Initially, Fermata struggled to gain traction but saw increased interest as AI gained momentum in 2022. The company now partners with large agricultural enterprises like Bayer and Syngenta and has deployed over 100 cameras. Recently, Fermata raised a $10 million Series A round from Raw Ventures to scale operations and aim for profitability by 2026. Despite not having a sales team, Fermata has grown through inbound interest and plans to expand into new crops and partnerships beyond greenhouse-grown tomatoes.
Key takeaways:
- Valeria Kogan founded Fermata in 2020, a Tel Aviv-based startup using AI and computer vision to monitor and diagnose greenhouse crops for diseases and pests.
- Fermata's software analyzes images from off-the-shelf cameras to alert farmers of infestations or diseases, with a focus on in-house data labeling for accuracy.
- The company initially struggled to gain traction but has since partnered with large agriculture enterprises like Bayer and Syngenta, deploying over 100 cameras.
- Fermata raised a $10 million Series A round from Raw Ventures to scale operations and aims to be profitable by 2026, currently focusing on greenhouse-grown tomatoes with plans to expand.