Traditional farming methods, such as agroforestry, crop rotation, cover cropping, and organic composting, rely on extensive manual labor and chemical inputs. These methods lead to resource wastage, environmental degradation, and reduced biodiversity.
AgTech solutions like Precision agriculture offer improvements over traditional agriculture, with reduced waste, enhanced crop yields, and minimized environmental impact.
For instance, conventional irrigation systems can waste up to 50% of water due to evaporation and runoff, compared to precision irrigation technologies, which can save up to 70% of water use.
Similarly, Biotechnology advances, such as disease-resistant crops and biofertilizers, reduce the need for chemical inputs and promote environmental sustainability. These biotechnological advances can reduce emissions and save input costs estimated between $40 to $100 billion by 2030.
Incorporating modern technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), biotechnology, and data analytics with farming methods leads to Agtech solutions.
This article highlights five innovative AgTech startups providing unique solutions to modernize and improve agricultural practices. These startups have the potential to grow rapidly, are in a good market position, and will introduce game-changing technology to the market in the next 2-3 years.
This makes them a great option to partner, collaborate, or acquire.
1. Kokomodo
| Founding Year | 2024 |
| Headquarters | Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Total Funding Amount | $750K |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Pre-seed/$750K |
| Website | https://www.thekokomodo.com/ |
The cocoa industry faces challenges like the instability of cocoa supply due to climate change and inconsistent quality of cocoa beans. Traditional cocoa farming is also complex and has a high-emission supply chain. These issues result in unpredictable yields, potential contamination with pesticides and heavy metals, and high carbon emissions from transporting cocoa from tropical regions.
To solve these problems, AgTech startup Kokomodo has developed an innovative approach using cellular agriculture technology. Its process involves isolating cells from premium cacao strains (from Latin America) and cultivating them in bioreactors under controlled conditions.
The flagship products include cell-cultivated cocoa powder and cocoa butter.
This method ensures a stable, year-round supply of high-quality, climate-resilient cocoa that is free from environmental contaminants. The cultivation process is designed to be cost-effective and scalable, requiring simpler growth media compared to other cell-based food technologies.
Kokomodo provides a more sustainable and reliable alternative to traditional cocoa farming. Its cell-cultivated cocoa reduces the carbon footprint associated with transportation and mitigates the risk of supply chain disruptions due to climate change.
The controlled cultivation environment also guarantees consistent quality and safety, significantly improving traditionally farmed cocoa’s variable quality.
Additionally, Kokomodo’s approach can enhance the nutritional profile of cocoa products by adjusting the levels of antioxidants, lipids, and proteins. It claims that its cocoa matches the aroma, flavors, and sweetness of conventional cocoa.
The startup is the result of a joint venture between The Kitchen FoodTech Hub and Tel Aviv-based Plantae Bioscience.
Tal Govrin, the co-founder and CEO of Kokomodo, is a seasoned business executive with over 20+ years of experience in business development, sales, financial and economic management positions.
She is also Chairperson (Food-Tech Committee) and Board Member of the Israel-Asia Chamber of Commerce. Tal has worked with Caesarstone Ltd., CTS Group, KPMG Israel, IDB Group, and the Ministry of Economy and Industry, Israel.
Kokomodo raised its latest pre-seed funding of $750K on Jun 4, 2024. The Kitchen FoodTech Hub, a FoodTech incubator by the Strauss Group, was the lead investor for this round.
The AgTech startup planned to use this capital/funding to expand to a pilot scale and increase its biomass production.
Related Read: How Farm Robots Can Nearly Double The Yield In Agriculture!
2. InsectBiotech
| Founding Year | 2023 |
| Headquarters | Jaén, Andalucia, Spain |
| Total Funding Amount | €450K |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Pre-seed/€450K |
| Website | https://insectbiotech.eu/ |
Traditional waste management methods like composting and landfilling contribute significantly to environmental pollution, while conventional animal farming requires substantial resources and generates high greenhouse gas emissions.
InsectBiotech is tackling critical environmental and agricultural issues, including food waste management, sustainable protein production, and reducing the reliance on traditional animal farming.
The startup has developed an innovative technology that leverages insects to convert organic waste into high-value products. Using the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), InsectBiotech transforms low-value organic materials into proteins, oils, and fertilizers.
InsectBiotech upcycles waste into valuable products to reduce carbon emissions. The use of insects for waste conversion is more sustainable and efficient. For example, insect farming uses less land and water with less greenhouse gas emissions than traditional livestock farming. By localizing production, InsectBiotech minimizes the environmental footprint and ensures a stable supply of high-quality products.
Ignacio Gavilan is the Founder and CEO of this startup. He is also a senior director of The Global FoodBanking Network.
Gavilan has 25+ years of experience in manufacturing, FMCG, and agriculture businesses. He spent 8+ years as the Director of Sustainability for The Consumer Goods Forum. Ignacio also worked for McDonalds, BP, and Anglo American.
InsectBiotech raised its latest funding of €450K from a pre-seed round on October 23, 2023. The startup used the capital to expand its operations through two small factories—one at the University of Granada and the other at an Olive oil mill in Andujar, Spain, called Casa Grande.
