Fermata raises $10 million to protect crops from climate and pest challenges
Fermata raises $10 million to protect crops from climate and pest challenges
Israeli startup’s Croptimus platform helps farmers detect pests and diseases early, preventing losses.
The Israeli agrotech company Fermata, which specializes in computer vision-based solutions for the agriculture industry, announced that it has raised $10 million in a Series A funding round led by Raw Ventures. The company aims to use the funds to advance its development of a "digital agricultural brain"—a system for the autonomous management of crops that analyzes field data in real time to provide critical insights into plant health.
The agriculture industry is facing mounting challenges. Climate change is causing unprecedented damage to crops, with extreme weather events—such as floods, heat waves, and droughts—becoming increasingly frequent. Plant diseases are also spreading more aggressively, and excessive pesticide use has led to soil degradation. Despite these challenges, the agricultural sector has been slow to adopt advanced technologies that could improve field management and enable real-time responses to threats while minimizing losses.
Fermata was founded in 2020 by Valeria Kogan, who serves as CEO. Kogan is an entrepreneur with a doctorate in bioinformatics from Ariel University and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. The company focuses on leveraging data science and computer vision to tackle the pressing challenges of commercial agriculture. Fermata’s flagship product, "Croptimus," is a platform designed for the early detection of pests and plant diseases. By identifying potential threats in their earliest stages, the technology enables farmers to take timely action to protect crops.
Croptimus uses computer vision technology to continuously monitor crops through field-installed cameras and sensors. The data collected is processed to build precise, cost-effective models for field operations. According to Fermata, this approach can prevent up to 30% of crop loss and significantly reduce pesticide use by targeting only affected areas, rather than spraying entire fields. The platform also integrates with existing agricultural solutions to generate comprehensive, predictive insights.
The newly raised funds will support the continued development of Croptimus, establishing it as a central hub for managing and monitoring plant health. Fermata plans to expand its portfolio to include artificial intelligence-based tools and advanced forecasting capabilities, such as predictive analytics for crop conditions.
Fermata collaborates with leading agricultural companies, including Bayer and Syngenta. Its partnership with Bayer focuses on seed production for vegetable crops.
