About Arable
The Arable team is a tight-knit group of people with diverse backgrounds ranging from data science and engineering to agronomy and sustainability, working together to do something meaningful.
Our History
A pioneer in decision agriculture, Arable Labs builds affordable tools that help people collect and synthesize site-specific agricultural data. The company’s mission is to achieve global impact by providing the measurements, insights, and predictions that enable growers to recognize and address risk. Through access to ground-truth knowledge, Arable empowers agricultural stakeholders to more effectively manage natural resources and lower food waste throughout the supply chain.
Arable’s founders were frustrated with how much of Earth science was in "model world" and how little was based in empirical data. Driven by a desire to bridge the chasm between measurements and models, in 2014 Arable was founded with the conviction that the reliance of agtech on models is useless without real data, and the production of data is pointless without an understanding of modeling.
The Arable team has grown since then to a full-time staff of 30 based in San Francisco, CA, with deep experience in crop modeling, resource management, and weather forecasting, using artificial intelligence and machine-learning techniques. Our customers range across the entire production spectrum in food and ag, from farmers, mid-size consultancies, and universities, to governments/NGOs, major global food brands, agrichemical giants, insurers, lenders, and international communications firms. From the smallest grower to the largest corporations, we feed data to those who feed the world.
Awards & Media
World Bank Ag Innovation Challenge
Date: 4/27/2020
Won the World Bank Ag Risk Innovation Challenge for Agriculture and Food Security Risk Financing in Southern Africa: Alternative Methods for Measuring Weather Variables.
THRIVE Top 50 2020
Date: 2/17/20
The SVG Ventures THRIVE Top 50 is an annual ranking of leading global AgTech and FoodTech companies exemplifying the best in agriculture and food focused innovation.
2018 Best New Product (Specialty Ag)
Date: 12/6 /2018
Awarded Best New Product in Specialty Ag by the Irrigation Association at by the Irrigation Association at the Irrigation Show 2018.
2018 Innovator to Watch
Date: 5/2/2018
Honoring the 2018 Innovators to Watch, Rising Stars in STEM, a group of up to 50 impressive young overachievers and leaders.
Village Capital Agriculture: US 2016 investment award
Date: 3/14/2017
One of two startups peer-selected to receive $100,000 in investment from VilCap Investments and Green Spark Ventures.
THRIVE Accelerator Program 2017
Date: 4/1/2017
One of ten winning companies to receive $50,000 in cash and a program/mentorship and coaching valued at $50,000.
NSF USDA SBIR Phase II: Advanced bioeconomic forecasting enabled by next-generation crop monitoring
Date: 9/29/2017
America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF is a congressionally mandated program that helps startups and small businesses transform their ideas into marketable products and services. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR).
NSF USDA SBIR Phase I: Advanced bioeconomic forecasting enabled by next-generation crop monitoring
Date: 1/1/2016
America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF is a congressionally mandated program that helps startups and small businesses transform their ideas into marketable products and services. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR).
Collaborative Research: Extreme Events and Ecological Acclimation: Scaling from Cells to Ecosystems
Date: 6/1/2014
An NSF standard grant for a collaborative study identifying tree traits that contribute to drought vulnerability.
NJ Technology Business Tax Certificate (NOL) Program 2017 participant
Date: 2/8/2018
One of 39 companies approved for the State’s Technology Business Tax Certificate (NOL) Program in 2017. Administered by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) and the New Jersey Department of Treasury's Division of Taxation, this competitive program enables eligible technology and biotechnology companies to sell NJ tax losses and/or research and development tax credits to raise cash to finance their growth and operations. The NOL Program offers non-dilutive funding, meaning that entrepreneurs do not have to relinquish a portion of their company in return for funding.
IoT-based precision agriculture reduces the guesswork in farming
Date: 12/16/2016
Farmers make better data-driven decisions with GROWERS soil analysis and customized planting prescriptions.
Smart Farms: Big Data Meets Big Ag
Date: 11/8/2016
Big data in agriculture promises improved efficiency and yields. But the components are not yet a cohesive whole.
2017 Small Business Innovation Awardee, Technology Commercialization
Date: 12/15/2017
Recognizing successful NJSBDC business clients from around the state of New Jersey.
Jim Ethington
Chief Executive Officer
Prior to joining Arable, Jim spent 10 years at The Climate Corporation where he was VP of Product and grew the company to 50 million paid acres and built a team from 10 to over 600 individuals. Previous to The Climate Corporation, Jim worked at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, where he led several high- profile engagements, including developing innovative financial analysis and fraud detection software products that became core drivers of revenue across PwC's lines of business. Jim has an A.B. in Computer Science and Economics from Duke University.
Adam Wolf
Founder & Chief Scientist
Adam holds a PhD in Biology from Stanford, and later taught at Princeton. He brought his experience in agronomy, hydrology, and plant science to the creation of Arable. During his scientific career, Adam lived and researched in Russia, Africa, Europe, and East Asia, bringing a global perspective on the application of data to solving real-world problems. He believes that given the right tools, people can capably manage our world.
Ron Berg
Chief Operating Officer
Ron has over 25 years experience as a C-Level Executive in the Internet and Life Sciences industries. Early on, Ron spent 7 years with Coopers and Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers), and for 10 years served as CEO/COO of a contract research organization. An Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in 2008, and inducted in the NJ Technology Hall of Fame in 2009, he has a BSBA with a major in Accounting from Bucknell University.
