Agdhi, an agritech start-up, has been awarded the Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) which is a flagship programme by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). BIRAC is a not-for-profit public sector enterprise and largest early stage biotech funding programme. Agdhi has received a grant from BIG for USD 70,000 for their flagship product, “SeedVision- Seed Classifier and Quality Analyser.”
SeedVision is an artificial intelligence (AI) based seed phenotyping method that classifies critical parameters of a seed in a few minutes. This product would help the farmers get good seeds for cultivation and help growers improve the number of cycles due to faster payment realisation from seed companies. This automated technique provides an efficient method for seed sorting compared to manual inspection, and the reports are accessible on a real-time basis.
“The entire team at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) have been a part of extensive discussions with the team Agdhi all through the five months of the Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) application process and are very glad to have them on board as an awardee. The need and gap in the seed assessment market was clearly validated and executed till the idea to proof of principle stage by the technical team at Agdhi. We recognise the proposed solution at Agdhi is tailor-made, traction oriented and look forward to many more discussions through and post the BIG grant,” a BIG representative at C-CAMP said.
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Highlighting the development, Vaibhav Kashikar, Co-Founder & Director (Marketing) – Agdhi, said, “We are delighted to announce the grant we have received that will support start-ups like us in bringing technology closer to market and help in the commercialisation of the product across India”. “With a vision to disrupt technology in the agriculture sector, we plan to bring new technologies like blockchain, edge computing, internet of things (IoT) and microbiology in agriculture.
Agdhi, an agritech startup, based in Bengaluru is focussing on revolutionising agriculture by introducing digital technology and building alternative solutions to facilitate sustainable methods in agriculture.