Beyond building the incubator itself, The Reservoir has invested in four startups—spanning everything from water management to precision fire detection. FarmNG, one of their first investments, makes autonomous platforms that work in both open fields and greenhouses—perfect for the kind of flexible farming The Reservoir supports.

Danny’s focus is squarely on specialty crops, not animal ag. He’s especially interested in helping smaller and mid-sized farms get access to automation. That means exploring rentals, leasing models, and different financing options—so that robots and advanced tools don’t remain out of reach.

Partnerships with growers have taught Danny that the best tech is built in the dirt, not a boardroom. “Growers want to see tech tested on neutral ground, but also in their own fields,” he says. It’s a delicate dance—building trust while keeping an open platform that serves everyone.

Over the next few months, The Reservoir is breaking ground in Salinas Valley—no more PowerPoint slides, just real fields and real work. Looking ahead, they’re planning international exchanges and new partnerships to keep building momentum.

One moonshot Danny’s tracking? A ChatGPT-like AI agent that can cut through all the fragmented farm and supply chain data. “No one’s cracked it yet, but it’s going to be huge,” he says.

Danny Bernstein’s mission is clear: turn agriculture from an afterthought in tech into a first-class industry. With Reservoir Farms, he’s proving that with the right mix of robotics, real-world testing, and community, the future of food can be built right in the soil.