A Cloud Startup Wants to Be a Crystal Ball for Farmers Everywhere

Gangavalli Naga Suresh and his ancestors have grown crops including corn, oil palm and rice in eastern India’s Vijayawada region for generations, gazing at the sky to predict weather, sifting soil through their fingers to gauge moisture and jotting down yields and prices as well as dates for sowing, watering and harvesting. Four years ago, Suresh turned to technology to help him plan his 40-acre family-owned farm. A service now gives him tailored advice for critical decisions, such as how much seed to sow and when to do it, informed by meter readings of soil temperature and moisture content, satellite imagery of local weather patterns and artificial intelligence tools. “Technology helps me use materials and labor more precisely,” says Suresh, standing in a field covered in wispy corn shoots. “My income has risen nearly 30%.”

Behind the farmer’s efforts to optimize his operations is Bangalore-based Cropin Technology Solutions Pvt, which is building a global cloud-based service for agriculture. The startup reaches 7 million farmers in 100 countries through its 250 customers, which include seed giant Syngenta AG, consumer goods company Unilever Plc, the governments of India and Nigeria, and agencies such as the World Bank. Cropin’s annual revenue is in the tens of millions of dollars, and it has raised $33 million to date, says its co-founder and chief executive officer, Krishna Kumar. He expects the company to come close to a $500 million valuation with its next investment round, which would help Cropin on its quest to become a Wikipedia-like database for agriculture that farmers can consult with their smartphones. “In a decade, we want to be the crystal ball that every farmer could gaze into and foresee yield or pricing information customized to his particular farm,” says Kumar, 41.