CIG is an investment company and a one of the largest venture capitalist in East Europe. The company helps to develop projects at all stages of development – from start-ups operations to firms that have been active for several years. CIG aims to seek to scout out the most talented, creative future partners who are ready to take their businesses to the next level.  The CIG investment philosophy is based on a cooperation with the current owners of investment projects, rather than commercial takeover. CIG’s primary investment priorities lie within the sphere of innovative development and technologies – particularly those that focus on the IT sector and the Internet.

Chernovetskyi Investment Group

Investors that made investments in companies.

VentureBot

Kray Technologies

Kray Technologies provides Kray Protection UAS - new generation drone-based solution for aerial crop protection. They built the solid solution to replace agriculture planes and ground sprayers. Kray Protection drone demonstrates outstanding performance of crop dusting while lowering farmers’ expenses. It prevents yield losses that are inevitable when using other crop protection methods.

Kray Technologies developed the world’s first unmanned drone crop sprayer and focuses on crop protection. Kray drones utilise 5D precision spraying. The company’s product has been tested but mass production is yet to begin.

Sustainably solving the food shortages of the future

Smart Farming

Kray Technologies is a Ukrainian company based in Kyiv that specializes in developing cutting-edge drone technology for sustainable agriculture. Their flagship product, Kray Protection, is a revolutionary crop spraying drone designed to significantly reduce costs and increase yields. This 4-meter wingspan drone can cover 400 hectares per day, flying autonomously at a steady height of one meter above the crops.

Kray Technologies – Drone build to replace AG planes

Taking commercial activities to new heights

Commercial Drone Tech

Israeli startup Taranis, focuses on providing a complete digital agronomy solution to farmers using aerial imagery technology across the US, Argentina, Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, and Australia. The company now monitors more than 20 million acres globally, 50% of which is located within the US.&nbsp;The startup captures aerial images using UAVs, which can be analyzed and compared using its own platform, and allows farmers to make precise decisions about planting. The company also operates an area called the “AgroBrain”, which allows precise identification of crop issues. The company claims to account for 70% of the global crop market and equips farmers with the tools to address issues in real time. Similar to peers like Ceres Imaging, Taranis has partnered with incumbent players like John Deere, Syngenta, BASF, and Climate Field View to expand its product reach. As such, Taranis is regarded as a promising startup in global precision agriculture.&nbsp;In 2018, the company expanded its footprint in the US when it acquired Mavrx, a US startup providing aerial imagery solutions to local farmers. Mavrx ran into financial difficulties and consolidation of the two companies yielded attractive opportunities. The consolidation allowed Taranis to integrate Mavrx’s product (full field imagery product with highest resolution on the market) into its platform, thereby fulfilling Taranis’ aim of providing a complete solution. The acquisition strengthened Taranis' offering rather than differentiating it. Taranis believes that further consolidation is likely with imagery and AI solutions.&nbsp;In July 2020, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the company raised USD 30 million in Series C funding. Key Investors included Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Micron Ventures, and Vertex Ventures Israel. The company expects to use the funds to create more relevant scouting products for growers through its platform and to also look towards expanding into Asia.&nbsp;Previously in January 2023, Taranis introduced <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/taranis-introduces-acreforward-setting-a-new-standard-for-crop-intelligence-301734306.html">AcreForward</a> which provides unprecedented leaf-level insights into growers' crops at higher frequency throughout the season and captures opportunities in every acre to help ag retailers drive more value from every acre. In <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/taranis-launches-ag-assistant-to-transform-farm-decision-making-302198624.html">July 2024</a>, The company has introduced Ag assistant, powered by a generative AI model that integrates data sources from various modalities – including images, text and audio – and with a profound understanding of agronomy.

