Vivid Machines, a Toronto-based agtech startup, has recently raised an impressive $5.8 million CAD ($4.3 million USD) in seed funding. Led by BDC Capital's Thrive Venture Fund, the funding round includes prominent participants such as StandUp Ventures, Algoma Orchards, Tall Grass Ventures, and more. In this article we talk about the startup’s financial boost and how it aims to enhance its virtual fruit tree monitoring technology and broaden its applications to a wider variety of fruit crops.  

Revolutionizing Permanent Crop Monitoring

Traditional monitoring technologies like drones and satellites are effective for crops that grow uniformly, such as corn. However, permanent crops like apple and peach trees pose unique challenges due to the canopy of leaves covering their fruit. Vivid Machines has developed a cutting-edge vision system that combines imaging, AI, and spectral sensors to overcome these challenges and enhance the virtual fruit tree monitoring. This innovative approach allows growers, packing facilities, and fruit marketers to capture valuable data for permanent crops in real-time.  

Benefits of Vivid Machines' Platform

Vivid Machines' platform empowers growers by providing accurate and real-time data on their crop's progress, enabling them to make informed decisions and predict yields more effectively. By capturing chemical and physical profiles of individual plants, growers can monitor the health and development of each tree in their orchard. This comprehensive understanding of the crop's condition helps optimize resource allocation, identify potential issues, and ensure timely interventions, resulting in improved virtual fruit tree monitoring.  

Expanding Capabilities and Applications

Thanks to the recent funding, Vivid Machines plans to develop a broader set of system applications and extend its capabilities to a wider range of fruit crops. The enhancing of virtual fruit tree monitoring will enable more farmers and fruit marketers to benefit from the advanced monitoring technology, optimizing their operations, and improving supply chain efficiency.  

Successful Collaborations and Recognition

Vivid Machines has already made significant strides in the agriculture-tech industry. The company was awarded over $810,000 from the Canadian Food Innovation Network for its collaboration with Algoma Orchards and Blue Mountain Fruit Company. Together, they are creating virtual models of orchards to determine optimal harvest timings, meeting the demands of grocers and food processors. Vivid Machines has also received previous investments from the Entrepreneur First Toronto program, the Canadian government, and the Ontario government's Agri-Tech Innovation Program.   Conclusion Vivid Machines' successful seed funding round paves the way for the advancement of virtual fruit tree monitoring technology in the agricultural industry. By leveraging imaging, AI, and spectral sensors, Vivid Machines is revolutionizing how permanent crops are monitored, allowing growers to make data-driven decisions and optimize yields. As the company expands its capabilities and applications, we can expect more farmers and fruit marketers to benefit from this groundbreaking technology, improving overall productivity and ensuring a more efficient fruit supply chain.

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