Vinsight helps almond & grape growers better predict yields
Her Redwood City, Calif.-based startup now offers forecasting software and data analytics to farmers who are growing almost anything that’s not corn, wheat or soy. While Vinsight did not have permission to name its early customers, the CEO says, it is already working with one of the world’s largest wine making businesses and the world’s second largest producer of almonds.
The company analyzes data in aggregate, and comes to understand when optimum yield is likely or not, based on a wide variety of correlations. Using this method Nunes said Vinsight has hit a 10% error rate, which is a step in a positive direction, and three-times better than industry standard.
Here’s how they make it happen, she said. “What we do is constantly analyze and take in data on a daily basis, including from remote sensors, weather stations and satellites, to identify what is happening on a farm as it correlates with crop performance or yield. We also look at data trends on a ten to twenty year historical series. That means we’ve taken a lot of data out of old Excel files and run it through our system.”
Farmers pay Vinsight per acre analyzed, while processors and government offices pay per seat for use of the market data and software. The startup, which launched this week and was part of Y Combinator’s latest batch, is planning to expand beyond California to work with farms in Australia this year, which will help the company keep tweaking its predictive analytics all year, thanks to the juxtaposed growing seasons.
source: techcrunch.com
