Welcome to another SFTW Convo with Tracey Wiedmeyer, CEO of Gripp. Gripp came out of Dial Ventures from Purdue.
From independent growers to national co-ops, Gripp is focused on providing the ultimate platform for connecting operations teams, keeping tabs on their equipment whereabouts, interactions, and bringing organization to their unique collection of operational knowledge & routines.
I wanted to have a conversation with Tracey as their team did the hard work to go out and understand user problems around equipment maintenance, used the feedback to invalidate their initial hypothesis and settled on a real problem to solve, and created a new business model for their particular use case. This is a good conversation to read for startup founders, agribusiness professionals, and students.
Summary of the Conversation
The conversation touches on problem identification, user experience design, the importance of understanding user personas, and the challenges of data entry in farming operations. Tracey emphasizes the value of bringing in outside perspectives to solve long-standing agricultural problems and explores future opportunities in the AgTech sector. They discuss innovative business models that prioritize accessibility and user engagement, as well as the importance of go-to-market strategies and pricing insights. We touch on customer support systems, integration with existing technologies, cultivation of a culture of care within the agricultural sector, funding challenges in ag-tech and provide entrepreneurial advice, while highlighting future opportunities in the industry.
Tracey Wiedmeyer, CEO of Gripp (Art by EI based on a photo provided by Tracey Wiedmeyer)
Tracey’s Journey to Gripp
Rhishi Pethe (RP): Let’s start with some background.
Tracey Wiedmeyer (TW): I started my career as a software engineer. I have been an entrepreneur and startup guy for most of my life. In 2008, I launched a company, raised a ton of venture capital, and built a 3D market research platform for large brands. We helped companies like Kellogg’s visualize different shelf layouts to optimize sales—whether for Pringles, Bud Light, or other products. Our platform attracted major retailers and brands, and the business thrived for 12 years.
After leaving that company, I moved into private equity roll-ups and software ventures. I worked with IoT sensors in the waste management industry. We developed a hydraulic transducer that monitored pressure in a 40-yard compactor and alerted waste management when it was full.
That was the first time in my career where I could pack a laptop and a Crescent wrench, put on my boots, and walk onto a customer site. I grew up on a farm in Wisconsin, raising chickens, heifers, and row crops. I grew up operating tractors and heavy equipment, and I still own backhoes and construction machinery today. I even built my own house.
After the waste management company sold, I worked on another private equity roll-up, but I quickly realized it felt like lipstick on a pig—just dressing up a company to sell it. I missed building something real. That’s when I got introduced to Purdue University and their Dial Ventures fellowship. Purdue created Dial Ventures to identify unsolved challenges in ag and provide seed funding to entrepreneurs to spin out companies.
That process led to Gripp, my current company, which focuses on equipment maintenance. Since I understand the problem firsthand and still own equipment, I immediately connected with the mission. My background sits at the intersection of industrial farming, construction, and technology—a combination that has served me well.