Agtech veteran David Lee has been named CEO and board chair for Inevitable Tech Inc., a business-to-business agtech platform that uses artificial intelligence, plant science and automation to boost farmer profitability and food quality.
Lee is a former president of Moorehead, Ky.-based indoor farming company AppHarvest, where he remains a board member. Under his management, AppHarvest expanded its 60-acre flagship tomato farm in Morehead and built out three additional high-tech indoor farms with a diversified crop portfolio, according to a news release.
Lee has also served as a board member at technology startups in controlled environment agriculture, consumer health and seed technology, including Zevia and Benson Hill.
Before AppHarvest, Lee was chief operating and chief financial officer for Impossible Foods, a company developing a new generation of sustainable meat without animal agriculture. He led the 2016 commercial launch and oversaw global sales, commercial manufacturing and supply chain, while growing Impossible Foods to more than $300 million of annualized revenue run rate with double-digit annual growth, according to the release.
Lee’s previous experience also includes a stint as CFO of Zynga, where he led the company’s finance and corporate development teams, and managing corporate finance for Best Buy during its turnaround in 2012 to 2014, the release said. From 2004 to 2012, he held leadership roles at Del Monte Foods. He led the $2 billion topline set of brands at Del Monte Foods as senior vice president of consumer products, and at various points led strategic planning, government relations, corporate communications and financial planning.
About Inevitable Tech
Inevitable Tech says it invents and builds advanced growing systems so farmers can better manage crops. The Lockhart, Texas-based company’s first product is a “clean propagation” system to ensure healthy seeds and robust seedling growth.
Inevitable Tech’s first partner is Revol Greens, an Austin, Texas-based CEA company that produces lettuce and other greens in high-tech greenhouses using fewer natural resources and no harsh chemicals, according to the release. Inevitable also has a development agreement with AppHarvest, a B Corporation-certified sustainable food company with 165 acres of high-tech indoor farms delivering salad greens, strawberries, cucumbers and tomatoes to the top 25 grocery store chains, restaurants and foodservice outlets in North America.
Inevitable Tech says its hardware and software can be used on any type of farm — from indoor hydroponic farms and other CEA operations to open-field farming throughout the U.S.
The company’s investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, At One Ventures, Zero Carbon Partners, R7 Partners, Amplify Partners, Pathbreaker Ventures and Eniac Ventures, among others, according to the release.
“Inevitable is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help farmers harness cutting-edge technology to realize urgently needed efficiencies and economies of scale — and we’ve already started working with partners in controlled environment ag, the most data-rich environment in farming,” Lee said in the release. “Even the most advanced CEA farms are looking for a technology partner with the focus and expertise to deliver a transformational effect on their business – from labor costs to quality control, from propagation to harvest.”
