As part of our Sacramento Inno coverage of the startup, technology and innovation economy, the Business Journal has compiled a list of startups to watch in the new year. These startups are poised to make big moves, either in growth, funding, technology or development. We're highlighting 15 startups, generally with fewer than 100 employees, about 5 years old or less and that have raised less than $50 million.
Davis-based InnerPlant was founded in 2018, and it now has 18 full-time employees developing strains of plants that visually signal farmers when they need water, nutrients or protection from pests.
“Our goal is to make it easier to farm,” said InnerPlant CEO Shely Aronov. The company's traits are genetically modified organisms, or GMO, but Aronov said that about 95% of soybeans are currently GMO, and 99% of soybeans used for animal feed are GMO.
InnerPlant validated its technology on tomatoes, but it's now exclusively focused on large-scale commercial crops rather than small-scale food crops, Aronov said.
With InnerPlant's technology, farmers using filters coupled with satellite or drone images can pinpoint problems quickly in the field, and then apply protective measures "by the spoonful," she said.
Farmers currently apply protective measures to their entire fields, which is costly and inefficient, especially when only a few plants need attention, Aronov said. Crops with InnerPlant traits fluoresce in lighter images whereas healthy plants remain dark, which allows smart equipment to find areas that need treatment. The InnerPlant strains allow farmers to see problems quickly in the field, rather than waiting weeks to see damage.
In September, farm equipment giant John Deere led a $16 million funding round into InnerPlant.
