– PRESS RELEASE-
Paris, June 22nd, 2020
Kersia announces its investment in Connecterra, a Dutch Artificial Intelligence start-up specialized in improving the overall performance of livestock farmers, through a €7.8 million fund raising round.
Kersia, one of the world leaders in biosecurity and food safety, announces a new investment in the digital start-up Connecterra, which specializes in advising farmers (mainly dairy farmers), of which it has also been a partner since 2019. Kersia takes a stake in Connecterra’s equity alongside two new investors: ADM Capital and Pymwymic, and some historical investors: Breed Reply, Sistema and the two founders.
This equity investment is part of a 7.8-million-euro fundraising campaign. Connecterra had already finalized an initial fund raising of 4.2 million euros in 2018.
Founded in 2015 by two former Microsoft engineers, Connecterra, a Dutch company based in Amsterdam, has developed “Ida”, an application using artificial intelligence and sensors, interacting with the farmer, and using data processing to provide farmers with improvement levers for their farms and solutions to increase their productivity while reducing their final ecological footprint. The solution also allows for a stronger consideration of animal welfare.
With this deal, Kersia completes its historical expertise in agricultural biosecurity with new digital solutions.
Sébastien Bossard – CEO of Kersia – says: “Thanks to Connecterra’s technology, Kersia is enhancing its services and digital solutions offering farmers an improved solution, including digitization to help them produce better, both in terms of food safety and in terms of economic and environmental performance . This last topic (CSR) is a priority criterion for us when we choose a project; here, the reduction of antibiotics or the “right solution for the right purpose”, drives the meaning of our action for our final users.”
Connecterra partners with leading enterprises such as Bayer and Danone. Connecterra is part of Danone’s Farming for Generations (F4G) consortium, focusing on regenerative agriculture.
In the current context of health crisis, farmers and the main players in the sector are becoming aware of the need to adopt farming practices that are increasingly respectful of the environment. Kersia and Connecterra are thus committed to offering a new approach to agriculture, based on innovative digital solutions, while strictly respecting regulations to ensure confidence and quality for their customers. The synergy between these two key players confirms their willingness to support sustainable and responsible agriculture, with a strong emphasis on biosecurity and high standards.
Yasir Khokhar, CEO of Connecterra – declares :”With Kersia’ expertise in food safety, top-class executive team and global distribution we hope to bring Ida to millions of farmers solving some of the hardest problems with food safety in our value chain. Kersia also brings the voice of our enterprise customers directly into the business that will help us build enhanced solutions.”
About Kersia :
Kersia is a global leader in biosecurity and food safety with value added products and solutions to prevent diseases or contamination in both animals and humans at every stage of the food supply chain. The company offers also solutions to the healthcare sector.
Kersia was formed as a new company in 2016 after Hypred acquired Antigerm, LCB Food Safety, G3, Kilco, Choisy Laboratories and Holchem, each acquisition carefully chosen for their respective technologies and leading and complementary market positions.
Kersia operates in more than 120 countries with a workforce of over 1,500 people and a turnover of more than €300 million. www.kersia-group.com
About Connecterra :
Connecterra’s mission is to empower farmers of all sizes to increase the productivity of their farms, while reducing the impact of farming on the planet. The company operates a predictive intelligence platform that uses machine learning to provide farmers and industry stakeholders with insights that directly impact farm and value chain efficiency. Connecterra is headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and operates in 16 countries. www.connecterra.io
Contacts presse
Kersia – Image 7
Anne-Charlotte CREAC’H – Tél. : 01 53 70 94 21 – [email protected]
Anatole FLAHAULT – Tél. : 01 53 70 74 26 – [email protected]