High-resolution precision agriculture aerial imagery provider Taranis is partnering with ADAMA Australia and Landmark to add value for the Australian agtech customer base.
Founded in 2013 by Ofir Schlam, Asaf Horvitz, Eli Bukchin, and Ayal Karmi, and based in Tel Aviv, Taranis uses patented aerial imagery technology that when affixed to high-speed UAVs and manned aircraft, can provide more than 500 times the detail compared to existing monitoring platforms.
The company has also built an extensive database that implements deep learning algorithms and data science to identify crops stresses such as weeds, pests, and diseases on a granular level. This information is acted upon by the company to transform it into actionable insight that give farmers the potential to increase yields by 7.5 percent.
Brought together with the crop protection capabilities of ADAMA and Landmark, the three companies will be able to leverage a range of applications and technologies that will give farmers the tools to increase crop yields and returns.
“Australian farmers are experiencing the devastating effects of drought right now,” said Sam Bald, national digital strategy manager, Landmark Australia. “As a business, we’re focused on helping our clients find solutions to help them cope. Sustainability and profitability of your growers are our focus. Together with Taranis, we’ll be able to deliver enhanced solutions and greater value to help Australian growers increase their food production and stand out in an increasingly competitive global market.”
Currently serving large-scale farming operations in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, and Australia, Taranis is focusing on high-volume crops such as corn, cotton, and sugar cane, which combined accounts for 70 percent of the crops grown in the world.
“We’re excited to partner with Taranis to develop and provide our clients with the most groundbreaking farming solutions,” said Andrew Newall, ag tech and innovation manager, ADAMA Australia. “We believe that the company’s technology represents the future of farming and combined with ADAMA’s crop-protection portfolio the reach and applications of our capabilities are endless. Our goal is to continue to provide valuable services and products to farmers, ultimately optimizing yields and increasing growth exponentially.”
This partnership comes five months after Taranis secured $20 million in funding through a Series B led by Viola Ventures. Existing investors who participated in the round included Finistere Ventures, Vertex Ventures, OurCrowd, Eyal Gura, and Gal Yarden. Nutrien, Cavallo Ventures, the venture capital arm of Wilbur-Ellis, and Sumitomo Corporation Europe.
That round follows the company’s $7.5 million Series B completed in May of 2017, which was led by Finistere Ventures, and including Vertex Ventures, Eshbol Investments, Mindset Ventures, OurCrowd, and angel investor Eyal Gura.
Earlier this year, Taranis also announced its acquisition of San Francisco-based Mavrx – a move that created an unprecedented aerial imagery platform. The deal added Mavrx’s UHR imagery solution to Taranis’ existing product and services portfolio, giving current Mavrx and Taranis clients access to a powerful combination of aerial imagery products and precision agriculture services for their fields.
With its fleet of 60 planes in 30 states across the U.S., Mavrx delivers 8 cm-per-pixel resolution images capable of recognizing and classifying weeds, diseases, insects, and nutrient deficiencies on a single leaf at a resolution of 0.5 millimeters from a plane while flying at 120 miles per hour or from drones at 30 miles per hour.
With the capital raised through its latest round, which brought total funding for the company to $30 million, Taranis stated that it planned to pursue expanding its global reach and presence – an action reflected in its partnership with ADAMA Australia and Landmark.
-Lynda Kiernan