hexafarms Receives 4.8 Million Euros for AI-Powered Greenhouse Monitoring

The Berlin-based AgTech company hexafarms has closed a seed funding round totaling 4.8 million euros. The round is led by Ananda Impact Ventures and Green Generation Fund. Grey Silo Ventures and better ventures, as well as existing investors Speedinvest, Mudcake, and Techstars, are also participating. The company plans to use the capital to further develop its technology for monitoring professional fruit and vegetable farms and to expand, particularly in the DACH region, the Benelux countries, and Spain.

In addition to the equity round, hexafarms has received startup funding from Rentenbank as well as a subordinated loan of up to 800,000 euros.

Sensors, AI, and Robots on a Single Platform

hexafarms is developing a platform designed to collect data from crop stands and derive actionable insights for growers. To achieve this, the company combines its own wireless sensors and autonomous robots with AI-powered software.

Every five minutes, the sensors measure factors such as climate, light, substrate conditions, drainage, and fertigation. In total, the software processes more than 70 parameters and uses them to generate continuously updated harvest forecasts for individual crops and growing areas.

Autonomous robots are also used to supplement this process. They are designed to inspect every plant daily across areas of two to three hectares, detecting early signs of disease or pest infestation.

According to hexafarms, the AI models currently support around 50 varieties, including tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, and various berries.

More than 50 farms in 13 countries

According to the company, the technology is already being used by more than 50 farms in 13 countries. Among the customers mentioned are the fruit and vegetable supplier SanLucar, as well as the producer cooperatives Elo and Royal ZON.

According to the company, customers have already used hexafarms’ software and hardware to monitor the production of fruits and vegetables worth more than 300 million euros this year.

The business model is subscription-based. hexafarms provides the software and hardware and handles installation and maintenance. For agricultural operations, the technology thus becomes an ongoing operating expense rather than requiring large upfront investments in their own systems.

Up to 30 Percent of Yield Potential Remains Untapped

With its technology, hexafarms addresses a problem that arises particularly at large commercial farms. The larger the cultivated areas and greenhouse facilities become, the more difficult it is to monitor the condition of individual plants solely through manual inspections.

According to the startup’s own analyses, commercial growers fail to realize up to 30 percent of their potential yield. Among the reasons cited by hexafarms are suboptimal growing conditions, inaccurate harvest forecasts, and pest or disease infestations detected too late.

The platform is designed to consolidate this information in one place. This allows farms, for example, to understand the relationships between climatic conditions and the occurrence of certain pests.

However, the press release does not specify by how much, on average, yields can actually be increased or losses reduced through the use of the platform.

Integration with Existing Greenhouse Technology

hexafarms takes an “API-first” approach with its software. This is intended to allow the platform to connect with existing technology.

According to the company, interfaces exist with climate control computers from Priva, Hoogendoorn, and Ridder, among others.

This integration is relevant for professional growers because it means hexafarms does not necessarily have to replace existing control systems. Instead, it creates an additional data layer where information from sensors, robots, and existing systems is consolidated.

Expansion into European growing regions

With the 4.8 million euros, the team led by CEO and co-founder David Ahmed now plans to further develop both the hardware and the AI models. A key focus is on wireless sensor technology, harvest forecasts, and automated monitoring of crop stocks.

At the same time, the company plans to expand its sales operations in key European agricultural markets. The focus is on Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, as well as the Benelux countries and Spain.

While the combination of proprietary hardware and software makes scaling more complex than with a pure software product, it also gives hexafarms direct access to data from the greenhouses.

With more than 50 farms in 13 countries, the company has already established its first international references. The key to the next phase of growth will likely depend on whether the traction achieved so far can be scaled in the targeted European markets and whether the platform can demonstrate its promised impact on crop planning and yield losses when deployed on a broader scale.