TORONTO, Jan. 14, 2025 – Enhanced Medical Nutrition, Inc. (EMN), a food-as-medicine company that commercializes novel, evidence-based medical nutrition products to improve outcomes in surgery, announced today a USD $5 million over-subscribed Series A financing round led by dsm-firmenich Venturing and the Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) arm of Ajinomoto Co., Inc. with participation from PeakBridge, Elder Ventures, angel investors and existing shareholders.

The funds will be allocated to scale the company’s expansion of ENROUTE^®, an innovative nutrition program designed for the dietary management of surgery. By addressing the importance of nutritional requirements for patients undergoing surgical procedures, EMN is dedicated to pioneering a new standard of care where nutrition technology is leveraged to reduce risk, accelerate recovery, and enhance overall patient outcomes.

“Nutrition is widely recognized as a critical factor in improving surgical outcomes, yet there remains a significant gap in solutions tailored specifically to patient’s needs,” said Eric Zimmerman, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of EMN. “This inflection point is a complete team effort and will enable us to accelerate our mission and vision of supporting surgeons and their care teams and positively influencing patients. We’re thrilled to partner with dsm-firmenich Venturing, the CVC arm of Ajinomoto, PeakBridge, and all our investors as we expand ENROUTE^® across North America.”

“We believe EMN is positioned to significantly impact the standard of care in surgery,” said Arpesh Mehta, Investment Director at dsm-firmenich Venturing. “The company’s dedication to scientific validation and patient-centric innovation aligns with our vision of leveraging functional ingredients and empowering market-ready solutions that improve human health. This financing marks an exciting step for the company, as they expand their reach and deliver value to a growing market.”

“As an amino acid technology company, Ajinomoto has a strong interest in the impact of nutritional supplementation for surgical patients, from prehabilitation to rehabilitation to healthy aging,” said Shunji Takehana, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Ajinomoto Innovation Strategy and Corporate Venture Capital. “This investment in EMN is a starting point of a strategic partnership and a continuation of Ajinomoto’s investment in medical nutrition. We look forward to helping Eric and his team scale their impact as they transform surgical care and improve patient outcomes.”

“This investment reflects PeakBridge’s commitment to supporting innovative solutions in the food-as-medicine space,” said Gali Artzi, Chief Technology Officer at PeakBridge. “EMN’s approach brings an essential and timely innovation to an underserved market, one that will significantly improve patient outcomes and drive meaningful progress in healthcare nutrition.”

About Enhanced Medical Nutrition (EMN)

EMN is a transformative food-as-medicine company with a mission to improve outcomes in surgery with nutrition. The company develops medical nutrition products to help patients prepare better and recover faster. Based in Toronto, Ontario and Chicago, Illinois, the company’s flagship product, ENROUTE^®, is designed to address the unique nutritional requirements of patients undergoing surgery, reducing risk, accelerating recovery outcomes, and improving patient experience. EMN is redefining how nutrition can be integrated within healthcare.

About ENROUTE^®

ENROUTE^® is a proprietary, evidence-based nutrition program designed for the dietary management of surgery. ENROUTE^® is implemented as part of innovative surgical protocols focused on patient optimization. These surgical protocols leverage ENROUTE^® to reduce risk, accelerate recovery, and enhance overall patient outcomes. Unlike the current standard of care, which overlooks nutrition, ENROUTE^® is tailored to address surgery patients’ unique metabolic and physiological demands. ENROUTE^® works by providing targeted nutrients and addressing deficiencies to support the body’s healing processes, including muscle mass, tissue repair, and immune function. Administered pre-and post-operatively, ENROUTE^® is a convenient solution that seamlessly integrates into surgical protocols, enabling healthcare providers to incorporate medical nutrition for their patients.

ENROUTE^® was developed through extensive research and testing, leveraging patented technology licensed from university inventors. It is supported by clinical evidence and aligns with the highest safety and efficacy standards. ENROUTE^® is indicated for adult patients preparing for surgery, with a current focus on orthopedic surgery populations. Visit www.getenroute.com for complete product information, including detailed clinical data and usage guidelines.

