Drought discussions, particularly in California, have raised concerns about agriculture and led to a focus on particularly water-thirsty crops.
Now, startup CropX Ltd. is helping farmers make the most of their water with sensors and an app. The Tel Aviv- and San Francisco-based startup has raised $9 million in Series A funding.
Agtech fund Finistere Ventures led the round, joined by Innovation Endeavors, GreenSoil Investments and the company’s earlier backers including OurCrowd.
CropX faces competition from other agtech providers ranging from IBM to startups such as Tule, backed by Y Combinator, and Fruition Sciences, which focuses on the irrigation of vineyards.
Today, farmers can download the CropX app for free and have the company mail them a kit of sensors, also for free, that they can stick in the dirt around their fields. The CropX app guides them as to where they should position the sensors for the most accurate soil analysis.
After the sensors are in the dirt, they begin measuring moisture and temperature levels of the soil.
The sensors send the data they collect up into the cloud, which then analyzes and sends information back down to the farmer’s smartphone in simple-to-read map and chart formats, says Chief Executive Isaac Bentwich.
Farmers can use CropX to adjust their irrigation systems for maximum crop yield, and savings on water and energy.
Leave a reply