Messium, a UK AgriTech innovator utilizing hyperspectral satellites and AI-driven crop development fashions to deal with the problem of nitrogen effectivity in farming, has secured a €3.8 million Seed funding.
The spherical was co-led by the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (UKI2S, managed by Future Planet Capital) – with funding drawn from UKI2S’s ‘House’ portfolio (backed by the UK House Company) and Enlargement Aerospace Ventures. Mudcake, Laconia, GRDC GrainInnovate, Clear Present Capital, Moonstone Enterprise Capital and follow-on investor SuperSeed additionally participated within the spherical.
George Marangos-Gilks, CEO and Co-founder of Messium, commented on the elevate: “Feeding the world sustainably is among the defining challenges of our time. Immediately, greater than half of all farmland is both over- or under-fertilised – an issue that wastes billions, drives emissions, and holds again international meals safety.
“At Messium, we consider the reply lies in harnessing the perfect of satellite tv for pc expertise and AI to ship field-specific suggestions at huge scale – week in, week out, for each farmer on the planet.
“This funding isn’t just a win for Messium- it’s a step change for international agriculture. Our ambition is daring: to remove fertiliser guesswork worldwide, increase yields, minimize waste, and assist safe the way forward for meals.”
Based in 2023, Messium is pioneering weekly, field-level nitrogen administration utilizing hyperspectral satellite tv for pc knowledge, crop development fashions, and proprietary AI analytics.
Messium companions with main farmers, researchers, and companies to ship actionable nitrogen insights that maximise yield, scale back enter prices, and allow really sustainable agriculture.
Messium’s platform combines satellite tv for pc imaging and AI to ship sensible, field-ready insights for farmers. Utilizing hyperspectral satellites that seize detailed photographs of crops throughout a whole bunch of wavelengths, Messium’s system “sees” precisely how a lot nitrogen is current in every a part of a subject.
Superior AI fashions then analyse this satellite tv for pc knowledge alongside climate, soil, and farm administration data, constructing a real-time image of crop well being and nutrient wants.
Each week, farmers obtain tailor-made suggestions on when and the place to use fertiliser – maximising yield, minimising waste, and supporting extra sustainable, worthwhile farming.
For farmers, this might means clearer decision-making, much less guesswork, and higher outcomes – proper the place it issues most: within the subject.
Vishal Soomaney Vijaykumar, CTO, Co-founder, added: “Messium’s journey to turning into the UK champions in hyperspectral agriculture wouldn’t have been doable with out the help of ESA BIC & the UK House Company’s GEO Accelerator.
“These programmes supported us from day one, serving to us mix state-of-the-art analysis in hyperspectral distant sensing, machine studying and crop development modelling to construct one thing radically new – turning an formidable thought right into a business enterprise with real-world affect. Now we’re able to take this innovation international, serving to farmers increase earnings, minimize emissions and preserve soils wholesome for future generations.”
This new capital will speed up Messium’s business rollout within the UK, Europe, and Australia, increase its community of analysis and farming companions, and scale up the corporate’s knowledge and analytics infrastructure.
Shruti Iyengar, House Funding Lead, UKI2S (managed by Future Planet Capital), added: “Messium represents a leap ahead for international agriculture, harnessing hyperspectral satellite tv for pc imaging, cutting-edge crop science, and modern analytics multi function providing to handle one of many world’s most pressing useful resource challenges. The affect is important – from lowering agri-input use and related water air pollution, to growing yield per hectare for a few of the most generally consumed crops.
“Messium is a stellar instance of utilizing house knowledge to create a considerably constructive affect on individuals and the planet. As demand for sustainable meals manufacturing intensifies, scalable, data-driven options like Messium’s are important for constructing resilience throughout the agri-food system. We’re proud to again an organization with the imaginative and prescient and functionality to make an enduring distinction on a worldwide scale.”
Messium’s 2024 trials throughout Europe and Australia, utilizing greater than 13,000 lab-validated crop samples, reportedly discovered that over 50% of fields have been incorrectly fertilised – resulting in wasted enter prices and pointless emissions. Messium’s expertise allows a data-driven method to deal with these inefficiencies, supporting business farmers in addition to broader meals safety and net-zero aims.
Messium’s system is already delivering outcomes for over 75 farms throughout the UK and Europe this 12 months, with further pilots underway in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the US.
Dr Craig Brown, Funding Director at UK House Company stated: “Messium’s success demonstrates the transformative potential of house expertise in addressing important international challenges. By integrating superior hyperspectral satellite tv for pc knowledge with synthetic intelligence, they’re enabling farmers to enhance yields, scale back enter waste, and minimise environmental affect.
“The UK House Company is proud to help Messium through the UKI2S house fund. Improvements like this not solely strengthen the UK’s house sector, but in addition contribute to international meals safety and local weather resilience.
“Messium is a compelling case examine in how our help, from start-up to scale-up, has helped unlock non-public funding and speed up development.”
The newest funding allows Messium to scale its staff, expertise, and business affect, additional growing its platform to handle different nutrient and crop well being challenges. Constructing on this momentum, the corporate is now making ready for a Sequence A spherical to speed up worldwide enlargement and deepen its expertise management.
Ulf Palmnäs, Enterprise Companion, Enlargement Aerospace Ventures added: “Messium is on the forefront of precision agriculture – bringing collectively satellite tv for pc knowledge and superior AI to deal with certainly one of farming’s greatest challenges.
“We backed them due to the power of their staff, the clear worth they’re already delivering to farmers, and the massive constructive affect this expertise can have on the world.”
