PlantBit closes €200,000 round: Scientifica Venture Capital and Terra Next bet on sustainable agriculture
New investment for Scientifica Venture Capital, which is focusing on PlantBit and its biosensor capable of revolutionising sustainable agriculture. Joining Scientifica in the investment is Terra Next, an acceleration programme dedicated to innovative start-ups and SMEs in the bioeconomy sector.
Terra Next is the result of an initiative by CDP Venture Capital, with the participation of Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center as co-deviser and promoter and the support of Cariplo Factory, which operationally manages the programme. Thanks to its technology, Plantbit, an agritech start-up and spin-off of the National Research Council (CNR), won a EUR 200,000 round.
The PlantBit team has developed Bioristor, a biosensor (organic electrochemical transistor, OECT) that monitors the health of plants in real time, providing precise data on their actual needs, such as water and nutrient requirements and phytosanitary treatments. Bioristor's technology is protected by an international patent - exclusively licensed to PlantBit - owned by the CNR and is the result of scientific research conducted by the Institute of Materials for Electronics and Magnetism (CNR-IMEM) in Parma. In a global context where climate change and growing demand for food are putting the agricultural sector under pressure, Bioristor is a key ally in the transition towards a more sustainable agriculture.
The biosensor developed by the start-up company - once inserted into the stem of the plants and connected to an IoT control unit that transmits the signal to an app - detects the onset of water stress and sends a warning to the farmer or operating machinery, indicating that it is time to irrigate. Thanks to this technology, farmers can intervene promptly, optimising the use of water resources, reducing water wastage by up to 40 per cent and increasing production efficiency.
PlantBit's technology fits perfectly into the landscape of Agriculture 4.0, an industry that aims to maximise agricultural yields while minimising the use of natural resources, with a focus on water. Considering that agriculture today uses 70% of global water resources, the adoption of technologies such as BIORISTOR is crucial to ensure a sustainable future.
"Thanks to this investment, we will accelerate the pre-industrialisation and finalisation of Bioristor and bring to market a technology that will help reduce the environmental impact of agriculture, responding to global challenges related to food security" says Riccardo D'Alessandri, Managing Partner of Scientifica Venture Capital.
"The investment in PlantBit is linked to the high potential impact that the Bioristor device could have in agriculture and in optimising the use of water resources" says Stefano Molino, Senior Partner and Accelerator Fund Manager at CDP Venture Capital. "We are very proud that the company is able to attract the attention of other investors like Scientifica and we look forward to continuing this growth together".
About Scientifica Venture Capital
Scientifica Venture Capital is a holding company that selects and invests in projects with a high scientific imprinting. It operates in the sectors of advanced manufacturing, innovative materials and artificial intelligence, investing in pre-seed, seed and early stage.
It owns a technology hub of over 4000 m2 equipped with cutting-edge research equipment and connected to a network of over 70 partner laboratories throughout Italy. It draws on a solid network of undergraduates in STEM disciplines, active on the most prestigious university campuses, to identify innovative projects to be transformed into successful start-ups. In this way, it contributes to strengthening the entrepreneurial and advanced research ecosystem in Italy, analysing more than 1,000 projects every year. For more information on Scientifica Venture Capital, you can download the here.
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