Technology SOUTH AFRICA

South African Startup Raises R800m for AI-Powered Crop Monitoring Platform

AgriSense Funding

AgriSense, founded by a team of Stellenbosch University researchers, uses multispectral satellite imagery and machine learning models to predict crop stress, disease outbreak, and yield up to eight weeks in advance.

The R800 million round was led by Naspers Foundry with participation from the IFC and British International Investment, valuing the company at approximately R3.2 billion.

The funds will support expansion into Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, and Mozambique, where the platform already has letters of intent from over 200,000 commercial and smallholder farmers.

This article was reported by the AfriDevMonitor editorial team. Additional reporting contributed by our correspondents in Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Lagos, Johannesburg, and Cairo.