Top 10 Early-Stage AgTech Startups in DACH region

INTRODUCTION

A region in the centre of Europe is experiencing a revolution in agriculture unlike anything seen before. A wave of early-stage AgTech businesses is driving innovation in the agriculture sector in the DACH countries (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland). These businesses are transforming agriculture by emphasising production, efficiency, and sustainability. Come along as we examine the Top 10 Early-Stage AgTech Startups in DACH and dive into its dynamic terrain.

The Future of Farming is Here: A Look at DACH's AgTech Revolution

What is AgTech and Why Does the DACH Region Matter?

AgTech, or agricultural technology, is a catch-all term encompassing a variety of inventions meant to improve farming methods and solve issues in contemporary agriculture. AgTech is transforming the way that food is produced in the future, from robotics and precision farming to crop monitoring and sustainable solutions.

Because of its long history of innovation, dedication to sustainability, and rich agricultural legacy, the DACH region is particularly significant in the AgTech space. With its lush surroundings and progressive outlook, DACH is ideally positioned to have a significant influence on the direction of agriculture worldwide.

The agtech market is valued more than $20 billion worldwide. The worldwide agtech market is predicted to reach $40 billion by 2030. As per the report by Exploding Topics,The global agtech market is growing at a CAGR of 10.2%. The fluctuating nature of funding within the AgTech startup landscape across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland reflects a dynamic environment, marked by both significant investments and downturns.

Based on information sourced from the Zefyron Startup database, Over the span of 2019 to 2024, funding rounds for startups in this sector experienced variability, commencing at $39.9 million in 2019 and reaching $2 million in 2024. Total funding peaked at approximately $1.5 billion in 2021 but subsequently declined, hitting lows of around $203 million in 2023. Notably, in the first two months of 2024, the startup's early stage funding stood at approximately $1.97 million, matching the total funding for the same period, which constitutes roughly 13.8% of its total funding from the previous year. It's imperative to acknowledge that these figures are based on publicly announced rounds, and the actual total funding may exceed reported amounts. Nonetheless, this statistical analysis offers insights into the startup's financial trajectory and establishes a promising course for the remainder of the year.

Introducing the Top 10 Early-Stage AgTech Players in DACH

• 1. 1. Seawater Cubes - Revolutionising Aquaculture automation farming.

     

     • Headquarters - Saarbrücken, Saarland, Germany
     • Founders - Carolin Ackermann, Christian Steinbach, Kai Wagner
     • Establishment year - 2018
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 5M
     • Investor/s - EXIST, Saarländische Wagnisfinanzierungsgesellschaft
  2. SEAWATER Cubes specialises in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS), which employ automation to facilitate sustainable fish farming. These systems contribute to environmental conservation by minimising transport distances and mitigating overfishing pressures. Emphasizing sustainability and scalability, the company provides advanced solutions for local food production, fostering autonomy and resilience in agriculture. The seawater cube manages all processes within specified parameters, reducing labour requirements and enhancing production consistency. Accessible through a mobile app, the system allows for remote operation from anywhere, at any time.

  1. 2. SERA Intelligence - Smart agriculture optimizing crop health.

     

     • Headquarters - Meilen, Zurich, Switzerland
     • Founders - Cristian Anastasiu, Florin Munteanu, William McGehee
     • Establishment year - 2020
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 3.4M
     • Investor/s - Ponderosa Ventures, Cavalry Ventures, Übermorgen Ventures, Underline Ventures
  2. Sera Intelligence, a prominent AgTech company, focuses on enhancing crop health and yield optimization. Their platform consolidates knowledge, analyses data, and customizes cultivation techniques for crops grown on trellises. Their goal is to boost efficiency, reduce expenses, and promote energy conservation through digital assistance and intelligent monitoring. SERA merges horticultural know-how with greenhouse management expertise to streamline the coordination, organisation, and implementation of cultivation teams in extensive production settings. They prefer collaborating with greenhouses equipped with climate sensors and/or control systems.

  1. 3. Spacenus - Regenerative agriculture innovation and precision farming

     

     • Headquarters - Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany
     • Founders - Lionel Born, Riazuddin Kawsar
     • Establishment year - 2015
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 2.3M
     • Investor/s - ESA Business Applications
  2. Spacenus provides practical guidance on soil and crop well-being through the integration of satellite data and artificial intelligence, enhancing resource management and increasing profits. Their comprehensive solutions encompass soil organic carbon (SOC) mapping to promote regenerative practices, intuitive applications for users, and assistance for carbon farming initiatives, marking a transformative shift in agricultural technology. Powered by satellite imagery, their daily monitoring system tracks plant and soil conditions, identifying nuanced shifts and delivering personalised suggestions.