Food-as-medicine is the new frontier in healthcare, with innovative and emerging treatment options. Medical foods, functional foods, and tailored meals offer patients a means to proactively prevent and treat health conditions.

SOURCE Enhanced Medical Nutrition

LONDON, Jan. 14, 2025 — Kinomica Ltd., a developer of diagnostics for precision oncology, today announced the appointment of Roche Diagnostics’ former Global Head of Strategy and Business Development, Dr Michele Pedrocchi as its new Chair of the Board of Directors.

With his more than 30 years of successful track record in Life Science and in-vitro Diagnostics and as a former member of the Executive Committee at Roche Diagnostics, Michele has extensive experience and understanding of the growth drivers of a business, including commercial execution and innovation of business models and products. His industry impacting achievements include an instrumental role in establishing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as a routine diagnostics methodology in Europe and his pioneering role in introducing patient selection for targeted oncology treatments through Companion Diagnostics (CDx), as well as venturing into digital health solutions.

Tim Fell, Chief Executive Officer of Kinomica, said: “As an international executive who has brought ground-breaking diagnostic solutions into routine clinical practice, Michele’s experience and guidance will be invaluable as Kinomica seeks to do the same with phosphoproteomic diagnostics for therapy selection.”

Michele Pedrocchi, new Chair of the Board of Directors of Kinomica, commented: “I am thrilled to be taking on this role as Kinomica has great potential for contributing in a fundamental way to truly precision medicine. This world-class team of scientists has made impressive inroads on the promise of phosphoproteomics to guide cancer treatment. Making this proprietary approach and insights widely available is our declared goal.”

The new Chair appointment follows a financing round led by Mercia Ventures with additional participation from BGF, Longwall Ventures and other existing investors, that sees the company’s Board of Directors further strengthen with the appointments of Dr Robert Hornby and Joanna Smart as investor directors for Mercia Ventures and BGF respectively.

About Kinomica

Kinomica is a developer of precision oncology diagnostics. The company has developed KScan®, a phosphoproteomic diagnostic platform to help clinicians better realize the full potential of precision medicine by predicting which of the drugs currently approved to treat a disease a particular patient will respond best to, thereby aiding clinical decision making. Learn more at www.kinomica.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2422786/5114826/Kinomica_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Kinomica Ltd.

HOUSTON, Jan. 13, 2025 — Platform Partners LLC (“Platform”) a private investment company founded in 2006, today announced it successfully closed on $180 million of follow-on equity capital commitments to its perpetual investment vehicle, Platform Partners Investment Company LLC. Platform exceeded its original target with commitments from both existing and a select group of new shareholders, bringing total assets under management to approximately $800 million.

Consistent with Platform’s historical approach, the new capital, added to the existing capital base, will primarily be used to invest $20 to $100 million of equity per investment in growing, founder or family-owned companies. Platform’s perpetual investment model and ability to recycle capital allows business owners to operate with a long-term, growth-oriented perspective without pre-defined exit timelines.

“After initially setting out to raise $150 million of additional capital, we are pleased to report that we exceeded our goal,” said Fred Brazelton, CEO and Co-Founder of Platform Partners. “As always, we are grateful for the support and trust each of our investors has shown Platform both during this capital raise and since our inception in 2006. Our shareholder network of successful executives and family offices has always been part of our firm’s ‘secret sauce,’ and we are pleased to add a few new, like-minded investors in addition to our core group during this financing round.”

Platform has more than 20 investment and portfolio support professionals who will be responsible for deploying the newly raised capital alongside funds generated by Platform’s existing businesses. Platform founders, employees, and affiliates continue the firm’s heritage by collectively being the largest investor in the capital raise.

Since the firm’s founding in 2006, Platform has invested in over 30 initial platform companies. For more information, please visit Platform Partners’ website.

Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal counsel and no placement agent was used for the capital raise.

About Platform Partners LLC
Founded in 2006, Platform Partners LLC is a private investment company based in Houston that makes investments in lower middle-market companies with the intent of growing these businesses into industry leaders through a combination of organic and acquisition growth. Platform invests through a perpetual holding company structure allowing for a long-term, patient approach to partnering with entrepreneurs to build companies. The company manages total assets of approximately $800 million. For more information, please visit www.platformllc.com.

SOURCE Platform Partners

NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2025 — BBT.live, a trailblazer in secure connectivity over public infrastructure, proudly announces the expansion of its seed funding round to $11.5 million, driven by an additional $2 million investment. Leading the round is a key investor – Accel Solutions Group Ltd., an Israeli public company and strategic supporter of BBT.live’s mission. This funding bolsters the company’s BeBroadband® as a Service platform, an innovative SaaS solution tailored for service providers targeting the lucrative SMB/SME market by providing Enterprise-Grad solutions to Small and Medium Businesses when the cost performance is the best!

Delivering High-Performance Solutions with Efficient Budgets

BBT.live has successfully developed a commercially viable, high-performance technological platform while maintaining remarkably efficient budgets and minimal capital raises so far, which is unusual in this field—a standout achievement in a competitive market. This accomplishment underscores the platform’s quality, innovation, and significant added value, earning recognition from prospective clients and partners. BBT.live provides service and compliant solutions and no product components that require integrations in the complex field.

Strategic Focus on Japan: A Market Ready for Advanced Solutions

With its patented advanced technology, BBT.live is poised to seize strategic opportunities in the Japanese market, its primary global focus. Japan, known for its stringent requirements for security and reliability, sets a high bar for competitors and provides the perfect landscape for BBT.live to showcase its exceptional capabilities. The market’s readiness for next-generation technologies aligns with BBT.live’s advanced solutions, minimizing the need to prove demand and allowing the company to focus on delivering unmatched quality and reliability.

BBT.live’s operations in Japan benefit from a robust local presence led by BBT.live’s Japanese operations general manager, Kiyoshi-san, has strong personal connections and support from a key and strategic shareholder (Terilogy Service Weare) who also serves as a major Value Added Distributor and integrator in the region. These factors position the company for significant success and expansion in Japan.

BeBroadband® as a Service: Revolutionizing Connectivity

BBT.live’s BeBroadband® as a Service platform introduces a transformative business model designed to streamline service provider sales cycles, reduce customer acquisition costs (CAC), and improve Lead-to-Cash (L2C) efficiency. The platform delivers secure, managed connectivity comparable to private networks over public infrastructure. Key technologies include SD-WAN, SSE, SASE, and ZTNA – all-inclusive in one simple platform, ensuring robust communication infrastructure, enhanced security, and seamless operational continuity for branches, remote endpoints, and mobile sites – The art of simplicity.

Positioned in a High-Growth Global Market

The SD-WAN, SSE, SASE, and ZTNA sectors, valued at approximately $200 billion, represent some of the fastest-growing markets globally. Amid intense competition and significant mergers and acquisitions, BBT.live has carved out a unique niche by delivering tailored solutions for ISP/vISP’s SMB/SME clients—a highly profitable segment for service providers worldwide.

Expanding Global and Domestic Partnerships

BBT.live has made significant inroads in Japan through a strategic partnership with Terilogy Japan, a key investor and marketing partner. Successful initiatives, including a launch event in Tokyo and ongoing demonstration installations, are building trust and positioning BBT.live as a leading provider in the region.

In Israel, the company is advancing installation projects with major local telecom providers. These collaborations highlight BBT.live’s ability to deliver high-quality, reliable solutions tailored to diverse client needs.

Innovative SaaS Model Driving Adoption

BBT.live’s SaaS-based model offers service providers:

• Operational Efficiency: Rapid deployment over existing networks.
• Reduced Financial Risk: Eliminates the need for substantial capital investment.
• Accelerated Sales Cycles: Swift transitions from agreements to deployments.

