Macquarie Venture Capital Studio Invests in Soil Analytics Company Teralytic

February 21, 2019

Macquarie Venture Capital Studio (MVCS), a fund launched in partnership by Macquarie Capital and R/GA Ventures, has announced a commitment to Teralytic, a soil analytics company working to help farmers grow more while using less.

With the goal of “driving innovation at the intersection of infrastructure and technology”, MVCS announced investments in three companies: Teralytic; AirMap, an airspace management platform for drones; and Envoy Technologies, a vehicle-sharing service.

Founded by company CEO Steve Ridder, Teralytic is a precision ag and soil health company whose platform streamlines connections between soil research and actionable insight. As developer of the world’s first wireless NPK soil sensor, from Teralytic’s technology has come the move comprehensive soil probe to date, able to constantly monitor 26 data points including air temperature, humidity, light, soil moisture, salinity, pH, nitrate, potassium, and phosphorus levels, aeration, and respiration.

Using LoRaWAN, a long-distance transmission network, this gathered data can be transmitted up to 10 miles away. The company’s gateways then aggregate all data and send it to the cloud where through machine learning and AI, analytics are run based on government and university soil condition data, as well as farm-specific criteria. The resulting report, including predictive insights and readable charts, is then provided to agronomists and farmers, resulting in a reduction of fertilizer and water usage by between five and 45 percent.

Each company, which will be part of the third module of MVCS,  was selected for its ability to increase efficiency, sustainability, and efficacy across infrastructure and real assets. As a chosen company, each will receive approximately $1 million in cash, while Macquarie Capital and R/GA will offer specialist knowledge, help in networking, and assist in advancing commercialization, distribution, and brand building. Future possibilities exist for each company to secure a follow-on investment of between $10 and $20 million.

-Lynda Kiernan 

Lynda Kiernan is Editor with GAI Media and daily contributor to GAI News. If you would like to submit a contribution for consideration, please contact Ms. Kiernan at lkiernan@globalaginvesting.com.

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