  1. 4. COLIPI - Pioneering sustainable green technology advancements

     

     • Headquarters - Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
     • Founders - Jonas Heuer, Maximilian Webers, Philipp Arbter, Tyll Utesch
     • Establishment year - 2022
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 2M
     • Investor/s - HTGF | High-Tech Gruenderfonds, Nidobirds Ventures, Innovationsstarter Fonds
  2. COLIPI pioneers sustainable oils and proteins through fermentation, introducing Climate Oil™ as an eco-friendly alternative to non-renewable vegetable oils. Their innovative technology converts CO2 into valuable resources, effectively lowering industrial carbon emissions. With a focus on AgTech, they extract oils and proteins from industrial byproducts, minimizing land usage and carbon emissions, and transforming agricultural sustainability. These oils are utilized across industries such as cosmetics, home care, laundry, and others, serving as essential raw materials for a range of products.

  1. 5. Infrascreen - Advancing carbon-neutral greenhouse technology

     

     • Headquarters - Neuchâtel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
     • Founders - Benoit De Combaud, Henri De Lalande
     • Establishment year - 2019
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 1.7M
     • Investor/s - Venture Kick, Luminate, Clima Now, Foundation for Technological Innovation (FIT), Investbridge Capital
  2. Infrascreen leads the way in sustainable agriculture by introducing nanotech-enhanced 'smart material' for boosting greenhouse energy efficiency. Their technology slashes energy usage by as much as 20%, effectively harnessing natural radiation. Their goal is to render high-tech greenhouses carbon neutral, thereby tackling CO2 emissions in food production. Infrascreen manufactures transparent aluminium screens that offer superior insulation by retaining outgoing thermal radiation within the greenhouse.

  1. 6. E-TERRY- Innovating field management solutions

     

     • Headquarters - Erfurt, Thuringen, Germany
     • Founders - Martha Wenzel, Fabian Rösler, Michael Rieke
     • Establishment year - 2022
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 1.2M
     • Investor/s - beteiligungsmanagement thüringen gmbh (bm|t), FutureWork Verwaltungsgesellschaft, Dr. Thomas Gnefkow and Christoph Ratke
  2. E-TERRY has developed an agile agricultural robot tailored for vegetable farms. Their ecosystem integrates machinery, tools, and software for efficient field management and data analysis. With a lightweight design and adaptable features, E-TERRY offers cost-effective solutions for diverse farming methods. The robot's innovative design allows it to navigate various crops at different growth stages, making it the first of its kind to adapt to individual fields. Utilizing computer vision and deep learning, it accurately distinguishes between crops and weeds for precise field operations.

  1. 7. CAPSERO - Transforming Crop Cultivation Methods

     

     • Headquarters - Münchenstein, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland
     • Founders - Benjamin Ratz, Fabio Cirillo
     • Establishment year - 2020
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 1.2M
     • Investor/s - NA
  2. CAPSERO pioneers contamination-free, traceable plant cultivation using advanced AgTech. Their innovative approach incorporates Big Data, Machine Learning, and AI to enable large-scale cloning and sterile packaging, ensuring high standards of quality and sustainability in agriculture. Utilizing cell propagation, they produce large quantities of identical in-vitro clones, packaged in sterile capsules for transport and cultivation. Through automated processes, including decontamination cycles and optimised growth using AI, CAPSERO revolutionizes plant cultivation. Their product line includes fully automated Grow containers, Harvest containers, and plant capsules.

  1. 8. vGreens - Revolutionizing sustainable fruit farming.

     

     • Headquarters - Essen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
     • Founders- Claas Ahrens, Dr. Caspar Krampe, Dr. Maximilian Hartmann, Dr. Stefan Hey
     • Establishment year - 2022
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 1.1M
     • Investor/s - Business Angels Club Berlin-Brandenburg e.V., SeedCapital Dortmund, Matthias Helfrich, TU capital GmbH & Co.KG
  2. vGreens operates in fully automated indoor vertical farms specializing in sustainable fruit production, particularly strawberries. These farms are strategically located near urban areas, enabling year-round operation. Utilizing advanced software, vGreens optimises growth parameters to ensure consistent, high-quality yields. Through a focus on decentralisation, predictability, and sustainability, they offer a data-driven solution that minimizes the use of land, water, and fertilier. vGreens' farm management software meticulously controls all essential environmental conditions within the vertical farms, such as humidity, nutrient solutions, and light spectrum, tailored to the specific requirements of different strawberry varieties.