Joakim Wiklund
Chief Technology Officer
Joakim has over 25 years experience working worldwide in software and hardware development. He produced the first-in-company IP solution, and industry-first GPRS wireless core network solution, at Ericsson; developed the first-ever cellular-based Push-to-Talk product, and first-of-their-kind rugged GSM handset products, at Sonim; and pioneered the use of cellular technology and SaaS for Smart Meter/Smart City solutions. He has created and launched R&D, product delivery, and support organizations from the ground up in companies across Europe, North America, and Asia. He has an MS in Physics & Engineering from Lund University in Sweden.
Warren Baelen
VP of Software Engineering
Warren has over 20 years of experience in the software engineering and information systems space. He worked on many analytics and reporting systems throughout his career, including at Cognos and then IBM, where his customers included many of the largest banks and Fortune 500 companies. At Cognos, he envisioned and co-created a reporting application for which he received a company-wide Innovation Award. He received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Drexel University. A guitar player and watercolor artist, he lives with his wife in San Francisco.
Jess Bollinger
VP of Strategic Partnerships
Jess works with Arable's growers and partners to reduce supply chain risk and build innovative financial products. She has worked at UNICEF USA; with smallholder farmers in Mayange, Rwanda and Xochimilco, Mexico; on the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning & Sustainability; and in the private sector. Jess has an MS in Sustainability Management from Columbia University and a BA from Tufts University in International Relations and Spanish.
Dallas Buchanan
VP of Sales and Business Development
Dallas brings nearly 30 years of experience in IoT and energy conservation. His career began at San Francisco startup Brayer Lighting, followed by a decade at A.L.P. Lighting Components driving sales growth and product development. At Daintree Networks, he led sales and supported the effort to scale the Daintree Enterprise program within GE Current after its acquisition in 2016. Dallas is an amateur wine maker, cycling enthusiast, racer, and high school mountain bike coach. He holds a BS in Economics from Santa Clara University.
Ron Butterworth
VP of Hardware Engineering
Ron is a Silicon Valley veteran with over 20 years of product design experience. Prior to Arable, he was a founding member of several startups including Atheer Labs, where, as the VP of Hardware Engineering, he was responsible for the initial architecture and prototyping the world’s first mobile 3D interactive smart glasses. He has also worked at Eva Automation, SunReports, and AlphaSmart. Ron enjoys motorcycling, photography, and spending time with his family.
Ramazan Demirli
VP of Data Science
Ramazan brings 20 years of experience in smart consumer devices and software R&D. Prior to Arable, as Sr. Director at SleepIQ Labs, he led data science and machine learning to deploy at scale the first-ever IoT system enabling in-home touchless sleep and health monitoring. He also founded and directed the Acoustics & Ultrasound Research Lab at Villanova University, and managed an NSF funded Partnership for Innovation program in collaboration with local industry. He has published over 50 technical articles and disclosed inventions for 16 patents, and holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Jan Forslow
VP of Product
Jan has 10+ years of experience in product and engineering management in the energy and communications industries, with a dozen patents and publications in his name. He founded a startup that specialized in Mobile-VPN, and has worked in product development at several leading Bay Area tech firms. He holds two Master's degrees, in Information and Data Science from UC Berkeley and in Industrial Engineering and Management from Linköping University in Sweden.
Scott Geiger
VP of Manufacturing & Supply Chain
Raised on a farm in Iowa, Scott has over three decades of experience in supply chain management and technology, with deep roots in Silicon Valley and extensive experience at both startups and Fortune 500 corporations. His career began at HP, where he spent almost two decades managing and leading teams for many household-name products introduced by the company. His expertise is in supply chain design and DfX capabilities focused on customer satisfaction and cost. He holds a BA in Supply Chain Management from Iowa State University and an MBA from University of San Diego.
Our Investors
Middleland Capital is a private investment firm focused on global early-stage technology opportunities. Leveraging a unique breadth of geographic and industry experience, the firm seeks partnerships with exceptional management teams to commercialize innovative technologies, accelerate growth and build long-term value around the world.
S2G Ventures (Seed 2 Growth) is a multi-stage food and agriculture venture fund investing in entrepreneurs whose products and services meet the shifting demands for healthy and sustainable food.
We are a new type of seed-stage fund. We believe business is now truly global. Exceptional entrepreneurs, that are building strong, category defining companies at highly advantageous valuations – can be found anywhere. We are a team highly experienced in finding such talent and helping our entrepreneurs to develop, grow, network, and scale into other markets throughout the world.
Cantos is a pre-Seed and Seed-stage venture capital firm that invests at the intersection of industry and technology – with a focus on industrial technology (esp. machine intelligence in manufacturing and logistics), decentralized finance (esp. within finance and healthcare), and the near frontier (esp. bio, energy, and orbital).
Village Capital finds, trains, and invests in entrepreneurs solving real-world problems. We build communities around entrepreneurs and their ventures to improve opportunities for growth and success.
THRIVE AgTech’s mission is to connect the expertise of tech companies to on-the-ground knowledge of agricultural companies, the financial backing of investors, and the entrepreneurs solving problems in the AgTech space.
America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF is a congressionally mandated program that helps startups and small businesses transform their ideas into marketable products and services. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR).
