Germany-based Stenon has raised €18 million ($20.5 million) in Series B financing to expand its nitrogen and soil data management platform. Dutch impact investor Pymwymic led the round, which comes as farmers around the globe grapple with major price volatility for crucial fertilizers.
Geopolitical conflict in the Middle East has pushed fertilizer costs for farmers in most regions, including those markets where Stenon operates. In the EU, nitrogen fertilizer prices have risen about 70% above their average in 2024, leading the European Commission to mobilize a €540 million ($615 million) financial relief package for farmers.
Brazil, which depends on imported fertilizers like DAP (Diammonium Phosphate) and nitrogen-based urea, has also seen farmers cutting back on input purchases thanks to soaring prices. This puts application rates, crop yields, and, ultimately, farmer income at risk.
Stenon’s approach to the issue is to give these farmers faster, more precise nitrogen management in the field.
Nitrogen management at the plant level
Farmers may not be able to control global price volatility, but they can control when and where each kilogram is applied, says company founder and CEO Niels Grabbert. This, he says, is “Stenon’s core competence.”
The company’s FarmLab product is a hardware-software product aimed at generating real-time soil data in the field on which growers can act immediately instead of waiting for lab test results.
“By combining real-time plant-available nitrogen measurements with SOC [soil organic carbon] insights, we help customers make better immediate fertilizer decisions and build a longer-term view of soil productivity,” explains Grabbert. “This financing allows us to scale that capability in the markets where it is needed most.”
Stenon’s portable soil-analysis device is equipped with optical and electrical sensors to map, in seconds, thousands of data points about the soil: plant-available nitrogen, soil organic matter, temperature, and moisture, for example. Software and AI turn that raw data into insights for growers around fertilizer application.
The company says its ability to manage plant-level nitrogen in the field is a differentiating factor, because it allows growers to take immediate action in the field. It also allows for more frequent measuring and can account for soil variability within a given field.
Grabbert says the platform is already available across several million acres in multiple countries in Europe (Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Greece), Central Asia (Kazakhstan and North Kyrgyzstan), Brazil, and the US (in California).
The company claims 2-8% yield increases across corn, beans, cotton, sugarcane, coffee, and grains, among other crops, and a 20–40% average ROI on nitrogen fertilizer.
Empowering farmers with better data
As for what attracted investors to the Series B round, Pymwymic, which led the fundraise, suggests a “rare intersection where improving soil health and strengthening farm economics goes hand in hand.”
“Its technology empowers farmers with better data, enabling more efficient input use while building the foundation for more productive and resilient soils,” says Pymwymic managing partner Rogier Pieterse.
The round also saw participation from new investor the DeepTech & Climate Fonds (DTCF), as well as existing backers Atlantic, Oyster Bay, Founders Fund, Marc Benioff’s TIME Ventures, and Bernd Hoffmann (former VP at AGCO and Claas KGaA).
“Stenon’s groundbreaking technology is unlocking high-resolution real-time understanding of soil fertility, helping farmers optimize their largest input cost. We are thrilled to support Niels and the team as they scale this transformative solution,” notes David Friedberg, founder and CEO of The Production Board, which has invested in Stenon previously.
The new funding will in part go towards expanding Stenon’s reach in existing markets, particularly Brazil, which Grabbert says is a primary market for the company. Here, the company has a longstanding partnership with Lavoro Ag, one of Brazil’s biggest ag input retailers.
Funding will also go towards new product development. Grabbert declined to give specific details on this “next phase” for Stenon, saying only that it has been developed over the last several years and will be unveiled later this year.
Further reading:
Picketa Systems raises $1.5m to bring crop nutrient testing to the field
TerraBlaster aims for late 2026 launch with real-time NPK soil mapping at tractor speed
Crop Diagnostix launches RNA-based crop health early-warning system
