Boston, July 23, 2024 – Farmblox, a farm automation system connecting equipment and in-field sensors to the internet so farmers can see everything from their phone or computer and take action, announces that it has raised $2.5M in seed funding to propel expansion and scale into new markets such as vineyards and orchards. The oversubscribed round was led by Hyperplane, with participation from Slow Ventures, MHS Capital, and Service Provider Capital.
Farmblox has grown rapidly since launching in January 2023, with 55 live farm customers covering more than 14,000 acres across the US and Canada. Farmblox’s farm automation platform has grown 10X in the last year as customers quickly adopt the technology at the forefront of addressing critical challenges posing significant threats to our global food supply.
US farmers spend up to 75% of their time walking the farm while looking for problems, a $17.5B challenge due to labor costs. Farmblox combines a sensor ecosystem and AI, resulting in saving up to 50% in labor costs and generating new revenue streams for modern farming. Reliably monitoring remote farmland in all weather conditions, Farmblox gives farmers a simple dashboard to quickly identify operational issues like irrigation leaks, weather risks, or equipment failure to operate more efficiently. Farmers oversee the farm’s status remotely via mobile app or computer, resulting in 25,000 fewer miles walked per year.
At the heart of Farmblox’s innovation is its ecosystem of farm automation building blocks. These tools empower farmers to create customizable automation solutions tailored to their specific needs. The Farmblox system includes an array of plug-and-play sensors and controllers, which connect to a universal monitor box. The universal monitor box delivers power and wireless connectivity by connecting to the Farmblox base station network, linking the entire setup to the internet – even in remote locations. All this provides farmers with a comprehensive, real-time overview of their operations and is adaptable and customizable to various crop types, farm sizes and operations.
Starting by detecting leaks in tubes on maple syrup farms, Farmblox is now expanding to monitor irrigation systems in vineyards to address water scarcity problems and comply with water regulations. Farmblox offers detailed data on soil moisture, soil CO2, soil temperature, leak detection, tank and silo levels, ambient temperatures, freeze risk, water usage, irrigation pressure, pump conditions, and weather conditions.
“Farmblox’s mission is to develop a practical farm-scale digital platform for producers to reduce labor by helping them automate their farm however they need with simple, customizable tools,” said Nathan Rosenberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Farmblox. “We focus on immediate real-world benefits to farmers who are hard hit by labor shortages.”
“At Hyperplane, we are thrilled to support Farmblox in its mission to revolutionize agriculture and transform how millions of farmers worldwide operate,” said Vivjan Mytro, Founding and Managing Partner of Hyperplane. “Their adoption by farmers across the US and Canada is a testament to the team’s tenacity and unique approach to addressing the most critical challenges in modern agriculture. Farmblox tackles labor issues and water scarcity head-on and enhances monitoring and sustainability practices, which are vital for our planet’s future.”
About Farmblox
Farmblox is a farm automation system, connecting equipment and in-field sensors to the internet so farmers can see everything and take action fast. Reliably monitoring remote farmland in all weather conditions, Farmblox’s simple app on a smartphone, tablet or computer helps farmers quickly identify operational issues like leaks, weather risks, or equipment failure – saving up to 50% in labor costs. Farmblox helps farmers combine any type of sensor they need based on their personal knowledge of the farm, from soil moisture to weather. Farmers can manage equipment and monitor the entire operation from anywhere.
