Who we are

Team

Soil science, optical instrumentation, software engineering and agronomy — based in Ames, Iowa, at the centre of the market we serve.

Management team

The people building it

David Laird, Ph.D

Co-founder & President

Co-founder and President of N-Sense, and professor emeritus of Agronomy at Iowa State University. Received his Ph.D. in Agronomy from Iowa State University in 1987.

Started his career as a research scientist with USDA-ARS, and joined the Department of Agronomy at Iowa State University as a professor in 2010. He has been working on soil sensor technology to facilitate precision management of soils for over 20 years. His prior research led to the development of a commercial field-mobile, on-the-go NIRS soil sensor system.

Stephen Ringlee, CPA, MBA

Co-founder & CFO

Co-founder of N-Sense and managing director of Centesimus Capital. He lives and works in Ames, Iowa and Boston, Massachusetts.

He has co-founded a number of firms in insurance, life sciences, manufacturing and information sciences, and consults on company formation and growth. He is a board member of two companies and three non-profits. He graduated from UC Berkeley in engineering, from Dartmouth’s Tuck School with an MBA in finance, and from Bentley University with an MS in Taxation.

Adam Banwell, BSE

Software Developer

Adam lives and works in Des Moines, Iowa. He received his Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering from Iowa State University in 2022, and started working with N-Sense in 2020 while finishing his degree.

Joseph Huehnerhoff, MS

Chief Technology Officer

Joseph is a physicist specializing in optical instrumentation. His career has involved developing instrumentation ranging from facility-grade astronomical imaging systems to compact, application-specific spectral analyzers.

These include handheld Raman spectral imagers for the defense industry, OCT imaging for the biomedical industry, and DMD-based spectral analyzers for the oil and gas industry. Through his scientific background and engineering expertise, Joe brings disruptive technological solutions to start-ups.

Bob Gunzenhauser, MBA, CCA

Agronomy

Bob provides agronomic guidance to N-Sense. He has been involved in precision agriculture for over 30 years. Before N-Sense, Bob spent 16 years at Corteva Agriscience, most recently as a Research Scientist and Agronomy Science Manager.

He has been involved in hardware and software development, crop modeling, agronomy and business development. Bob has mentored various AgTech startups, including N-Sense, and engages fractionally with several. A fifth-generation farmer, he farmed for 15 years on his family operation in south-central Iowa and continues to provide agronomic consulting services to neighboring farmers.

Bob holds two bachelor’s degrees in Ag Systems Technology and Ag Education, and a master’s degree in Business Administration, all from Iowa State University. He and his family live on the family farm near Humeston in south-central Iowa.

Business mentors