Unfold.vc invests in AgronetPRO. Startup digitizes agriculture and prepares to expand in Western Europe
AgronetPRO – a developer and provider of applications and sensors to support farmers and fruit growers in field management – has been expanding since 2020. It was more than two years ago that Polish fruit grower Kamil Koc, and experts in software and technology development and implementation – Sander de Vries and Dmitry Kolesnikov – decided to join forces. They began work on an automated system enabling monitoring of crop health, integrating weather stations and modular field sensors with a proprietary application. They wanted users to receive real-time information that could prevent the effects of extreme weather events, among other things. Kamil Koc, one of the startup’s founders, had already learned that the market lacked such a solution. After all, a local frost destroyed most of his crops in one night, causing hundreds of thousands of PLN in losses.
Today, using data from devices, AgronetPRO’s application warns users 24/7 of impending frost, drought, pests, as well as monitors conditions in detail – including ethylene, O2, CO2 levels – in stores. The system allows control of crops over large areas, with sensors sending data to mobile devices up to every two minutes. The startup has already been believed in by foreign investors, among others. These include the French Albatros Group, which owns RIMpro or Tellusia, but also private investor Stefan Sikora – known in the industry for his contribution to sustainable agriculture. In addition, a Wroclaw-based venture capital fund Unfold.vc will contribute a total of more than PLN 1 million to the company’s development, expanding its investment portfolio into the AgriTech sector.
“AgronetPRO, which is creating an intelligent crop management system, in just over a year has covered orchards belonging to more than 100 fruit growers allowing a total of about 300,000 hectares of land to be monitored in real time. The company’s innovative, scalable solution is quickly gaining recognition as it responds to the needs of fruit and vegetable growers. Indeed, crop management in the face of climatic requirements, among other things, is subject to increasing risks. This creates a growing niche for AgronetPRO successfully developing technologies to automate the control of crops, including water and fertilizer consumption. We decided to invest in the company also because there are experienced entrepreneurs behind it, who know their market very well.”
– emphasizes Rafal Sobczak, managing partner at the Unfold.vc fund.
AgronetPRO is based on LoRaWAN technology (a dedicated IoT solution), which wirelessly connects devices to the Internet and manages communication between sensors and the IT system. The application informs users of any changes that require their attention. It also presents detailed analyses and predictions based on historical data. Company representatives emphasize that the product has been very quickly adopted among fruit growers who were initially the company’s main customers. AgronetPRO sensors are so versatile that they are also used in soft fruit crops (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries) and tunnel crops (e.g. tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers).
“Based on our knowledge of the industry and the problems farmers have to deal with in farm management, we are quickly acquiring more customers and partners. We started in 2020 with two sensors in Kamil’s orchard. Today there are more than 300 of them in fields all over Poland, and we have 8 sensors with 13 different parameters, with more waiting to be implemented.”
– says Sander de Vries, co-founder and CEO of AgronetPRO, who for more than 10 years was a software consultant for Polish and foreign companies operating in the VR or IoT field, among others.
“AgronetPRO’s solution is modular. You can install each device separately and, depending on your needs, change its location. – By buying more than one device, you can complete a modular weather station tailored to your needs. And by doing so, make smart decisions that optimize costs.”
– adds Kamil Koc, co-founder of the startup.
Product development and overseas expansion planned
The agrotech startup wants to take the next step in supporting crop efficiency using complex technological solutions. Thus, it will use the funding it obtains to develop an intelligent
system for farm management. As part of the new software version, it will be possible not only to record weather forecasts, current weather conditions or soil quality, but also to monitor the entire farm. This is all thanks to cloud-based solutions, with minimal user input. In addition to development work, AgonetPRO has a plan to expand not only in the local market, but also abroad. Indeed, as early as 2023, the company’s products will be available in France, opening a new chapter in the company’s development.
UnfoldVC Fund. From left: Rafał Sobczak, Magdalena Surowiec, Jakub Sitarz
Agriculture 4.0 in Polish
The Polish AgriTech market is not yet as developed as the global one, but projects like AgronetPRO are part of the dynamically changing picture of the industry in our country as well, and, importantly, in line with the EU’s guiding policy for a sustainable economy. The European Green Deal calls for the agricultural sector to reduce the use of chemical pesticides by up to 50% or the use of fertilizers by 20%, among other things. Improving the efficiency of the agrochemicals used will reduce its amount – something AgronetPRO’s agrochemicals are striving to achieve.
“The threat of pests and diseases is growing every year, and on the other hand, EU requirements for crop quality are tightening. Thanks to the fact that we use, among other things, advanced disease models, we can predict whether crops are at risk and indicate the right preventive action. Importantly, much less agrochemicals are used to prevent a disease than when it already needs to be controlled.”
– Sander de Vries explains.
As Rafal Sobczak of Unfold.vc admits, there is no shortage of ideas for innovative projects for the agricultural industry in our country.
“Real-time access to soil moisture information, analysis of historical yields, reduced water consumption thanks to installed sensors and more precise weather forecasts – these are just some of the solutions being developed by Poles, while at the same time the benefits of smart agriculture. Digitalization of this sector is the direction through which it will be possible to increase crop yields, protect resources or ultimately improve food quality. Technological progress in agriculture is most evident precisely in Europe. For the company, this is an opportunity to capitalize on this trend. We see AgronetPRO as a promising potential for development and growth.”
– Rafal Sobczak concludes.
According to last year’s “Technology in Agriculture” report by the Startup Poland Foundation, nearly $30 billion will be invested in agri-food startups worldwide by 2020.