Patented Technology Supporting Growth

The BeBroadband® platform combines cutting-edge features:

• Simple, Fast Implementation: Reduces complexity and enhances usability.
• Scalable Management and Automation: Tailored for SMB/SME clients in global markets.
• Machine Learning Integration: Boosts security and dynamic network performance.
• Self-Learning Capabilities: Adapts seamlessly to multi-user, global environments.

BBT.live Expands Leadership and Strategic Partnerships

BBT.live, a Tel Aviv-based leader in secure connectivity solutions, with a subsidiary in New Jersey led by Dr. Yun Sang Park, former EVP of Samsung Mobile, Korea, is transforming the SME market with its flagship BeBroadband® platform. Backed by Ronen Shor, CEO of Accel and Chairman of the Board, who leads the seed extension investment, BBT.live is poised for significant global growth.

The leadership team features Moshe Levinson, CEO & Co-Founder; Professor David Hay, Chief Science Officer and former member of the elite Israeli Unit 8200 (Israel’s NSA equivalent); and Erez Zelikovitz, EVP Chief Product and Revenue Officer. They are supported by active board members like Dani Harari, a former Unit 8200 commander, and strategic advisors such as Oren Baron, a seasoned EY strategist.

Since its founding in 2020, BBT.live has grown and formed partnerships with global leaders, including Prodware Group France, Check Point, Rohde & Schwarz, and Advantech. With a strong presence in Israel and the USA, BBT.live is redefining secure connectivity standards for SMDs/SMEs worldwide.

Investor and Leadership Insights

“Every Service Provider and/or Virtual Service Provider we engage with emphasizes the need for a simple solution without major integrations and no capital expenditure on their part,” said Moshe Levinson, CEO & Co-Founder of BBT.live. “With the confidence of our investors, including Accel, we are delivering simplified and secured connectivity to customers previously underserved by our competitors.”

Ronen Shor added, “This additional investment is a testament to the resilience of the Israeli tech sector and the strength of the BBT.live team and technology. I am confident that we will continue to navigate global and domestic challenges successfully.”

About BBT.live

BBT.live is a leading software company specializing in secure connectivity solutions for service providers. Its patented BeBroadband® platform ensures robust communication infrastructure over public networks, enabling service providers to deliver premium, secure connectivity to SMB/SME clients with unmatched efficiency and reliability.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Be Broadband Technologies Ltd.
Mr. Jack Lehmann, VP of Marcom 
Email: [email protected] 
Tel: +1 845.445.8737

SOURCE BBT.live

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 13, 2025 —  Proper Good, Inc., a leader in ready-to-eat meal solutions, announced today that it successfully secured additional funding in the fourth quarter of 2024 to support the expansion of its 19 affordable meal options, which include oats, soups, and pastas. This milestone underscores the company’s ongoing growth and dedication to providing accessible, ready-made meal choices to a broader audience.

Available in thousands of Walmart locations for under $5 each, Proper Good meals are designed to make healthy and convenient eating accessible to all. The funding round was primarily backed by internal investors and board members, with a strategic focus on driving retail growth and introducing Proper Good to new households in 2025.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to have the incredible backing of our investors as we deepen our retail partnerships,” said Christopher Jane, Co-Founder & CEO of Proper Good. “This support empowers us to bring an even wider variety of delicious, easy meals to Walmart shelves in 2025—making mealtime a breeze for everyone!”

These funds will be strategically deployed to accelerate product development, expand operations, and enhance customer offerings, ensuring Proper Good continues to innovate and lead in the ready-to-eat food space

With a proven track record, innovative solutions, and visionary leadership, Proper Good has garnered significant interest from the investment community. The company remains dedicated to making wholesome, affordable, and convenient meals a staple for households across the nation.

