AgTech Meetup in Salinas

A roomful of growers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and investors convened last Thursday evening for an AgTech meetup at the Salinas Rodeo Grounds, sponsored by Reiter Affiliated Companies. Surrounded by fourth-generation farmers whose great-grandparents knew Steinbeck as a dour guy who liked a tip of the bottle, AgTech startups participated in a “Quick pitch” session.10 AgTech startups presented a two-minute pitch followed by feedback from a panel of three judges, including Mixing Bowl founder Rob Trice, Andy Mitchell- director of Viticulture for Hahn Estate Vineyards, and JJ Scurich of Creekside Farms.Companies presenting included Ayrstone, FarmBotix, NubeTrak, AquaponicsWerks, Agbotic, Apitronics- Weatherway, Agcaster, HeavyConnect, Custom LED, and VINTEL.VINTEL walked away the victor with a $100 cash prize. Vintel is a product of iTK America’s decision support tools based on predictive and biological models. The company will be featured at the World Ag Expo on February 10-12.