Biobest, a global leader in biocontrol and pollination, has expanded its partnership with ecoation, a pioneer in robotics and artificial intelligence technologies for horticulture. Along with Biobest’s $10 million investment in ecoation, the companies are also joining forces to develop new integrated pest management (IPM)-related technologies and go global with a commercial alliance.

The Biobest investment follows on the heels of $10 million in public funding for ecoation from the Canadian government and an earlier infusion of $2.5 million from existing investors through a round led by Pallasite Ventures. This combined funding will support a commercial roll-out of ecoation’s cutting-edge dynamic data harvesting platform based on a combination of deep biology, computer vision, sensor technology, AI, and robotics.

Jean-Marc Vandoorne, Biobest CEO, says ecoation’s capacity to deploy a broad array of new technologies to deliver practical and economical solutions for the world’s most ambitious greenhouse growers is outstanding.

“Their team is deeply committed to make a contribution to sustainability in horticulture and realizes the immense potential for further data-driven advances in biological control and integrated pest management,” Vandoorne says. “Together we have all it takes to be the best-in-class in IPM in the upcoming era of data-driven greenhouse crop production. Our teams are excited about these joint developments and committed to show growers the path from artificial intelligence to additional income.”

Dr. Saber Miresmailli, founder and CEO of ecoation, says the announcement is the beginning of a new chapter.

“Besides our shared vision for the future of agriculture, we also share the same values. We are passionate about sustainability and have a relentless drive to provide world class service to our customers,” Miresmailli says. “We nurture our colleagues to grow and to use their talent to make the world a better place. We believe in collaboration and have the humility to constantly and continuously improve our offerings. This shared vision is a strong foundation for success and Biobest’s worldwide network will help us make a difference on a global scale.”

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