Portfolio stories

Earlier this year, Adrián Ferrero, CEO and co-founder of Biome Makers, a leading agri-tech business backed by Prosus, participated in a panel at South Summit in Madrid to discuss the use of AI is sustainable agriculture.

Biome Makers is on a mission to revitalise soil functionality and agricultural sustainability. It does this by using technology and data to integrate soil microbiology into agricultural decision-making in order to optimise farming practices and reverse the degradation of arable soils.

At South Summit Adrián, and the other panellists, explored the synergy between cutting-edge technologies and environmentally conscious farming practices, and how artificial intelligence is revolutionising agriculture and shaping the future of farming.

Adrián spoke about how farmers traditionally don’t have reliable bio indicators to help them manage soil smartly. Through genetic technology and DNA sequencing farmers can now understand the whole spectrum of microbes in their soil ecosystem and use data to help growers understand what the soil needs. Through this, they can increase productivity, save money through reduced use of fertiliser and drive sustainability efforts by bringing back the natural fertility of the soil.

He also talked about the maturity of the US investment landscape for agritech companies compared to other parts of the world and, in a technology driven company where many of your employees are software developers and data scientists, the importance of people feeling connected to the company’s vision.

Watch the video clips below to hear more from the panel.