Case Study: Descartes Labs
A New Mexico born technology-transfer from Los Alamos National Labs, Descartes Labs was founded in Los Alamos in 2015. This revolutionary company has developed Artificial Intelligence technology that analyzes petabytes of data from thousands of global satellites. Descartes has successfully used the technology to predict crop yields around the world. This unique capability has profound implications in moving global markets, providing predictive analytics for insurers, preventing famines, and tracking climate change. Their technology also has potential applications for defense and intelligence agencies, as well as a myriad of other corporate uses.
Economic Development Toolbox
- JTIP has allowed Descartes to ramp up their expansion. To-date, Descartes has been awarded $585,256.96 in reimbursements for on-the-job training for 18 positions in both the Santa Fe and Los Alamos offices.
- Descartes is investing $4 million to renovate a new headquarters location in Santa Fe. A State LEDA investment of $700,000 will support the expansion.
“Descartes’s forecasts have also seemed to drive the national maize market. When it announced that the corn harvest would trail the USDA’s estimate last August, it moved the market by three percent.”
– The Atlantic
Leadership
Mark Johnson, the co-founder and CEO of Descartes Labs is a strong advocate for New Mexico as a great place to live, work and run a business. Mark is a figure in the tech startup scene in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area. Never expecting to stay in New Mexico, Mark quickly fell in love with the Land of Enchantment and decided to base Descartes Labs in Santa Fe and make New Mexico his home.
More about Descartes Labs
“Staying headquartered here gives our growing team access to all of the art, beauty, and culture that the City of Santa Fe has to offer.”
– Mark Johnson, CEO of Descartes Labs, on JTIP
Thanks to JTIP, New Mexico is ranked 5th in Workforce Training Leaders. (Business Facilities' 12th Annual State Rankings Report, 2016)
Kiplinger ranks New Mexico the 8th Most Tax-Friendly State.
New Mexico is home to three national research laboratories and is rich in technologies available for commercialization.
"I think one of the key reasons why Descartes chose New Mexico is that our employees are really happy here."Mark Johnson, CEO