Taranis

Based in Canada, TELUS Agriculture offers integrated agriculture software solutions to increase profits of farmers and ranchers, agri-businesses, and agri-food, consumer goods and retail companies. Some of the farm management software solutions provided by the company are: Farm at Hand (crop management platform), TKXS (data management), Agrian (precision and informed decision making)&nbsp; and Muddy Boots (food traceability and supply chain management). As of July 2021, TELUS provides its solutions across Canada, the USA, Mexico, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Armenia, Germany, China, and Australia.In July 2021, TELUS along with Rabobank, a Dutch food and agriculture bank, acquired Conservis to deliver a more robust Conservis platform to cater a diverse range of crops and livestock leveraging the former’s know-how and relationships across the food industry value chain and the latter’s portfolio of innovative digital farming technologies and solutions.&nbsp;Founded in 2009, Conservis via its web and mobile platform, provides farmers with planning tools, real-time data capture, and analytics to support better decision making and efficient reporting. Having launched as a permanent crop management platform for tree nuts, the platform has expanded its capabilities to fit crop types such as citrus and grapes.&nbsp; Since 2018, Rabo AgriFinance, a Rabobank subsidiary, has also been a development partner for Conservis to enhance the platform’s financial reporting capabilities.&nbsp;In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/27853">March 2024</a>, The company&nbsp; has completed the acquisition of Proagrica, a provider of agronomic and business data solutions.Key customers and partnershipsIn <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/decisive-farming-telus-agriculture-grainfox-140000751.html">October 2023</a>, The company has partnered with GrainFox announced a new partnership to bring more digital grain trade and sell options to Canadian farmers, providing technology-based solutions to support the ongoing transformation of Canada’s agriculture industry.

TELUS  Agriculture

Arable was established with the aim of providing measurements, insight, and predictions that enable growers to address risks with crop management. The key market of focus has been the US, though the company’s product has been used in 39 different countries.The company provides real-time data updates on irrigation and weather, such as reports on plants and crop management, to allow users to make informed decisions, while also being able to precisely measure different farming-related data such as temperature and humidity. Thus, the company falls under the categories of precision and smart farming.The company’s product, Arable Mark, is an irrigation management tool whichsynthesizes climate, plant, and soil data to produce visualizations. Through a web dashboard and smartphone app, Arable Mark exposes precipitation, crop water deficit, soil moisture, chilling hours, and other metrics gathered from sensors. Customers using Arable’s platform have reportedly shown to reduce irrigation by upto 50% and pesticide usage by 15%. In May 2023, the company commercially introduced <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/18120">Arable Mark 3 </a>which includes a 5 MP camera, an optional wind anemometer, and advanced plant and environmental sensing capabilities.The company’s customer base is quite broad in the agriculture value chain, and includes farmers, advisors, insurers, processors, lenders, and governments that find Arable useful to gauge facts on the ground in real time, and in turn reduce risk and increase certainty with decision making.Key customers and partnershipsAs of July 2022, the company serves over 400 customers across 40 countries, and has partnered with agribusiness players like <a href="https://www.bayer.com/en/">Bayer </a>, <a href="http://basf.com/">BASF </a>, and <a href="https://www.nutrien.com/">Nutrien </a>, as well as large consumer food companies such as <a href="https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&amp;ai=DChcSEwjZmt7Vz8HsAhVB5bMKHZDRA-QYABAAGgJxbg&amp;ohost=www.google.com&amp;cid=CAESQOD2vDo-TeLvYzetoyv9iGSw4AnEyiwfscK9vNdjRJ0JPSZXAOBHMYcmrQDPGFTkEl8yzB3t5tB0WHRWzqyKtJE&amp;sig=AOD64_30Xpx6__U8VgKUxkOFpPHuSo99bw&amp;q&amp;adurl&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj--M3Vz8HsAhVCLKwKHa4MAgUQ0Qx6BAgUEAE">Mars </a>, <a href="https://www.lambweston.com/">Lamb Weston </a>, and <a href="https://www.tweglobal.com/">Treasury Wine Estates </a>, as well as fellow startups like <a href="https://www.planet.com/">Planet </a>, <a href="https://www.terramera.com/">Terramera </a>, and <a href="https://www.pivotbio.com/">Pivot Bio </a>primarily to expand the reach of its platform.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/32961">August 2024</a>, Arable collaborated with Google to leverage agritech to promote water conservation and crop productivity among Nebraska farms.Funding and financials<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/11852">In July 2022 </a>, Arable raised USD 40 million in Series C funding led by Galvanize Climate Solutions to support product development, delivery of new services, and international expansion.Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the company’s sales grew by 4x during 2020 and 2022, while reporting a 300% sales growth in Q3 2020 alone.

