{"id":"a246a5f5-1874-4acf-a036-7def6c965259","slug":"andrew-james-rootline","name":"Andrew James","bioBrief":"Andrew James is the Founder and CEO of Rootline Robotics, an agricultural robotics company he co-founded at Cornell University after winning the $50,000 grand prize at The Farm Robotics Challenge in May 2026 with a weed-killing robot. A Cornell University alumnus (Class of 2026) and Merrill Presidential Scholar studying Digital Agriculture, James is also an organic apple grower. He and his co-founders Neil Morrison, Natalia Kurz, and Michael Neiss developed a wheeled robotic tool for autonomous weed removal in orchards and vineyards, now commercializing through Rootline Robotics to bring precision agriculture to fruit growers.","priorExits":null,"nationality":"American","verificationPosture":"verified","aliases":[],"sources":[{"url":"https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/06/undergrads-weed-killing-robot-wins-top-prize","title":"Undergrads' weed-killing robot wins top prize","sourceName":"Cornell Chronicle"},{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-james35","label":"LinkedIn","title":"Andrew James - Founder & CEO @ Rootline Robotics | Cornell University Alum"},{"url":"https://ucanr.edu/blog/anr-news-releases/article/frc-winners-2026","label":"UC ANR News","title":"Student teams from across California and around the world win Farm Robotics Challenge"}],"reviewStatus":"reviewed","createdAt":"2026-08-08T22:53:38.655Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-12T11:55:31.650Z","educations":[],"companyRoles":[{"id":"843c182f-e8fa-4804-99ba-3b6b433476d7","personId":"a246a5f5-1874-4acf-a036-7def6c965259","companyId":"c28970dc-0a06-4e2b-8cf9-f2095fb52f8a","role":"ceo","roleTitle":"Founder & CEO","startDate":null,"endDate":null,"currentRole":true,"roleBasis":"verified_secondary","displayOrder":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-08T22:53:39.434Z","company":{"slug":"rootline-robotics","name":"Rootline Robotics"}}],"boardRoles":[],"investorRoles":[],"foundings":[{"id":"1fdc7c1c-7fc7-459c-b4ff-d304f67e8e85","personId":"a246a5f5-1874-4acf-a036-7def6c965259","companyId":"c28970dc-0a06-4e2b-8cf9-f2095fb52f8a","foundingDate":"2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z","cofounderStatus":"cofounder","stillAtCompany":true,"createdAt":"2026-08-12T11:55:32.786Z","company":{"slug":"rootline-robotics","name":"Rootline Robotics"}}]}