US $3 M seed funding secured by Plant Cartridge to expand smart farming operations
Plant Cartridge, a Malaysia-based agritech firm, has raised $3 million in initial investment from 500 Global and a private group of corporate giants.
The firm wants to utilise the funds to expand its operations by 1,000,000 square feet and develop new advanced agricultural solutions that are sustainable, scalable, and accessible, according to a news release.
“The enthusiastic support of our investors is a testament to the importance of our work and the confidence they have in Plant Cartridge’s technologies. In return, our team’s immediate focus is on scaling our operations quickly to enable more farmers in Asia to be sustainable, efficient, productive, and profitable,” said Channing Liang, CEO of Plant Cartridge.
Plant Cartridge was founded in 2016 with the goal of enabling farm producers to improve the agricultural sector and food supply chain. The organisation offers a variety of services, including contemporary sustainable agricultural technologies, financial assistance, and market access.
It offers agricultural investors and operators hardware and software for controlled environment agriculture (CEA), such as seed, germination, irrigation, and nutrient management systems, as well as an integrated farm operating system for crops like leafy vegetables, fruiting, or tuberous plants. It constructs greenhouses, indoor farms, and open planting areas for farmers, complete with the necessary infrastructure.
The firm, which is based in Kuala Lumpur, claims that its solutions help farmers of all sizes decrease environmental impact while improving output. The benefits include up to a 200-fold reduction in growth medium usage, a 90% reduction in water consumption, and a 10-fold increase in crop output.
Liang (CEO) and Michael Mak (COO) were co-founders with extensive expertise running large-scale sustainable integrated agricultural projects for the government as IT specialists in multinational organisations.