For more information about Proper Good, Inc or to inquire about this offering, please contact:

Media Contact
Jenelle Hamilton PR
Jenelle Hamilton
[email protected]
+1 646.421.9139

SOURCE Proper Good Inc.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 13, 2025 — Fenwick, a leading law firm renowned for its expertise in guiding technology and life sciences companies at every stage of growth, has entered into a strategic collaboration with Aumni (www.aumni.fund), a J.P. Morgan company specializing in venture capital data solutions, to deliver data-based market insights to the venture capital industry.

Starting in 2025, Fenwick and Aumni will jointly produce the quarterly Venture Beacon Report, among other data-driven insights throughout the year. By combining Aumni’s market-leading insights from a broad range of aggregated and anonymized transactions, with Fenwick’s deep legal and business expertise, this collaboration will empower clients and the broader start-up and venture community with actionable analyses in a rapidly changing landscape.

Fenwick has also adopted Aumni for seamless access to structured deal intelligence. Aumni’s data solutions give Fenwick the ability to extract and analyze critical legal and economic terms from its client’s venture financing deals, dramatically enhancing Fenwick’s data accessibility, analytical capabilities, and workflow efficiency.

“This collaboration marks an important evolution in venture market data reporting by addressing market trends with Fenwick and Aumni’s unique data and insights,” said Michael Sears, Managing Director at J.P. Morgan, and Head of Sales and Client Success at Aumni.

“Fenwick has built our reputation by helping innovative companies and investors tackle complex challenges and seize opportunities. Partnering with Aumni underscores our commitment to equipping clients with the data-based insights they need to stay ahead in a competitive and fast-moving venture ecosystem,” said Ian Goldstein, Fenwick partner and co-lead of its Startup & Venture Capital Practice.

About Fenwick: Fenwick is a leading law firm, purpose-built to guide visionary tech and life sciences companies and their investors through every stage of growth, from startups securing their first round of funding to leading publicly traded global enterprises. As one of Silicon Valley’s original legal practices, today we have over 500 lawyers, patent agents, engineers, and scientists serving clients all over the world. We are consistently ranked a Chambers first-tier firm for delivering the deep experience and technical skill that help innovators at the forefront of their industries shatter boundaries and redefine what’s possible. Visit www.fenwick.com to learn more.

About Aumni: Aumni, a J.P. Morgan company, is a leading provider of venture capital data and portfolio solutions. Venture firms, limited partners, fund administrators, and law firms use Aumni’s features to collect, structure, monitor, analyze, report on, and manage portfolio company documents and data – allowing clients to track KPI performance, summarize LPA terms, conduct scenario modeling, analyze market insights for benchmarking, and more. Aumni was founded in 2018 and acquired by J.P. Morgan in 2023. For more information, please visit www.aumni.fund.

SOURCE Fenwick

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 13, 2025 — Kerna Laboratories Inc, a San Francisco-based AI biotech startup, emerged from stealth with the launch of an AI platform for developing novel RNA-based medicines. By tackling critical mRNA design and delivery challenges, the company aims to unlock the full potential of mRNA as a universal toolkit for genetic medicine.

Founded nine months ago by biotech industry veterans Amit Deshwar (ex-SVP, Deep Genomics), Melissa J. Moore (ex-CSO, Moderna), Julia Peng (CEO), and Michael Swift (Founding Scientist), Kerna Labs brings unmatched expertise in mRNA technology and AI-driven sequence design. “We are redefining how mRNA sequences are designed and delivered,” said Julia Peng. “By leveraging artificial intelligence, we’re able to address bottlenecks in payload design, unlocking mRNA’s immense potential to address previously untreatable conditions.”

Although mRNA has seen groundbreaking success in recent years, significant challenges in payload design and delivery have restricted its use beyond infectious disease. Kerna Labs tackles these limitations with next-generation foundation models of RNA. “Foundation models of biology are allowing us to optimize mRNA in ways that weren’t conceivable just a few years ago,” said Amit Deshwar.

