Gary Thompson is the COO of GUSS Automation which developed the world’s first autonomous orchard and vineyard sprayers. After growing up on a dairy in Arizona, Gary attended Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, CA where he double majored in Agricultural Business and Dairy Science. Upon graduating, he moved back to Arizona to manage the dairy, eventually growing it to over 20,000 total head of cattle and 3,500 acres of row crop. While at Cal Poly, he developed a love for the diversity of crops and livestock in California’s San Joaquin Valley which eventually led him to relocate there in 2017. At that time, Gary began farming almonds and he joined the GUSS team while the project was still in its early stages of development. Gary now oversees all operations at GUSS Automation and provides direction for this exciting new ag tech company. GUSS Automation’s sights are now set on scaling sales, expanding markets, and continuing to innovate new models and technologies.

Charlie grew up on a working farm. This experience led him to believe that all tedious outdoor labor should be automated, and simultaneously to understand the many challenges that robots face in industries like agriculture. He founded Burro after working for CNHi, John Deere’s largest competitor, where he reported to the head of the North American operating unit and worked on special projects across sales, marketing, manufacturing, distribution, and autonomy M&A. He received a BA from Amherst College, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Christina Lampert is the Director of Growth & Innovation at HowGood, the world’s largest product and ingredient sustainability database. In 2018, she founded The Sustennial Network which celebrates the sustainable millennial lifestyle and sustainable business strategies across social platforms. With expertise in data-driven marketing strategies and life cycle assessment, Christina helps brands and retailers harness the power of data to build the business case for sustainability.

Teddy serves as Chief Technology Officer at Land O’Lakes, a Fortune 500 company with $14B in revenue and third-largest co-op in the United States. Operating in three segments, Dairy Foods, Feed and Crop Inputs, Land O’Lakes touches every aspect of the ag and food spectrum. As Chief Technology Officer, Teddy is leading the digital transformation at Land O’Lakes, leveraging existing and emerging technologies, to discover, implement and deliver solutions and ecosystems that enable new business models with partners such as Microsoft.

Teddy holds an MBA from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from NC State. He also serves as Chair for the FCC and USDA Task Force on Precision Agriculture Connectivity, Chair for the Minnesota Broadband Task Force, and a Director on the Board of Stella Health. He has been featured in several publications including 60 Minutes, BBC, Fortune, MIT Sloan Management Review, and Innovate Minnesota.

Dr Anastasia Volkova is a TEDx Speaker, MIT 35 Under 35 Innovator, and Amelia Earhart Fellow. In late 2016 she founded FluroSat, an agritech company to offer next-generation decision support and monitoring systems for farmers and their advisors. FluroSat has gone through a transformational journey of commercializing agricultural science, attracting leading investors (Microsoft M12, AirTree, Space Angels), and scaling into the global market. In early 2021 FluroSat acquired soil health leading startup Dagan to form Regrow – a company with a broader mandate to help holistically rejuvenate the potential of agricultural soils and drive the transition to resilient agriculture globally.

Dr. Volkova’s passion is to make science-based agronomy and sustainable crop management an industry standard and to foster close collaborations between industry and research.

Most recently Dr. Volkova has been included in the BBC 100 Women – a list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2020.

Seana is a Partner at Culterra Capital and a Venture Partner at Better Food Ventures where she brings 20 years of investment, M&A, and technology experience to her work in AgTech. Her roles in the Food and Ag landscape include Director of Strategy and Business Development at AgTech Insight, Fish 2.0 Associate and Managing Director at Centerra Capital providing Agribusiness investment advisory. Prior to her involvement in Food and Ag, Seana was a technology investment banker at AGC Partners in London, Ridgecrest Capital Partners and Headwaters Merchant Bank. Her background also includes Head of Restructuring and Operations at Versata Enterprises. She is now based in her hometown of Turlock, the heart of California’s Ag-land.

Rob Trice is the Founder of Better Food Ventures and The Mixing Bowl. He is leveraging nearly fifteen years in mobile, internet and telecom venture capital to pursue the application of information technology to food and agriculture challenges. Better Food Ventures funds innovators using technology to make positive impact now in food and agriculture. The Mixing Bowl connects food, agriculture and IT innovators for thought and action leadership. Rob previously worked at global VC funds, including Swisscom Ventures, SK Telecom Ventures, NGP Capital and BlueRun Ventures. Prior to his days in venture capital, he worked at DIRECTV in LA & Tokyo and at a DC-based think-tank, The Center for Strategic & International Studies. He also co-founded the non-profit Corporate Innovators Huddle; is Chair of San Francisco-based engaged philanthropy organization, Full Circle Fund; serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Food, Ag & Environmental Sciences at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; a Founding Advisor to the Innovation Institute for Food & Health at UC Davis; a Member of the Farm Foundation’s Program Committee; on the US Farmers & Ranchers in Action’s Honor the Harvest Advisory Board; and an Advisor to the Mista food optimizer. Rob splits his time between Menlo Park and Pescadero, CA. 

A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and a former Army Intelligence Officer, President & CEO Brett Sciotto brings a practical, results-oriented approach to the civilian business world. His training in and emphasis on mission-critical information gathering and targeted research methodology make him unique in his approach to problem solving in a corporate environment. Sciotto’sdisciplined, vetted approach to research is coupled with his military precision in detailed analysis and final presentation to his clients. With nearly two decades of research expertise, Brett has had tremendous success advising corporate leaders, government officials and state and national organizations at all levels.

Ben Gordon

Leader, Carbon and Ecosystems Services Portfolio, Corteva Agriscience