Vertical Farming + Tennis?

The OnePointOne team wishes a very happy 30th birthday to our investor and ambassador Sloane Stephens. In honor of this new decade, OPO CEO Samuel Bertram and Sloane reflected on some shared wisdom and learnings from life and leadership thus far.

Vertical Farming and Tennis: Five Key Characteristics to Succeed

On the court, Sloane Stephens is known as a fierce competitor and has seen great success. Off the court, Sloane has an equal level of passion to make a difference, whether through the Sloane Stephens Foundation or through her strategic and meaningful entrepreneurial activities and investments, including Sloane’s investment in OnePointOne.

OnePointOne is an indoor farming technology company headquartered in Avondale, AZ. OnePointOne’s vision is to create a global network of automated vertical farms, growing the food, developing the medicines and discovering the genetics to unleash the power of plants on humanity. Because of Sloane’s belief in OnePointOne’s unique ability to leverage advanced farming technology to ultimately bring accessible, quality nutrition to underserved communities, she became an investor in late 2021.?

OnePointOne CEO and co-founder Sam Bertram and Sloane have a few things in common, including their love of tennis and shared ties to Fresno. Sam played division one (D1) tennis at Santa Clara University after moving to the United States from Australia. After both appearing on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in their twenties, Sam and Sloane turned thirty this year and are reflecting on the lessons they’ve learned as they enter a new decade of life.?

Sam and Sloane recently caught up on all things tennis, OnePointOne’s progress in the vertical farming market, and on some shared lessons from their first three decades. Sam and Sloane concurred that there are many similarities in running a disruptive technology company and playing professional tennis. The key characteristics described below apply to both of their chosen pursuits in life thus far.?

1. Strategy: Both tennis and the startup mentality require careful strategy and planning to succeed. In a tennis match, players must analyze their opponent's strengths and weaknesses to develop a winning game plan. Similarly, a startup must carefully analyze the market, potential partners and competition to create a strategy that will differentiate their product and capture market share while maintaining a competitive “moat”.
2. Agility: Both require agility and the ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances. On the court, players must be able to adjust their game plan in real-time to respond to their opponent's tactics or changing weather conditions. Companies like OnePointOne must be able to pivot quickly in response to market feedback, supply chain issues, or unexpected events. Both tennis and business skills require leaders to anticipate and train for the unexpected.??
3. Innovation: Professional tennis players and corporate executives require innovation and the ability to come up with new and creative ideas. In tennis, players are always looking for new competitive advantages whether through fitness or improving core strokes and strategies to outmaneuver their opponents. In business, innovation is non-negotiable to stay ahead of the competition and maintain one’s position as a market leader whether through marquee investors or partnerships that create a force multiplier effect on revenue and market share.??
4. Persistence: Persistence and the ability to keep pushing through challenges and setbacks is required. Tennis players must be able to bounce back from mistakes and maintain focus throughout matches. Point by point mentality and focus is required in addition to a long term strategy specific to each of their opponent’s strength and weakness. Similarly, in the face of obstacles and setbacks, teams like the one at OnePointOne must persist, find a way through, and keep their ultimate mission in mind in order to succeed. Traditional agriculture is not going away; OnePointOne is keen on improving the ability to create a supplemental and more sustainable option to growing the foods and medicines to heal and nourish our population. This will take many years to perfect and improve. Persistence is mandatory.???
5. Talent: Finally, both require talent and skill to succeed. In tennis, at a minimum, players must have excellent hand-eye coordination, agility, and endurance to compete at a high level. Similarly, disruptive technology businesses must have talented employees with a deep understanding of technology and the market to create the best products that meet customer needs. A love of the game and a deep passion for the environment is a shared trait, among others, between Sam and Sloane. Talent is only one component of winning the game of tennis. Sam and Sloane both live and work by an elite work ethic focused on daily improvement individually and as a collective.??

Sloane, we can't wait to see what this next decade will bring your way and we look forward to working with you to achieve your goals with the Foundation and beyond. Happy 30th Birthday!