In 2014, a severe drought caused widespread crop damage and the loss of thousands of cattle. For American Prime Sustainable Solutions founder and CEO Jorge A. Celis, Ph.D., what stood out wasn’t just the scale of the disaster; it was that it shouldn’t have been a surprise.
“Despite all the technology and data available, it was mind-blowing that the information needed to act wasn’t available,” Celis said.
That realization led to a simple question: why are preventable agricultural losses still happening in a world full of data? The search for an answer would eventually pull him into Oklahoma’s startup ecosystem, where he connected with i2E while moving the research toward a company.
Studying Missed Signals
Celis began studying why the drought had been missed and found a pattern: predictive tools existed, but many of them looked at the wrong signals and most were built for large organizations with specialized teams and resources. Most producers were left piecing together separate systems to collect data, analyze it, and implement solutions.
American Prime Sustainable Solutions was built to simplify that process, turning complex field data from satellite and environmental inputs into a clear, actionable decision. Focused on agricultural consultants and mid-size operations, the platform allows operators managing thousands of acres to quickly identify high-risk areas and intervene when and where it matters most. In early pilots, it forecast yields with more than 90% accuracy.
Finding the Right Support
As he worked to develop American Prime, Celis kept running into i2E across the Oklahoma startup ecosystem, especially Srijita Ghosh, Venture Advisor & Business Development Director. By the time American Prime entered programs like NSF I-Corps and later Bridge2, i2E’s pre-accelerator, the relationship already felt familiar.
“When you’re a founder, you wear so many hats,” Celis said. “Important things fall off your radar simply because there’s so much happening. Srijita was always helpful and offered constructive feedback, and I decided to work with i2E because I wanted to hear her insights more frequently so that relevant items for our business wouldn’t fall off my radar.”
Through Bridge2, the team prepared for institutional capital conversations by organizing a data room, strengthening the pitch, and building a sales pipeline, replacing uncertainty with a clear path to investment.
“Trying to raise investment felt like stepping onto an elevated bridge blindfolded in the middle of the night — you don’t know what’s ahead and one wrong step could send you falling. i2E helped us cross it knowing what was coming,” Celis said.
Ghosh said that experience is common among early-stage founders navigating capital for the first time.
“American Prime is built around turning complex data into early action,” Ghosh said. “Our role with founders is similar. We help them recognize critical signals sooner and make key decisions before timing and foundational risks begin working against them.”
Moving Toward Market Launch
With a recent seed investment secured from Generation Food Rural Partners, a Big Idea Ventures fund focused on food and agriculture innovation, American Prime Sustainable Solutions is preparing for full market launch. Alongside its data analytics platform, the company, headquartered in Noble, OK, is developing a U.S.-manufactured drone system and proprietary drone software designed to apply inputs only where needed, targeting problem areas before small issues become field-wide loss.
Looking back, Celis said clarity mattered most, and outside guidance from organizations like i2E helped narrow the path forward.
“An idea is like a tree — there are many branches, and it’s hard to know which matter,” he said. “Programs that push you to test and refine help you understand where to focus.”