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3. Agreen Biosolutions
| Founding Year | 2023 |
| Headquarters | Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy |
| Total Funding Amount | €170K |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Seed/€170K |
| Website | https://agreenbiosolutions.com/ |
The agricultural sector is under pressure to reduce chemical pesticide use by 50% by 2030 as part of the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy. Effective, cost-competitive organic alternatives are urgently needed. Agreen Biosolutions is tackling challenges in sustainable agriculture, particularly the overuse of chemical pesticides, which poses significant environmental and health risks.
This AgTech startup has developed ozonized oils as a sustainable solution for crop protection. These oils, produced by treating fatty acids in vegetable oils with ozone gas, act as biostimulants and phytosanitary agents.
The ozonized oils can be applied to crops to provide preventive and curative effects against pests and diseases without the harmful environmental impact of chemical pesticides. Producing these oils involves no chemical solvents, making it environmentally friendly and scalable.
Agreen Biosolutions has successfully tested these products across various agricultural sectors, including vineyards, fruit trees, and vegetables. The product is also helpful in other sectors, including skincare, cosmetics, and medicine. It offers similar efficacy as traditional solutions in protecting crops but with significantly lower environmental impact.
The use of ozonized oils eliminates the need for harmful chemicals and provides cost savings for farmers by reducing their dependence on expensive pesticides.
Additionally, the company is working towards registering these oils as biopesticides, further validating their effectiveness and expanding their market reach.
CEO Enrico Montanaro, Victor Rosa (CTO), and Ivan Giunta (COO) are co-founders of this AgTech Startup.
Enrico holds a Master’s in Management and Technology from Luiss Business School. He worked for Deloitte as an Analyst.
Ivan has experience as CEO of OS S.R.L., an Italian industrial company in the ozone industry. He has 10+ years of experience in production process management and internal company operations.
Agreen Biosolutions’ latest seed funding of €170K was raised on Nov 14, 2023 from the lead investor FoodSeed.
Related Read: Vertical Farming Startups Leading Agriculture!
4. Agrisky
| Founding Year | 2023 |
| Headquarters | Rome, Lazio, Italy |
| Total Funding Amount | €40K |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Pre-seed/€40K |
| Website | https://www.agrisky.it/ |
Traditional farming practices often suffer from data collection, analysis, and forecasting inefficiencies. It can lead to suboptimal resource use and crop management. Additionally, there is an increasing demand for sustainable practices to reduce carbon and water footprints in agriculture.
To solve these problems, Agrisky has developed an advanced data analytics platform tailored for greenhouse environments. Its General Artificial Intelligence for Agriculture (G.A.I.A) is a digital assistant that leverages AI-based computer vision models to improve data collection, analysis, and forecasting processes.
This platform provides real-time monitoring of farm values, smart notifications for abnormal values, and integration with existing farm management systems. It also includes features to calculate and manage the carbon and water footprints of greenhouses, helping farmers meet regulatory and market demands.
The platform’s capabilities extend to diagnosing plant diseases using AI, offering farmers timely solutions to safeguard crop health.
Agrisky’s technology integrates AI and data analytics for greenhouse management. Through its efficient monitoring and predictive capabilities, the system can reduce water usage by 20% and increase productivity by 45%. This optimizes resource use and supports farmers in achieving higher yields and better crop quality.
Kaloian Stanimirov Gueorguiev is the co-founder and CEO of Agrisky. He is also an Investment & ESG Analyst at Mario Negri Welfare Fund. Kaloian holds a Master’s in strategic management from Luiss Guido Carli University.
Agrisky raised its latest funding of €40K from a Pre-Seed round on Mar 1, 2024. It is backed by NextSTEP.
5. Ohmic Biosciences
| Founding Year | 2021 |
| Headquarters | Alameda, California, US |
| Total Funding Amount | $500K |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Pre-seed/$500K |
| Website | https://ohmicbiosciences.com/ |
Traditional agriculture methods for disease resistance in crops often fall short as pathogens quickly evolve, rendering resistance traits ineffective. This dynamic presents a persistent challenge in ensuring crop health and stability. Crop susceptibility to diseases leads to substantial economic losses.
To solve these problems, Ohmic Biosciences has developed an innovative platform that combines protein engineering and synthetic biology to create durable disease-resistance traits. These traits are designed to be potent against pathogen evolution, making it difficult for diseases to overcome the engineered resistance.
The startup’s flagship technology focuses on creating resistance genes that can be integrated into crops, enhancing their resilience to diseases over time. One of their key targets is the soybean cyst nematode, a parasite that causes over $1.5 billion in damages annually in the US alone.
Advanced protein engineering and synthetic biology allow Ohmic Biosciences for precise modifications that traditional breeding methods cannot achieve. This approach improves the durability of disease resistance in crops and promises significant economic benefits by reducing crop losses and requiring frequent chemical treatments.
CEO PJ Steiner and Matthew Bedewitz are co-founders of Ohmic Biosciences. They both met during their postdocs at the University of Colorado Boulder. For 2 and half years they collaborate on engineering plant hormone receptors into biosensors. Before that, PJ worked in CS and synthetic biology, and Matt worked in plant genetics and biochemistry.
PJ holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a PhD in biology from the University of Cambridge.
Matthew Bedewitz holds a PhD in plant breeding, genetics, and biotechnology from Michigan State University.
Ohmic Bioscience’s latest funding of $500K was raised from a pre-seed round on September 6, 2023. It is funded by Y Combinator (Lead investor and Incubator).
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Authored By: Naveen Kumar, Market Research
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