Kerna Labs recently closed an oversubscribed seed funding round, with investors including Gradient, Humba Ventures, Tau Ventures, Pioneer Fund, Focalpoint Partners, and prominent angels including Patrick Hsu (Arc Institute) and Jacob Kimmel (NewLimit). “Kerna Labs has taken an innovative approach to mRNA design and development,” said Darian Shirazi, Managing Partner at Gradient. “We’re excited to partner with a team that combines frontier AI and deep biotech expertise to transform the mRNA design and development landscape.”

With a mission to expand mRNA’s therapeutic possibilities, Kerna Labs is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in genetic medicine. “We’re on the cusp of a major leap forward in genetic medicine, and Kerna Labs is at the forefront of making that vision a reality by harnessing the power of AI applied to mRNA,” said Melissa J. Moore.

About Kerna Laboratories Inc.
Kerna Laboratories Inc. is a San Francisco-based AI biotechnology company dedicated to unlocking the full potential of mRNA. Founded by leading experts, the company combines advanced AI and cutting-edge science to overcome mRNA payload design and delivery bottlenecks, paving the way for a new generation of therapies.

For collaboration inquiries, please contact [email protected].

Contact
Julia Peng
[email protected] 

SOURCE Kerna Laboratories, Inc

SHENZHEN, China, Jan. 13, 2025 — Addentax Group Corp. (“Addentax” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: ATXG), an integrated service provider focusing on garment manufacturing, logistics services, property management, and subleasing, has announced that Addentax has purchased 3,750,000 common shares in Well Information Technology Corporation (“Well InfoTech”), a company incorporated under the jurisdiction of the State of Nevada. Well InfoTech and its subsidiaries are headquartered in Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China.

Well InfoTech’s core expertise lies in providing a comprehensive range of marketing solutions, including both online and offline marketing plans. Well InfoTech mainly serves store owners and managing personnel in fresh food industry across People’s Republic of China, mainly targeting large cities in China, such as Hangzhou, Beijing, and Heilongjiang. Their mission is to deliver comprehensive and tailored marketing solutions that enhance the visibility and profitability of fresh food store owners. Well InfoTech is committed to leveraging the latest digital tools and traditional marketing techniques to connect businesses with their customers, build lasting relationships, and promote a culture of healthy eating.

Pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, the Company acquired 2.5% equity stake in Well InfoTech for a total consideration of USD $750,000. The investment was made in cash.

About Addentax Group Corp.

Addentax Group Corp. is an integrated service provider specializing in garment manufacturing, logistics services, and property management and subleasing. For more information about the Company, please visit the website: https://www.addentax.com/.

Caution Concerning Forward Looking Statements

All statements other than statements of historical fact in this announcement are forward-looking statements in nature within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the Company’s and Well InfoTech’s expectations with respect to the Agreement, the valuation of Well InfoTech including the products it offers and the markets in which it operates, and the Company and Well InfoTech’s projected future results, and known and unknown risks and uncertainties which are based on current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to consider risk factors, including those described in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, that may affect the Company’s future results. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company and its subsidiaries or persons acting on their behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these risk factors. The forward-looking events discussed in this press release and other statements made from time to time by us or our representatives, may not occur, and actual events and results may differ materially and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions about us. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Addentax and its current plans or expectations and are subject to a number of known and unknown uncertainties, risks and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to (i) risks related to the purchase of shares of Well InfoTech’s common stock, including risks related to the Company’s ability to realize some or all of the anticipated benefits from the purchase of the shares of Well InfoTech’s common stock, and (ii) other risks as set forth from time to time in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the factors described in detail in the “Risk Factors” section of Addentax’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2024. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We are not obligated to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this press release and other statements made from time to time by us or our representatives might not occur, except as may be required by law.

Company Contact:

Public Relations Contact:
Addentax Group Corp.
Phone: + (86) 755 86961 405
[email protected] 

Investor Relations Contact:

Sherry Zheng
Weitian Group LLC
1-718-213-7386
[email protected] 

SOURCE Addentax Group Corp.

