hexafarms secures $5.4 million to expand its greenhouse crop monitoring platform

German horticulture technology company hexafarms has raised €4.8 million ($5.4 million) to expand its platform for monitoring greenhouse crops, forecasting yields and detecting pests and diseases.

Ananda Impact Ventures and Green Generation Fund led the round, New AG International reported on October 6. Grey Silo Ventures and better ventures joined, alongside existing investors Speedinvest, Mudcake and Techstars.

The company also received Rentenbank’s Startup Grant and a subordinated loan of up to €800,000 from the German government-backed program.

The hexafarms system combines hardware and software. Wireless sensors record climate, fertigation, substrate, drainage and light data every five minutes. Yield forecasts for each crop and zone draw on more than 70 parameters.

Autonomous robots scan plants daily for early signs of pests and disease and can cover two to three hectares. The company’s AI models span about 50 cultivars, including tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and berries.

More than 50 growers in 13 countries use the platform, hexafarms said. It is sold by subscription, with the company designing, installing and maintaining the equipment, and it links to Priva, Hoogendoorn and Ridder climate computers.

The funds will support growth in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Benelux and Spain. Suppliers are increasingly pairing nutrient delivery with sensing, as when Orbia Netafim launched a digital irrigation system for smaller farms.