  1. 9. Agrinorm- Redefining agricultural supply chain optimization.

     

     • Headquarters - Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
     • Founders - Daria Reisch, Sharon Wulff
     • Establishment year - 2020
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 1M
     • Investor/s - Venture Kick, SICTIC, QBIT Capital, David Studer, Ronald Strässler
  2. Agrinorm specialises in AI-powered software for quality risk management in fresh produce trading. Their technology optimises supply chains, reduces costs, and meets customer expectations. By analysing data, they enhance decision-making and environmental sustainability in AgTech. Their SaaS platform digitises procurement and quality management information, making it easy to manage product quality along the supply chain. Agrinorm's AI capabilities turn quality reports into actionable insights. Wholesalers, distributors, marketing organisations, exporters, and packers benefit from Agrinorm to optimise costs, increase efficiency, and minimise food waste.

  1. 10. Farmdok GmbH - Innovating farm management processes.

     

     • Headquarters - Wieselburg, Niederosterreich, Austria
     • Founders - Andreas Prankl, Johann Prankl, Benjamin Bauer, Franz Heinzlmaier
     • Establishment year - 2015
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 812.2K
     • Investor/s - Tecnet equity, Patrick Poschl
  2. Farmdok simplifies farm management with Smart Farming solutions. Their mobile apps and web systems streamline record-keeping, field management, and decision-making, led by founders with agricultural expertise. By making data accessible and simplifying operations, Farmdok enhances efficiency for modern farmers, contributing to AgTech innovation. Farmdok uses cutting-edge technology to create added value for farmers from a wealth of data such as satellite and weather data. Benefit from determining yield potential, optimal distribution of seeds, fertilisers or pesticides, or automatic recording of activities.

Cultivating a Sustainable Future: The Impact of DACH's AgTech Landscape

The DACH region's explosion of AgTech firms is driven by sustainability and resilience as much as innovation. Positive change is being driven throughout the agricultural value chain by DACH's AgTech ecosystem, which embraces sustainable practices and cutting-edge technologies.

1. Enhanced Agricultural Productivity: By optimising resource allocation, cutting waste, and raising crop yields, AgTech breakthroughs like precision farming, drone technology, and AI-driven analytics are enhancing productivity in agriculture.
2. Sustainable agricultural methods: AgTech companies in the DACH region are creating ecologically friendly agricultural methods by supporting soil health, water conservation, and biodiversity preservation.
3. Economic Growth and Job Creation: The DACH AgTech sector's expansion is boosting the local economy and generating job opportunities all throughout the agricultural value chain, from farm management to technology development.
4. Climate Change Resilience: By offering real-time weather data and facilitating adaptive crop management and risk mitigation methods, AgTech technologies and approaches are assisting farmers in DACH in lessening the effects of climate change.
5. Food Security and Resilience: AgTech is helping to ensure a steady supply of high-quality products for both domestic consumption and export in the DACH region by enhancing agricultural sustainability and efficiency.

Join the AgTech Revolution: Resources and Opportunities in DACH

Opportunities for investors, entrepreneurs, and stakeholders hoping to participate in the agricultural revolution are expanding along with the AgTech sector in DACH. There's never been a better moment to get engaged, whether your goals are to learn more about AgTech, partner with industry leaders, or support emerging businesses.

• Venture Capital and Investment: Through specialised AgTech investment businesses, obtain finance and guidance.
• Accelerator Programmes: Enroll in initiatives that provide networking opportunities and resources for the expansion and scalability of startups.
• Research Centres: Work together with top research organisations to promote technological advancement and innovation.
• Collaborations with Agric. Organisations: Acquire knowledge and access to test grounds for customised solutions.
• Skilled Talent Pool: For multidisciplinary team creation, leverage DACH's skilled workforce.
• Fostering Regulatory Environment: Take advantage of unambiguous rules that support sustainability and entrepreneurship.
• Empowering Farmers, Feeding the World: How These Startups are Making a Difference: These startups in the DACH region are revolutionizing agriculture, empowering farmers, and contributing to global food security through innovative AgTech solutions.

Conclusion: The Future of Food is Bright in DACH

Looking ahead, one thing is certain: the DACH region's food production has a promising future. With its thriving ecosystem of cutting-edge Top 10 Early-Stage AgTech Startups in the DACH region, dedication to sustainability, and legacy of agricultural excellence, the DACH area is well-positioned to take the lead in reshaping the farming industry. We can build a more robust, effective, and sustainable food system that benefits everyone by utilising technology and teamwork.

To explore further insights into such trends and emerging startups, visit Zefyron