# Martin Rand

> Martin Rand is an Estonian entrepreneur and investor, the co-founder and founding CEO of Pactum AI, later its president, and founder of First Flight Ventures. Previously a Skype product manager, he co-founded farm management software company VitalFields, acquired by The Climate Corporation in 2016. His work spans autonomous commercial negotiations, enterprise software and support for founders in underserved regions.

- **Role:** Founder at First Flight Ventures; Co-founder of Pactum AI
- **Organizations:** First Flight Ventures, Pactum AI, VitalFields, Skype, The Climate Corporation, GScan, Forbes
- **Nationality:** Estonian
- **Education:** MA in IT Management, Estonian Business School, Negotiation Master Class (executive course), Harvard University, Negotiation Mastery (course), Stanford University
- **Known for:** Co-founded VitalFields and led it through its acquisition by The Climate Corporation in November 2016., Co-founded Pactum AI in 2019 and led the company as its founding CEO., Helped introduce autonomous commercial negotiation software used by enterprises including Walmart and Maersk.

## Career timeline

- **2006–2010** — Product manager at Skype.
- **2011** — Co-founded VitalFields, a farm management software business.
- **2016** — VitalFields acquired by The Climate Corporation, a Monsanto subsidiary.
- **2017–2018** — Commercial lead for Europe at The Climate Corporation.
- **2019** — Co-founded Pactum with Kaspar Korjus and Kristjan Korjus and served as founding CEO.
- **2020** — Completed Harvard’s Negotiation Master Class.
- **2021** — Began contributing to Forbes on negotiation and leadership.
- **2024** — Publicly identified as Pactum president; GScan announced his appointment to its supervisory board.
- **2026** — Publicly active as founder of First Flight Ventures, a philanthropic initiative supporting founders in underserved regions.

## Achievements

- Co-founded VitalFields and led it through its acquisition by The Climate Corporation in November 2016.
- Co-founded Pactum AI in 2019 and led the company as its founding CEO.
- Helped introduce autonomous commercial negotiation software used by enterprises including Walmart and Maersk.
- Founded First Flight Ventures to support early-stage founders in underserved regions with micro-grants.
- Appointed to GScan’s supervisory board in 2024.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Appeared on UPVESTOR discussing AI, professional skills and First Flight Ventures; the episode describes him as Pactum’s previous CEO.
- **2026-07** — First Flight Ventures extended its 2026 grant-program application deadline to July 7; selected ventures could receive up to $4,000.

## Links

- Website: https://firstflightventures.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinrand/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/martinrand
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martin.rand.395

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/martin-rand
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22