Swiss Agtech Ecosystem
Switzerland is known to have a unique and well-established drone ecosystem, thanks to the canton of Vaud. Engineering quality, government support, top technological universities, export-oriented mindset, open-minded aviation authorities, global standards — all that contributes to the development of the fast-growing drone ecosystem in Switzerland. Are there any other newly emerging Swiss ecosystems? Indeed, Switzerland is becoming an innovation hub for a sustainable AgTech (Agritech) and food industry.
Switzerland is on the way to apply technologies and the latest sustainable farming concepts into a modern Agritech and food value chain. Swiss Agtech ecosystem includes multiple players ranging from a mobile aeroponics provider to an imagery provider for the winemakers. For this post, we conducted a thorough analysis of main startups and agricultural companies, active in the AgTech (AgriTech) industry in Switzerland.
Following primary drivers help to establish Switzerland as a hub for innovative agricultural technologies:
- Presence of large established agricultural corporations. See the list of the main Swiss-based Ag players further in the article.
- Research and development centers, platforms and open innovation initiatives and accelerators in the AgTech, supported by the technological and crop science expertise of the Swiss technological universities. In particular, Agroscope — the Swiss federal center of excellence for agricultural research, Swiss Food Research, and others.
- Unique drone ecosystem in Switzerland (see the detailed report here)
- An emerging wave of the startup accelerators with a focus on AgTech and other technologies, including VentureKick, Venturelab, MassChallenge, EIT Food Accelerator, Rising Star Accelerators, the Swiss Startup Factory, and many others.
- A legal and regulatory framework, including data ownership and data exchange
- International and export-oriented mindset.
Swiss AgTech startups
Ecorobotix — EcoRobotix develops autonomous weeding robots to reduce or even suppress herbicides in a large variety of crops, resulting in lower weeding cost and benefit for human health and environment. Ecorobotix builds together different technologies such as machine vision, field robotics, embedded computing and knowledge on weeding techniques to obtain novel intelligent weeding machines.
Gamaya — Gamaya is a crop analytics company that empowers farmers with unprecedented, in-depth information about their land and crops. Gamaya is a spin-off of Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. Founded in 2015, it is a result of multiple research projects in the fields of hyperspectral imaging, remote sensing, and environmental monitoring. Gamaya is supported by prominent Swiss investors including Sandoz Foundation, Peter Brabeck Family Office, Seed4equity, Icos Capital and VI Partners venture funds.
CombaGroup — CombaGroup is a Swiss agro-technology company that provides innovative farming solutions in mobile aeroponics. Company’s patented technology reduces water consumption and contamination risks while offering maximum productivity per square meter.
Precision Vine — With a focus on improving wine quality, Precision Vine works with growers and winemakers to collect and analyze remote-sensing data and assist in integrating the information acquired into specific management plans. We offer high-resolution aerial imaging (hyper/multispectral, thermal and visual) and data services that address vineyard heterogeneity, vine balance, irrigation management, harvest planning, disease mapping, nutrition needs, maturation curve and more.
SwissDeCode — SwissDeCode provides innovative rapid detection solutions that meet the food industry’s fast-evolving needs for real-time certification of authenticity, safety, and quality of products, processes and premises. SwissDeCode’s DNAFoil line is the world’s first portable, completely self-administered, on-site DNA detection kit, allowing staff to confirm operational integrity in 30 minutes without lab delays.
Sensefly (Parrot Group) — is a Swiss-based drone manufacturer with drone solutions to simplify the collection and analysis of geospatial data, allowing professionals in surveying, agriculture, engineering and humanitarian aid to make better and faster decisions. Sensefly technology can be applied to things like crop monitoring, soil assessment, crop protection, insurance, and more. SenseFly eBee is one of the most popular drones used in the agricultural industry. The company is a spin-off of EPFL and now is a part of the Parrot group.
Pix4D (Parrot Group) — Pix4D is a Swiss company that develops a suite of software products that use photogrammetry and computer vision algorithms to transform both RGB and multispectral images into 3D maps and models. The company is a spin-off of EPFL and now is a part of the Parrot group.
AgroSustain — AgroSustain is a Swiss-based startup active in the field of Agriculture technologies. The company is aiming to reduce food wastage by developing and bringing to market efficient organic treatments against molds.
Large agricultural Swiss corporations
Syngenta — Syngenta is a Swiss-based global agricultural company, that produces agrochemicals and seeds. Syngenta was established in 2000 when Novartis, a crop protection and seed agribusiness, merged with Zeneca Agrochemicals. Syngenta is the largest crop chemical producer. Syngenta’s innovations help farmers to overcome multiple challenges — from weeds, insects and disease, to the effects of heat and cold on crops. Syngenta is actively involved in the AgTech and continues to develop and market their digital farming solutions. Over the last few years, Syngenta acquired multiple AgTech startups.
Nestle — Nestle is the world’s largest food and beverage company. The company has more than 2'000 brands ranging from global icons to local favorites. Nestle sources various agricultural raw materials - principally, milk, coffee, cocoa, cereals, vegetables, fruit, herbs, sugar and spices — either through trade channels or directly from farmers. Nestle sources from more than 400'000 farmers throughout the world.
Buhler — Buhler is a Swiss-based family-owned technology company in the supply of plants and services for processing grain and food as well as for manufacturing advanced materials. The company holds globally leading market positions in technologies and methods for processing grain into flour and feed, as well as for the production of pasta and chocolate. Buhler has partnered with Protix, the leading insect production company, to develop scalable, industrial solutions for the processing of insects to provide protein primarily for animal feed and food.
SGS — SGS is the global leader for inspections, verifications, testing and certifications. They provide solutions that help businesses improve their product quality and safety while at the same time reducing risks. Their business covers a huge variety of industries, but for the agricultural industry, they provide an end-to-end range of services for the entire supply chain. SGS is active in their AgTech investments and acquisitions.
On top, Geneva has a substantial agglomeration of commodity trading companies. Big 4 agricultural commodity traders — Cargill, Bunge, ADM, Louis Dreyfus, have either headquarters or a strong presence in Switzerland with their offices in Geneva.