Arable

The company’s aerial spectral imagery helps growers optimize water and fertilizer application, focusing on the midstream of the agriculture value chain. The company uses low-flying planes to capture and process these aerial spectral images. The images provide accurate and real-time information on the water and nutrient status of every plant in the field. The company has been focusing on the US and Australia.&nbsp;Its technology can be applied to vineyards, orchards, and row crops like corn, soybeans, and wheat. The company is more of a Data-as-a-Service organisation where the grower will pay Ceres Imaging by the acre and receive imagery and necessary support to integrate the information with broader crop management practices. The company has partnered with established companies like John Deere and Climate FieldView, which find that Ceres Imaging’s solutions (pest and disease detection weeks ahead of human detection) align with their products and services.&nbsp;In <a href="https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2023/03/203925-ai-enhanced-data-analytics-product-suite-ceres-imaging-now-available-to-agriculture-insurers-lenders/">March 2023</a>, The company has unveiled Risk Solutions product suite, designed to power the next generation of risk models for insurers and lenders.In 2019, Ceres Imaging significantly expanded its operations with irrigated row crops throughout the central and western US.&nbsp;During the period, Ceres also nearly doubled its share of the&nbsp;California&nbsp;specialty crop market, going from managing 10% to 18% of all specialty crop acres in the state.&nbsp;In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16918">March 2023</a>, The company also expanded its services to Portugal and Spain.

Ceres Imaging

<div>
 
 SWIIM (Sustainable Water and Innovative Irrigation Management) System, with the support of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and various US grant universities, operates multi-patented technology developed to manage agricultural water budgets, allowing farmers to efficiently allocate water. The company focuses on the midstream of the agricultural value chain, supporting farmers through their harvesting process. The company’s technology is being widely deployed across western US states.
 
 
 The company provides a device that integrates with existing water measurement tools such as water gauges and analyzes real-time water usage via telemetry, offering farmers information on exactly how much water is used for crops and how much goes back into the ground.
 
 
 The company’s system can be used for any crop and irrigation system, lending its product flexibility and scope for potential expansion beyond the US. 
 
 
 In 2018, SWIIM acquired farm management software OnFarm Systems, which operates a customizable dashboard presenting data collected from a range of different internet of things (IoT) sources (weather, pest control, crop models) on any online device. The acquisition provided SWIIM customers with a differentiated product. Moreover, OnFarm’s 500 clients across the United States, Europe, and Asia at the time were accessible to SWIIM.  
 
 
 In 2020, SWIIM issued its own certification to farmers for the sustainable use of water, conveying to consumers that produce was grown with sustainable water management practices. In addition, SWIIM also introduced its “Certified Water Balance Report”, providing growers with an audited account of their water use. The company’s niche focus on water management, alongside its efforts at differentiation via acquisitions, arms it with potential to broaden its reach.
 
 
 
</div>

SWIIM Systems

Start-ups providing smart machinery such as agricultural robots and autonomous tractors, as well as other smart hardware devices for crop and livestock management.

Operators of marketplaces connecting farmers, suppliers, buyers, experts and advisors to streamline the farming process.

Start-ups offering software and related hardware solutions for crop operation, crop modelling, weather forecasting, soil analysis, and overall irrigation management using sensors, big data, AI and machine learning.

Startups offering software and related hardware solutions that facilitate real time data tracking and sharing on animal weight, future weight forecasts, and animal health and behavioural analysis using RFID tags, sensors, big data, AI and machine learning.

Start-ups offering drone or satellite imagery to measure and monitor fields, spray pesticides, accurately present biological parameters, control the quality of sowing, etc.

