Patrick Henry stands as a distinguished serial entrepreneur, renowned for his leadership as the President & CEO of GroGuru. With an impressive track record, he has led five different companies to successful exits, including an IPO on NASDAQ with a remarkable $1 billion valuation. As a critically acclaimed author, his book, “PLAN COMMIT WIN: 90 Days to Creating a Fundable Startup,” has received numerous awards and secured a place on bestseller lists.
With over $200 million raised in equity financing and a direct role in $2 billion of M&A transactions, Patrick’s financial expertise is evident. Before GroGuru, he served as CEO at QuestFusion, Entropic Communications, Pictos Technologies, and LinCom Wireless. His senior executive roles include positions at Silicon Valley tech giants like AMD, LSI Logic, and C-Cube Microsystems.
Patrick’s accolades include the 2008 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, the San Diego Daily Transcript 2008 Top Influentials, and the 2011 San Diego Business Journal Most Admired CEO. Actively involved in mentorship through EvoNexus and the Chairman’s Roundtable, Patrick holds a BESM with high honors from Georgia Tech and an MBA from the University of Southern California. His career embodies excellence, innovation, and a dedication to shaping the entrepreneurial landscape.
Below are highlights of the interview conducted between World’s Leaders and Patrick Henry:
Describe who you are as a person, inside and outside of the workplace.
I am the father of four adult children: 30, 24, 22, and 19. Two boys and two girls. They are the sunshine in my life. My faith is important to me, and I attend Grace Church in San Diego. My core values include integrity, work ethics, servant leadership, giving back, and striving for excellence in everything I do. I work out 5–6 times per week, a combination of HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and Pilates. I like to play golf, tennis, and snow ski. The work we do at GroGuru is especially important to me because there is nothing more strategic than having enough fresh water to drink and nutritious food to eat. We literally cannot live without both. GroGuru’s solutions help farmers and create a more sustainable planet for our children and grandchildren.
Tell us about the inception of the company. How did it all start?
The founding of GroGuru was a combination of two paths. Our original founder, Farooq Anjum, PhD, was a system engineering director at a startup focused on wireless communication for what is now known as the Internet of Things (IoT). He was having trouble growing things in his own garden and was looking for a solution. Farooq was introduced to another of our co-founders, Jeff Campbell, PhD, who had over 20 years of experience developing sensor technologies for commercial agriculture. One afternoon, Jeff was in a corn field knee deep in mud, working to remove a soil sensor. He thought to himself, “There must be a better way!” Jeff and Farooq joined forces with Patrick Henry, a seasoned entrepreneur, engineer, and technology business executive, to have GroGuru focus on solutions addressing the most significant issues on the planet. Namely, we need to have enough fresh water to drink and grow crops and enough nutritious food to feed the planet. As Mr. Henry says, “There is nothing more strategic than water and food. We cannot live without them.” We need to grow food in such a way that we do not destroy the planet in the process. This is about sustainability and being good stewards of scarce resources.
What has made you successful? What do you value?
The first major part of my success has been to find great mentors and recruit top talent to my teams. Second, I have an insatiable drive, a no-quit attitude, and a commitment to excellence. Third, we have identified significant problems that are being faced by real customers that represent potentially large and rapidly growing markets. And we listen to our customers. Fourth, I have a strong strategic capability and have learned to surround myself with people who have complementary skill sets and abilities. Fifth, I have learned to identify and partner with key players in the market and create win-win partnerships. Finally, I have had some good luck and, at times, good timing.
Which are the major services of the company and how do the company to get ahead in the competition? What value-added services does the company provide?
GroGuru’s solutions help farmers increase crop yield and more efficiently use water and other scarce resources in a more sustainable way. GroGuru does continuous root zone monitoring and uses artificial intelligence, or AI, in the cloud to make recommendations to farmers about when and how much to irrigate for optimum results. Use of the GroGuru system can improve long-term soil health and help monitor and optimize regenerative agriculture and sustainability practices. Our solutions typically provide farmers with a 10–20 percent increase in crop yield and a 10–20 percent savings on input costs, including water. Farmers typically get a 6–8X ROI (return on investment) every year from using GroGuru. The payback period is less than one growing season.
What are the most important aspects of a company’s culture? What principles do you believe in and how do you build this culture?
Having a shared vision is key for culture. Also, hiring not just for skill set but also for values is key. Integrity, work ethic, commitment to excellence, customer focus, collaboration, mutual respect, perseverance, and a focus on the big picture while working on the details.
What is the significance of innovative ideas in the company?
Innovation is key for GroGuru. But innovation, for the sake of innovation, is meaningless. The key is to innovate to provide unique and valuable solutions to real customer problems.
Give us your opinion on whether organizations rely heavily on individual heroics or team processes.
In this sense, business is like sports. We win as a team, but each person has to be excellent in their role and willing to support others in the process.
What are your responsibilities as the CEO, President, or Managing Director of the company? What is the happiest part of your daily routine?
Being the CEO of a startup means you are head of finance, marketing, sales, operations, and human resources. You are also chief ‘bottle washer’ and head ‘cheerleader’.
What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?
Listen and involve others in the decision-making process, even if it slows you down a bit. Building a shared vision is key. You still need to have a bias toward action, but if you get too far ahead of the team, it will be hard for them to see where you are going, why we are going there, and why what they are doing is critical.
