Apr 2, 2020

Precision irrigation company WaterBit names new CEO

WaterBit, the agricultural technology company specializing in automated precision irrigation, announced April 2 that Tony Alvarez has been named the company’s new chief executive officer. Alvarez is an accomplished C-level executive in the IoT and semiconductor spaces. Most recently, he was CEO of Altierre, which specializes in IoT for retail stores.

“We’re thrilled that Tony will lead WaterBit through its next phase of growth,” said Scott Sandell, managing general partner, NEA and WaterBit board member. “With current heavy demands on agriculture and ever-increasing concerns about water availability and use, WaterBit’s technology is more crucial than ever.”

WaterBit’s precision irrigation solution allows farmers to reduce water use and optimize labor, while improving yield and crop consistency through a combination of IoT sensors, in-field hardware and cloud-based software. It’s currently deployed across high-value crops in California like almonds, wine grapes and berries.

In addition to Alvarez’s new role at WaterBit, he is a board member at NexGen Power Systems. Previously, he was chairman at SunEdison Semiconductor, and a board member at SunEdison, Validity Sensors and ChipMOS Technology. Alvarez also served as COO of Aptina and Advanced Analogic Technology, as well as CEO of Leadis Technology.

“Although this is an unprecedented time for our country and the world, farming can’t stop and growers need to continue to look for ways to make their operations more efficient,” says Alvarez. “In fact, it’s probably more important than ever for farmers to get the most out of all available resources. I’m looking forward to helping more growers do that with WaterBit’s innovative platform.”

WaterBit, based in San Jose, California, is a precision irrigation company that believes in helping growers be good stewards of the land through smart agriculture. WaterBit designs innovative agricultural solutions that set the standard for quality, reliability, ease-of-use and total cost of ownership. Our Automated Irrigation Solution (AIS) lets growers evaluate and execute irrigation remotely, and at a level of granularity and accuracy that would otherwise not be possible.

WaterBit translates technology into tangible value for growers by improving yields and crop consistency, and optimizing water and labor. For more information, visit www.waterbit.com.