Keeping a golf course green takes a lot of water.

But figuring out exactly when — and how much — to water isn't as scientific as you might expect. Many golf courses, sports fields, resorts, and commercial properties still rely on schedules, visual inspections, and isolated soil readings.

GroundWorx wants to replace that guesswork with data.

The company has developed an artificial-intelligence-powered system that continuously monitors what's happening underground, then helps property managers predict where and when water will be needed.

Here's how it works: GroundWorx installs wireless sensors beneath the ground. These sensors monitor conditions including soil moisture, temperature, and salinity at multiple depths.

This information is combined with weather and historical data and sent to GroundWorx's cloud-based software platform, called GAIN. GAIN analyzes the information and provides property managers with recommendations about where to water — and, importantly, where they don't need to. The result is essentially a smart irrigation system that can see beneath the surface.

GroundWorx says customers can reduce water and energy consumption by as much as 30%, while simultaneously protecting the turf they're responsible for maintaining.

For large properties, those savings can add up quickly. At California's Aviara Golf Club, GroundWorx says its technology saved 23 million gallons of water and approximately $120,000 annually, paying for itself in less than a year.

At the Fairmont Grand Del Mar, it reportedly reduced water consumption by 29%. And at Dodger Stadium, GroundWorx says its system reduced water use by 18%, eliminated more than 200 hours of labor, and produced a return on investment within six months.

These aren't isolated laboratory tests. GroundWorx has spent four years deploying its technology in the real world. It reports more than 150 paid installations and over 3,000 units deployed across roughly a dozen countries.

Customers and trial users have included the San Francisco Giants, Irvine Company, Rain Bird, and Ewing Outdoor Supply. GroundWorx reports customer retention above 96%.

All those installations have also created something potentially valuable: data. GroundWorx's network collects more than 500,000 data points each day and has accumulated more than 700 million environmental readings.

That creates a potential competitive advantage. The more conditions GroundWorx observes, the more information its AI has to learn from — potentially improving its ability to predict future conditions. A new competitor couldn't recreate that historical dataset overnight.

GroundWorx combines hardware sales with recurring software revenue. Customers can purchase its sensors for $850 each, with access to its GAIN software platform renewing for $325 per sensor annually. The company also offers managed deployments, where GroundWorx retains ownership of the hardware and customers pay recurring annual fees — including golf-course packages with three-year contracts.

GroundWorx is initially focusing on professionally irrigated properties including golf courses, sports fields, resorts, and commercial landscapes. But the same technology could eventually be used for residential communities, cities, and agriculture. Management estimates a $2.6 billion addressable market in the U.S. and an $8.9 billion opportunity globally.

GroundWorx was founded in 2014, but it has spent recent years validating its technology before a larger commercial rollout. Now it's preparing for full-scale commercialization.

GroundWorx plans to devote 40% of the capital it raises to sales and distribution, 25% to its software and AI platform, 20% to manufacturing and inventory, and the remaining 15% to operations, customer success, and working capital.

Team Background

Brad David - Founder, Chairman & CEO

Brad is a serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in wireless technology and connected devices.

Before launching GroundWorx, he founded and led Gravity Technologies, the company through which GroundWorx’s underlying technology was originally developed. Brad has founded four companies during his career and co-invented GroundWorx’s GX-1 platform, giving him extensive experience developing and commercializing wireless and IoT products.

He studied Accounting and Business Management at Edmonds College.

Diego Borrego - President & CTO

Diego has more than 30 years of experience developing wireless, IoT, and connected-vehicle technologies.

He previously founded Networkfleet, where he helped develop internet-connected vehicle diagnostic and fleet-management technology before the business was ultimately acquired by Verizon. He later served as CTO of electronics manufacturer Morey, overseeing product development in areas including telematics.

Diego holds more than 50 U.S. patents and earned graduate degrees in engineering and management from MIT.

Sandy Robertson - Chief Operating Officer

Sandy is an operations and growth executive with nearly three decades of experience, including more than 20 years in leadership roles at Fortune 50 companies.

Before joining GroundWorx, she helped scale a technology startup whose solutions ultimately generated more than $100 million in verified customer savings. At GroundWorx, Sandy oversees operations as the company moves from product validation into larger-scale commercialization.

She studied at the University of Phoenix.