SupPlant raises $27m in funding round to improve irrigation tech

March 18, 2022

Israeli irrigation tech startup SupPlant has raised $27 million for its platform that helps farmers optimize water usage and increase crop yields.

Red Dot Capital Partners led the round. Menomadin Foundation, Smart-Agro Fund, Mivtach Shamir, Deshpande Foundation, PBFS and Maor Investments also participated.

In addition to expansion, funds will go towards building out the company’s new API developed for smallholder farmers around the world battling the impacts of climate change on crops.

The SupPlant system collects data from on-farm sensors and creates real-time irrigation recommendations for growers based on that data. This can help farmers increase yields through optimized water usage, particularly in areas where water supply has been adversely impacted by climate change.

Sensors are placed on the ground, track, leaves, foot, and fruit of the plant. The system then collects measurement data on plant size every half-hour and sends it to farmers via a digital dashboard. Changes in plant size can signal when plants are under extreme stress from, for example, a heatwave or insufficient water supply. Armed with this information, farmers can be more proactive about providing plants the exact amount of water they need, when they need it.

SupPlant recently released a new API product, a sensor-less version of its system that pulls statistical data about growing conditions in any given region of the world, from Middle East deserts to tropical landscapes in Central America. SupPlant’s API provides irrigation recommendations based on this data.

The $27 million will help SupPlant further develop this sensor-less API. In 2022, the company aims to equip one million smallholders in Africa and India with the technology. Funds will also go towards expanding its main smart irrigation system to new regions and markets. SupPlant currently works with 31 different crop types across 14 different countries.

Read New AG International’s e-book on water-soluble fertilizers here.

Read New AG International’s interview with SupPlant’s CTO Revital Kramer in our Women in AG e-book.

Related Posts