Agritech startup avemoy with seven-figure financing

The Carinthian agritech start-up avemoy, a spin-off from the University of Klagenfurt, has announced Hortiscan, a new solution for professional greenhouse operations. The system enables fully automated monitoring and analysis of tomato plants for the first time. It is based on AI, drone technology and a smart data dashboard.

At the heart of Hortiscan is an autonomous drone that regularly takes precise sensor images of tomato crops. This data is converted into information such as harvest time, pest infestation or pruning control using proprietary AI models and can be accessed at any time via app or desktop. In this way, avemoy creates a new level of process reliability and efficiency in professional vegetable growing.

Market maturity through pilot project with Frutura

The sales launch of Hortiscan is planned for late fall 2025. The first market-ready application was developed as part of a pilot project with Frutura, one of Austria's leading vegetable producers and a subsidiary of the DOL Group.

The system is impressively practical - a direct response to the needs of our gardeners. avemoy is a fundamental pillar for us on the path to digital and resource-conserving agriculture.

Katrin Hohensinner-Häupl, Managing Director of Frutura

Easy to use, continuously updated

The application is completely plug-and-play: set up, activate, done. Updates, flight plans and evaluations are carried out automatically. An exchange system for drones ensures continuous operation without any prior technical knowledge on the part of the customer.

Hortiscan is a system from the field for the field. It enables data-driven and reliable production - worldwide.

Michael Gruber, CEO avemoy

Strong academic roots and ongoing research

avemoy was founded as a spin-off from the University of Klagenfurt and was the first Carinthian project to receive an FFG Fellowship. Even after its foundation, the collaboration with the university has continued intensively. Among other things, the cooperation in the TOMAiTO project (together with the AAU, CNS Lab and Frutura), which is supported by FFG-AIM funding, should be mentioned.

Seven-figure funding secured for scaling

In early summer 2025, avemoy secured a seven-figure investment in a first financing round. Participants include the Carinthian Venture Fund (CVF), StartInvest, the Lakeside Technology Foundation and the DOL Group as a strategic partner and investor.

With avemoy, we are investing in a company with a clear technological vision, a strong academic base and global potential. It is particularly important to us to strengthen the Carinthian start-up ecosystem with venture capital.

René Ratz, Investment Manager of the CVF

The funding will enable avemoy to develop new functions more quickly and prepare for the international roll-out. The first subsidiaries outside Austria are planned for 2026. The first will be a branch in the Netherlands.

AI that grows with you

Even though avemoy is clearly focused on professional cultivation, the idea behind Hortiscan is also likely to strike a chord with hobby gardeners. The idea of monitoring your own tomato patch by drone and tracking the progress of growth on your smartphone undoubtedly has a certain appeal, even beyond industrial agriculture. The technology invites you to dream, even if it was initially developed for larger structures.

Despite the impressive technical vision, it is still evident in some areas that the start-up is still in the growth phase. For example, avemoy could not be reached by phone for this article. The answering machine told us that the team would be available again from January 7 (as of July 23, 2025). A small indication that innovation, customer proximity and the expansion of structures still need to grow in step.

With Hortiscan, avemoy is bringing artificial intelligence to where it creates real added value: in food production under glass. The system combines technological maturity with user-friendliness and is a prime example of how research, entrepreneurial spirit and practical relevance can work together.