St. Louis Inno is publishing profiles of its 2024 Startups to Watch this week. See the entire list of honorees below.
HABITERRE
Headquarters: St. Louis
CEO: Nick Reinke
What it does: HabiTerre has created technology designed to provide environmental and productivity data for the agriculture industry. It was founded out of research conducted at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign by founder and President Kaiyu Guan. Its technology uses remote sensors, scientific models and artificial intelligence to generate insights and analysis for growers. HabiTerre’s technology is used by food and consumer packaged goods companies to measure the greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprints of their supply chains. Farmers can also use it to access in-season growing reports and historical farmland data to manage and project yield.
The latest: HabiTerre says its technology has been used across tens of millions of acres in the U.S., along with pilot projects in Brazil. Year over year revenue doubled in 2023 as HabiTerre transitioned from a series of pilot projects to inking multi-year, multimillion-acre contracts with customers. HabiTerre has partnered with Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson Foods for its technology to be used with Tyson’s LGS Sustain program, which is focused on promoting sustainable farming among its producers. HabiTerre in 2022 won a non-dilutive grant from nonprofit Arch Grants, relocating its headquarters to St. Louis.
Why you should watch it: HabiTerre believes its technology can help companies and growers address climate change head-on. For food and consumer-packaged goods companies, HabiTerre has positioned its technology as a tool to help them manage and track sustainability goals. About two-thirds of Fortune Global 500 companies have made a “significant climate commitment,” according to a report from Climate Impact Partners. For growers, HabiTerre says the ability to gather both real-time and historical data helps farmers adapt to a changing climate.
What’s next: HabiTerre in 2024 will put a focus on adding more commercial partnerships. It expects in the first half of the year to close on a funding round to aid its growth, with plans to double its staff. It hopes for about half of its new hires to be located locally or to relocate to the St. Louis region. While it operates remotely, HabiTerre plans to open a St. Louis office.
More about HabiTerre
Founded: 2019
Founder: Kaiyu Guan
Employees: 10
Capital raised: $2.2 million
Investors: The company has yet to disclose investors in its ongoing funding round.