Crop and livestock monitoring startups use AI for their analytics platform

Uses robots for harvesting, weeding, and related agricultural purposes

Uses data analytics and sensors and related technologies to provide crop and livestock monitoring insights

Provides solutions that maximizes efficiency throughout the agriculture value chain

IoT-enabled sensors are used in machinery and equipment to help with data collection

Kray Technologies is a Ukrainian company based in Kyiv that specializes in developing cutting-edge drone technology for sustainable agriculture. Their flagship product, Kray Protection, is a revolutionary crop spraying drone designed to significantly reduce costs and increase yields. This 4-meter wingspan drone can cover 400 hectares per day, flying autonomously at a steady height of one meter above the crops.
The Kray Protection drone utilizes hybrid computer vision and electrostatic charging of droplets to ensure precise and drift-free application of fertilizers and pesticides. Its advanced features, such as obstacle avoidance and terrain adjustment, enable efficient and sustainable farming practices, including no-till agriculture and land regeneration. With a working speed of 100 kph, the Kray Protection drone can reduce spraying costs by an impressive 90%.
As of April 2023, Kray Technologies has secured USD 0.33 million in revenue and received over USD 20 million in requests for quotes for their drones. The company has reached Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7, indicating that they are ready for small-scale series manufacturing of their third-generation drone, which is a mass production candidate.

SeekOps Inc. is a global leader in greenhouse gas emissions detection, quantification, and reporting solutions. The company deploys advanced sensor technology and state-of-the-art unmanned aerial systems equipped with its proprietary SeekIR sensors to detect, localize, and accurately quantify methane emissions. SeekOps' autonomous drones leverage parts-per-billion sensitive sensors and leverage autonomous operations for efficient, repeatable, and consistent greenhouse gas emission surveys, facilitating rapid leak detection and quantification (LDAQ).
SeekOps' technology has received regulatory approval from various authorities, including the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment for use as an Alternative Approved Instrument Measurement Method (Alt. AIMM) in February 2024, making it the first unmanned aerial system to receive such approval. In September 2022, SeekOps' technology was approved as part of an Alternative Fugitive Emission Management Program (Alt-FEMP) submitted by Repsol to the Alberta Energy Regulator.
The company's solutions are field-proven and have been deployed in emissions quantification surveys worldwide, supporting leading operators and meeting the highest standards, such as OGMP 2.0 and MiQ. In August 2023, SeekOps adapted NASA's technology, originally developed for the Mars Curiosity Rover, to measure methane emissions in the North Sea, demonstrating the versatility of its approach.
SeekOps' solutions have been instrumental in helping operators understand their emissions inventory and adopt cost-effective abatement tools, contributing to decarbonization efforts in the oil and gas industry.

SeekOps

Cando Drones is an Israeli company that provides advanced drone operations and management solutions. It specializes in organizing airspace, handling regulations, characterizing, selecting, and integrating drone systems, as well as managing ground logistics, training, and technical support. Cando Drones offers turnkey solutions that enable the exploitation of drone capabilities for various needs.
The company has demonstrated its expertise in delivering autonomous drone flights using different platforms. In April 2024, Cando Drones partnered with High Lander Aviation and Sentrycs to showcase an autonomous security solution at Caesarea Business Park. This system demonstrated rapid response protocols against simulated threats, utilizing High Lander's Orion drone fleet management platform.
Additionally, in April 2024, Cando Drones collaborated with High Lander to execute the first drone flight using Pelephone's new 5G MAX network, marking a significant milestone in drone connectivity and scalability in Israel. Cando Drones also played a pivotal role in the Israel National Drone Initiative, conducting various test flights across the country, including delivery flights, night flights, and traffic monitoring activities.

