Denver-based smart sprinkler startup Rachio has named a new CEO with executive experience at Walmart and Home Depot.
The news comes as Rachio reported a record year of growth and sales in 2020, with customers saving 36 billion gallons of water.
Kim Sentovich takes over the top executive position, replacing co-founder Chris Klein. Klein will remain with the company and shift to the chief product officer role.
Prior to joining Rachio, Sentovich held various roles at Home Depot before ultimately becoming the company’s regional VP of operations. From there, she moved to Walmart and led the company’s pacific division as an SVP, managing over 300 stores.
“After working for years at large corporations, I’m excited to return to a smaller organization that has as much potential as Rachio, helping to lead the company through its next stage of growth,” Sentovich said in a statement. “It’s important for me to work with a mission-driven company like Rachio, and I’m deeply connected to the company’s efforts in water efficiency.”
Since releasing its smart sprinkler controller in 2014, Rachio says it has saved homeowners and their communities over 127 billion gallons of water.
The product creates smart watering schedules based on the needs of a customer’s lawn, taking into account plant and soil type, sun exposure and more. If it rains or the soil is already moist, Rachio will skip watering for that cycle, and the company says its solution saves homeowners between 30% and 50% on their water bills.
Klein said the move to bring on Sentovich comes at a crucial time in Rachio’s lifecycle.
“Kim joins Rachio at a pivotal time, as we look to continue the momentum of 2020 into 2021 and beyond,” he said in a statement. “Kim’s extensive knowledge and experience in all different facets of business operations and growth, along with her understanding of how to scale a business, represents the perfect mix of expertise to lead Rachio into its next phase of transformation.”
In 2018, Rachio raised a $9.8 million funding round that brought its total capital raised to nearly $20 million.