The funding will support Fermata’s mission of transforming horticultural data into real intelligence. Fermata’s suite of interconnected tools, each designed to address specific challenges faced by farmers, leverages diverse data sources and AI-driven insights to help growers make informed decisions

TEL AVIV, Israel, Jan. 13, 2025 — Fermata, a data science company specializing in computer vision agriculture solutions, closes $10 million in a Series A funding round backed by Raw Ventures. This investment will support the company’s strategic vision of developing a centralized digital brain for the horticulture industry, allowing autonomous management of crops through advanced data analysis, creating an ever-evolving system that continuously learns from available data.

The agricultural industry is characterized by a dual challenge: on the one hand, much of it remains predominantly non-digital, with farmers relying on intuition and experience to identify and diagnose crop issues—an approach that is often time-consuming and imprecise. On the other hand, even in advanced greenhouses where tech solutions are implemented, the sheer volume of data generated can overwhelm growers, leaving them unable to extract meaningful insights. As a result, many continue to rely on traditional methods, rather than utilizing the potential of the data to make informed, actionable decisions.

Initially focusing on identifying pests and diseases, the funding will be used to expand Fermata’s system into a command center for crop health, further developing its suite of AI-driven solutions to address a range of agricultural challenges. Using advanced data analytics, the system monitors a wide range of plant health factors, from fertilization to pollination status, with future capabilities set to include forecasting tools like yield prediction tracking. Fermata’s Croptimus suite will process visuals collected through its products, and integrate third-party data sources to build more accurate models.

If a grower is already using solutions for data collection, this information could be integrated with Fermata’s products in the future to generate advanced predictive insights. For growers not yet collecting data, cameras can be installed to monitor plant health. As visual data is gathered—whether from sensors or other sources—Fermata continuously uses it to refine and improve the accuracy of its insights and predictions. The company has already forged strategic collaborations with Microsoft, NVIDIA, Wageningen University, Bayer Crop Sciences, yieldsApp, and agRE.tech, and plans to continue partnering with industry leaders to expand its impact throughout the agritech sector.

These new capabilities build on Fermata’s current offerings, as its Croptimus suite provides 24/7 crop monitoring through computer vision to ensure plants remain healthy while scouting for potential threats. This approach has already demonstrated the potential to generate 30 percent savings on lost crops, while minimizing the need to use harmful pesticides. Fermata’s proprietary data allows them to build models that are not only accurate and highly efficient but also cost-effective to run, further enhancing the scalability of their solutions.

“Over the past five years, Fermata has been on a journey to discover the best applications of computer vision to meet growers’ needs,” says Valeria Kogan, Founder and CEO of Fermata. “We proudly call what we’ve built, ‘The Eyes of Ag.’ With the new funding, I’m thrilled to see Fermata scaling to bring all the other senses to the agricultural industry, ultimately evolving into its Brain. I’m happy we are a part of a global collaborative effort to shape the farming of tomorrow.”

“Raw Ventures is proud to continue supporting Fermata, reaffirming our commitment to driving investments in sustainability,” says Victoria Palatnik, managing partner of Raw Ventures. “As always, our support goes far beyond funding, providing substantial resources to help the company succeed. This latest funding round highlights Fermata’s impressive achievements, including significant technological milestones, the development of impactful partnerships, and a transformative effort by its management team, which has guided the company from an early-stage startup toward becoming a resilient and mature business.”

About Fermata

Fermata is focused on the application of data science and computer vision solutions to challenges faced by commercial agriculture. Engaged in extensive research since the company’s founding in 2020, Fermata has now developed an adaptive computer vision platform designed to automatically detect pests and diseases at their earliest stages. This early-detection platform, known as Croptimus™, enables growers to reliably mitigate these issues in advance of the point crop loss becomes inevitable and further reduces the amount of time and money spent on traditional scouting. For more information, visit: https://www.fermata.tech.

Media Contact:
Inbar Kneller
ReBlonde for Fermata
[email protected] 

SOURCE Fermata