Cando Drones

MissionGO is a leading provider of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) solutions and services. The company specializes in critical infrastructure inspections and cargo delivery operations. MissionGO utilizes its advanced UAS platform, the MGV100, to perform comprehensive inspections of various infrastructure assets, including power lines, transmission poles, pipelines, and construction cranes. The MGV100 is a single-rotor, all-electric aircraft designed for long-endurance flights, with a range of up to 30 miles and a flight time exceeding one hour.MissionGO's infrastructure inspection services offer a safer, more reliable, and environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional manual inspections. The company's UAS inspections minimize hazards, increase data quality and quantity, and provide detailed reports on asset conditions. MissionGO's cargo delivery operations involve transporting critical medical supplies, fresh produce, emergency kits, and other essential items to remote areas using its autonomous unmanned helicopters.In addition to its core services, MissionGO offers UAS training programs for first responders, helping them obtain FAA commercial pilot licenses and develop skills for various operational scenarios. The company has achieved significant milestones, including publishing the MGV100's FAA Airworthiness Criteria in the Federal Register in September 2022, a crucial step toward Type Certification and enabling advanced UAS operations.In October 2022, MissionGO secured a three-year, USD 50 million contract with Southern California Edison, one of the largest UAS services contracts globally, to inspect nearly 160,000 utility poles. This contract builds on MissionGO's successful partnership with Southern California Edison since 2019, during which the company conducted over 6,500 sorties and cataloged more than 1,200 flight hours, capturing data from 24,000 poles without any incidents.

MissionGo

Zing Drone Solutions is a company that specializes in developing innovative drone technology solutions. Their primary offering is the Z-RID, a proprietary Remote ID Broadcast Module that ensures compliance with FAA regulations for public safety and commercial drone operators. Launched in October 2023, the Z-RID received FAA Declaration of Compliance (DOC) Approval, making it compatible with various DJI enterprise and commercial drone models.
Recognizing the financial challenges faced by drone pilots due to the high costs of existing Remote ID modules, Zing Drone Solutions introduced the Z-RID Lite in January 2024. The Z-RID Lite is an affordable, stripped-down version of the original Z-RID, focusing solely on providing Remote ID compliance functionality. This innovative solution aims to make FAA regulation adherence accessible to all drone pilots, fostering a safer and more regulated airspace.
Zing Drone Solutions' commitment to innovation aligns with the needs of the drone community. The Z-RID Lite weighs only 30 grams and features GNSS positioning and Bluetooth four + five broadcasting capabilities, making it a lightweight and user-friendly solution for drone compliance.

Zing Drone Solutions

InDro Robotics is a leading Canadian company specializing in robotics research and development, as well as providing complex drone and ground robotic solutions, services, and training. Their expertise lies in engineering autonomous robots and drones for diverse applications, including complex operations, data collection, surveillance, and delivery services. InDro Robotics aims to make difficult work more efficient through innovative robotics.
The company serves as a manufacturer, integrator, and distributor of unmanned systems. For ground operations, they offer unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) from AgileX Robotics integrated with their proprietary InDro Commander technology. Additionally, they provide quadruped robots from Unitree Robotics equipped with the InDro Backpack integration. In the aerial domain, InDro Robotics distributes drones from various manufacturers and incorporates their InDro Pilot technology, enabling real-time data transfer over 5G for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) missions and onboard processing for autonomous operations.
InDro Robotics' solutions encompass a wide range of capabilities, including local computing, teleoperation, and autonomous functionality. Their robots can be outfitted with autonomy software developed in-house or tailored to clients' specific requirements. The company has completed over 7,000 mission hours, flown more than 4,000 kilometers, and executed over 400,000 safe and compliant flights across multiple countries.
In September 2023, InDro Robotics announced a strategic partnership with Invest Ottawa, taking over the management of Bayview Yards Prototyping Lab, rebranded as InDro Forge. This state-of-the-art facility offers prototyping services, including 3D metal printing, CNC machining, injection molding, and computational rendering, enabling clients to bring their ideas from concept to completion.

InDro Robotics

Startups that provide drone-based services for a variety of use cases  (excluding payload delivery)

Startups providing cloud-based software solutions for gathering data via drones and leverage AI to provide analytics and insights

Startups providing cloud-based platforms for managing drone-based activities

Startups providing other services relating to drone operations including drone hangars, charging systems, insurance, and pilot marketplaces

Startups that provide and end-to-end solution for drone based-applications. Typically also provides drone pilot training programmes and managed services

Provides solutions for the operation of drones in an urban environment

Kray Technologies

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