Agersens, a virtual fencing startup for livestock producers, has raised $2 million in seed funding, in a round arranged by Bell Potter brokerage. Agersens’ eShepherd product is an IoT GPS-based animal wearable device that enables farmers to ‘fence,’ move, muster, and monitor their livestock remotely via smartphone. Agersens has about three competitors in the fenceless farming space, which is particularly useful in countries like Australia where cattle farms can stretch across millions of acres.
Ecoation Innovative Solutions, a pest and disease detection tool for high-value crop greenhouse growers, has raised $1 million in seed funding from angel investors from North America and the European Union participated including investors from the Creative Destruction Lab and the Vancouver Angel Forum. The startup collects data on plant state and uses artificial intelligence software to predict crop health.
Waycool, a fresh produce distribution company, has raised $2.7 million from impact investment firm Aspada Investment Company, which is backed by George Soros’ Economic Development Fund. Waycool sources fruits and vegetables from smallholder farmers and aggregators and sells it through multiple distribution channels includingsmall local shops, modern retail outlets, hotels, restaurants and catering establishments.
Fingerlix, a ready-to-cook delivery service in India, has raised $3 Mn Series A funding from Zephyr Peacock, a small business investment firm based in Bangalore.
The Yield, the Australian sensing, IoT and predictive analytics startup for aquaculture and agriculture, has raised $6.5 million in Series A funding from three global corporations; hardware giant Bosch, consultancy group KPMG, and online investment platform AgFunder. Read more about the deal here.
InspiraFarms, a cold storage and food processing technology for farmers in developing countries, raised €1.65 million ($1.78 million) of Series A investment, from Factor(e) Ventures, a venture impact development firm, Energy Access Ventures, PYMWYMIC (Put Your Money Where Your Meaning Is Community), Montpelier Foundation, and the Doen Foundation. Read more about how this technology is a ‘game-changer’ for smallholder farmers here.
Roslin Technologies, an animal health agritech startup, has raised £10 million ($12.4 million) in Series A funding from JB Equity, an agriculture-focused private equity and advisory firm, institutional investment firm Milltrust International, and the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute. Find out more about the novel way the company was formed in our story here.
Guest article: The real impact of tariffs on US produce prices