In the ever-evolving landscape of agriculture, the use of technology, including artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), biotechnology, autonomous vehicles and robots, has become imperative for sustained growth.
As the global population continues to rise, so does the demand for food, prompting the agricultural sector to invest more in technological innovations. While automation in the 20th century facilitated more efficient farm operations with fewer human resources, traditional methods are no longer sufficient due to diminishing accessible land.
To transform agriculture, leveraging modern technologies stands out as one of the fundamental approaches. The key to halting and controlling a system that poisons soil, plants, farmers and consumers alike under the guise of agricultural spraying lies in embracing innovative solutions. Competence in navigating the agricultural revolution and adapting to ever-changing technology has become more crucial than ever, requiring everyone involved to be informed and understand how to utilize new agricultural technology tools.
However, agricultural technology ventures, like other startups, face financial challenges to survive. As technology and operations on farms advance, capital plays an increasingly pivotal role. Since the initial equipment is often tied to land or inventory, businesses find themselves compelled to borrow more financial resources to restore agricultural production speed.
Despite some governments at local and global levels making minor changes to regulations concerning agricultural technology ventures, agricultural entrepreneurs still have a long way to go. While a few policies may assist agricultural technology ventures for a limited period, on the farm level, tangible progress remains elusive.
Merely relying on observation-based data to detect pests reaching crops is insufficient. Unmanned aerial vehicles and artificial intelligence technology are employed for collecting images and analyzing them. Artificial intelligence provides farmers with predictive information for weather, crop output and price forecasts, enabling them to make more informed decisions.
Allocation of funds for aerial imaging and landscape surveillance is crucial. GPS technology is predominantly used for location analysis, pasture monitoring and animal tracking.
It is also employed in tracking autonomous vehicles used in agriculture.
Technologies aid farmers in managing dairy farms, cattle ranches and other livestock-related agricultural enterprises. The IoT, mobile applications, or other means collect and provide real-time, accurate information on grazing areas, barns and all pastures.
Additionally, it assists in the management of tasks such as temperature control and humidity monitoring.
Facilities utilizing advanced agricultural technologies automate labor-intensive processes like harvesting, fruit picking, planting, seed sowing and weed removal. Agricultural initiatives taking the forefront in using technology to solve and organize the fragmented agricultural industry contribute to increased productivity, reduced losses and healthier food production with a data-driven transformation.
Embracing a technology-first approach, these agricultural technology companies play a crucial role in the ongoing shift toward enhanced efficiency in agriculture, paving the way for a future of increased yields and sustainable food production.
TürkTraktör, a prominent Turkish company engaged in the manufacture of agricultural machinery, is actively supporting the growth of startups engaged in technology integration for agriculture. In a strategic move aimed at accelerating technological transformation in farming, TürkTraktör made its first initiative in this direction by investing in Agrovisio, a startup providing digital decision-making services for farmers.
Agrovisio received an investment of about 260,000 euros at a valuation of 4 million euros.
Aykut Özüner, the company leader at TürkTraktör, expressed the company's commitment to supporting innovative applications and ideas, especially those contributing to technological transformation in Türkiye, particularly in agriculture.
Özüner acknowledged the increasing global importance of agriculture, emphasizing its critical role amid climate change and the pandemic.
"As TürkTraktör progresses step by step toward our 70th year, we continue to shape the future with the strength derived from our past. In line with our sustainability strategy named 'Impact on the Future,' we approach agriculture and cities from a new perspective. We envision the future of agriculture through technological, sustainable, and efficient practices, working tirelessly to implement these applications. In addition to our own ecosystem, we evaluate investment opportunities by tracking technological ventures to support innovative solutions across all our impact areas," Özüner added.
He highlighted TürkTraktör's dedication to supporting startups striving to provide solutions in agricultural technologies. The initial step in this direction, he said, is the investment in Agrovisio. Özüner believes that this strategic partnership will play a significant role in advancing TürkTraktör's product range, contributing to the technological transformation needed by farmers.
Agrovisio, an Estonia-based startup established in 2017, operates from the Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) Teknokent in Ankara. The company specializes in satellite-based field identification, yield estimation, harvest detection and plant health monitoring using patented artificial intelligence-supported image processing technology. This enables Agrovisio to offer farmers digital decision-making services that enhance efficiency and productivity in agricultural practices.
Dataroid, a digital analytics and interaction management platform enabling data-driven analyses and real-time actions for large companies across various sectors, has successfully secured a $2 million investment.
Through funding from the 100th Year Venture Capital, founded by Koç Venture Capital Investment Fund and Işbank, Dataroid aims to expand its global marketing activities and establish a presence in the Middle East and Europe. Additionally, the company plans to reinforce its team and product during the expansion, effectively supporting its growth initiatives.
Founded by experienced CEO Fatih İşbecer, who has previously led successful initiatives in the financial sector, along with CRO Elif Parlak, and CTO Can Elmas, Dataroid offers large corporations a unified platform to analyze and manage customer interactions for their marketing, product and technology teams.
The platform also assists companies in providing a better customer experience through data-driven insights. Utilized by leading banks in Türkiye, Dataroid employs artificial intelligence-enhanced predictive analytics to help product owners and marketing teams analyze customer touchpoints on digital channels more profoundly and predict customer trends.
Işbecer said Dataroid collaborates with leading banks in Türkiye such as Işbank, Yapı Kredi Bank, Garanti Bank, Akbank, QNB Finansbank, Odeabank and ABB Bank.
“The trust of Türkiye's pioneering banks serves as a driving force for our international growth. With this new investment, while focusing on becoming a leading analytical platform in the banking sector, we also aim to increase our global marketing efforts to create a broader impact in different geographies," he noted.
Experiencing a 60% increase in customer numbers since 2021, Dataroid continued its robust growth trend in 2023, improving the digital channel experience for over 35 million users daily. Recognized in eight out of 19 reports published by G2, one of the world's largest B2B technology marketplaces, during the fall of 2023, Dataroid is acknowledged as a high-performing platform.
The company is confirmed as a preferred product by leading companies in the field, serving more than 100 million users in shaping their digital experiences across various sectors, including banking and financial services, airlines and e-commerce.
In the dynamic landscape of the application ecosystem, where hundreds of new software are introduced daily, PensorAI is emerging as a pivotal force in identifying and rectifying errors before applications reach users.
An artificial intelligence-powered no-code test automation platform for mobile app developers, it enables app developers to set up and run automated functional, non-functional, ad-hoc and performance tests across their Android and iOS apps without any coding or expertise in Selenium, Appium or Robotic framework.
Users in more than 20 countries including Australia, Singapore, the Middle East, the U.S. and Europe have already started using PensorAI for their Mobile app testing needs.
Around the world, people spend approximately one-third of their waking hours engaging with mobile applications. In 2021 alone, global spending on these applications reached $170 billion, with Türkiye contributing some $728 million.
PensorAI, a graduate of Türk Telekom's startup acceleration program, Pilot, has introduced an end-to-end artificial intelligence-based testing platform that enables UI & performance tests for mobile applications up to 70 times faster and more detailed, all without the need for traditional testers.
This innovation significantly accelerates and enhances the quality of mobile applications for a broader user base.
Selected for its global growth potential, PensorAI, which received investment from Türk Telekom's venture capital arm, TT Ventures, in 2022, offers users the ability to conduct mobile application test automation processes in the cloud. It allows users to automatically identify and implement suitable test scenarios for applications. There is a growing demand for cloud-based applications that streamline the testing procedures required by software companies.
