Born and raised in Australia, Sam came to Santa Clara University on a tennis scholarship. He
developed an affinity for mechanical and robotic engineering, and was appointed research and
teaching assistant at Santa Clara University’s Robotic Systems Lab (RSL).
There, under the mentorship and direction of RSL director Christopher Kitts, Sam developed his
business idea and founded the company OnePointOne, while completing a master’s degree in
Robotics and Mechatronics. OnePointOne, a fully automated vertical indoor farming system,
aims to fill the globally widening gap between supply and demand for fresh produce through a
a proprietary combination of plant science, robotics, and machine learning technologies.
Willo, OnePointOne’s direct-to-consumer subsidiary, was launched in June 2020. Using the
state of the art vertical farming technology, Willo, offers subscribers a personalized cultivation
and delivery service that connects consumers directly to their own plot in Willo’s vertical farm. In
the future, this technology aims to disrupt plant production across healthcare,
biopharmaceuticals, crop science, and others.