance focused on extreme precipitation events and he did post-doc work at Sorbonne University. His work at finres includes analyzing climate data and enhancing our downscaling and forecasting models using AI and Machine Learning.

Jeehanne Reboud Climate Data Scientist

Jeehanne has a background in physics with a first year master’s degree in Meteorology, Oceanography, Climate, and Spatial Engineering, complemented by a master’s in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science from Sorbonne Université. She's worked for institutions such as LMD, LOCEAN, and LIP6.

Louis d'Hautefeuille Business Development and Partnerships Lead

Coming from strategy consulting, Louis also brings a wealth of experience in entrepreneurial projects ranging from fintech to wildlife conservation. With a Master's Degree in Finance and Management from ESADE and St Gallen, Louis works on creating lasting partnerships with key players in the sector to achieve finres’ mission.

Nasreddine Cherradi Business Developer

Nasreddine holds a background in finance, banking, and data analysis, giving him an in-depth knowledge of financial fields. After graduating from Rabat Business School with a degree in market finance, he pursued a Master's degree in data analysis at ESG. While pursuing his studies, he works with finres in the field of business development and intelligence.

Yona Uzan Computer Vision Scientist

After graduating as an engineer in medical imaging, Yona is now pursuing a Master's in MVA (Mathematics, Vision, Learning) at ENS Paris Saclay. She has experience with Machine Learning and Deep Learning and enjoys using this to develop solutions for important societal issues.

Salman Ahmed Research Assistant

Salman holds a Master's in Environmental Science and a Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Laws. He is pursuing a Master in Climate, Land-Use and Ecosystem Services (CLUES) at AgroParisTech, University Paris-Saclay. Previously, he has worked as Research Associate for more than six years with a focus on public planning and monitoring & evaluation of environmental protection and foreign-funded projects.

Allan Boucher Graphic Designer

A student from Reunion Island, Allan began his post-baccalaureate studies in biology before joining Sup de Pub Paris in graphic design communication. Formerly assistant DA at We are Together and graphic designer at Traits d'Union, Allan is now a graphic designer at finres, where he handles the visual side of communications.