Sabanto, a developer of autonomous tractor retrofitting technology, has appointed John M. Raines to its board of directors following the completion of an oversubscribed Series B funding round.
The round was led by Leaps by Bayer, with additional participation from Sustainable Forward Capital, InnoVenture Iowa, Fulcrum Global Capital, DCVC Bio, and Yara. The company did not disclose the total amount raised.
Raines brings over 30 years of experience in agriculture and technology, including a decade in senior leadership roles at Monsanto. He most recently served as President of TELUS Digital Agriculture & Consumer Goods, where he expanded the division’s global footprint to 50 countries, focusing on cloud computing, AI, and machine learning applications in agriculture and consumer goods. Earlier, he held the position of Chief Commercial Officer at The Climate Corporation, working with the Climate FieldView digital agriculture platform.
Sabanto’s technology converts conventional tractors into autonomous machines through its Vehicle Operating System and Vehicle Mission Control software. Proceeds from the funding round will support expansion of manufacturing and deployment capabilities, as well as growth of engineering and commercial teams.
Raines also serves on the boards of FMC Corporation, Sydenstricker Nobbe Partners, TPNB Bank, and Paris Bancshares, where he chairs the Audit Committee. He holds a degree in Agricultural Systems Management from the University of Missouri and has been appointed to the Board of Curators of the university by the state government.
