Agri-tech Startup Semaai garners $1.25 million from Sequoia Surge & Others
Sequoia Surge and Beenext led a $1.25 million pre-seed round for Indonesian agri-tech startup Semaai.
In addition to Nipun Mehra, founder and CEO of e-commerce startup Ula, Harshet Lunani, founder and CEO of Qoala, and Prashant Pawar, technology investment banker at Houlihan Lokey, angel investors Nipun Mehra, founder and CEO of e-commerce startup Ula, Harshet Lunani, founder and CEO of Qoala, and Prashant Pawar, technology investment banker at Houlihan Lokey, participated in the round.
Semaai will use a substantial portion of the money to develop its technical and product teams in India, despite the fact that the company is based in Indonesia.
"By the end of 2022, Semaai wants to develop its IT skills in India by at least three times," the business stated in a statement. For Indonesia's rural agriculture communities, the business is developing a full-stack agri-tech solution.
“Despite their contribution to Indonesia’s economy, farmers and rural MSMEs find it extremely difficult to sustain their livelihoods and take advantage of the growing middle-class demand for diversified food products. This is due to the fragmented and complex agricultural supply chains in Indonesia, which leads to opaque pricing, lack of access to affordable farming inputs, and a huge mismatch in supply and demand,” the company said.
Abhishek Gupta, Gaurav Batra, and Muhammad Yoga Anindito founded Semaai in April 2021 to provide a comprehensive spectrum of services for rural agricultural areas.
“We are committed to growing our team and expertise to help empower rural farming communities across Indonesia and improving our tech solutions to increase their earning potential,” Gupta said.
Through its staff of qualified agronomists, the startup offers individualised advice, as well as access to productivity tools such as soil testing technologies and farming supplies such as seed and fertiliser products.
Semaai intends to extend its network of service delivery centres, beginning with toko tanis (agri-retailers) and eventually reaching the great majority of smallholders in rural Indonesia, according to the company.
“Semaai comes at an important time where farmers are open to and rapidly adopting digital methods, with increasing smartphone penetration rates and affordable data. The agricultural industry is definitely ripe for change, with technology as a key driver,” says Batra.
In addition to Nipun Mehra, founder and CEO of e-commerce startup Ula, Harshet Lunani, founder and CEO of Qoala, and Prashant Pawar, technology investment banker at Houlihan Lokey, angel investors Nipun Mehra, founder and CEO of e-commerce startup Ula, Harshet Lunani, founder and CEO of Qoala, and Prashant Pawar, technology investment banker at Houlihan Lokey, participated in the round.
Semaai will use a substantial portion of the money to develop its technical and product teams in India, despite the fact that the company is based in Indonesia.
"By the end of 2022, Semaai wants to develop its IT skills in India by at least three times," the business stated in a statement. For Indonesia's rural agriculture communities, the business is developing a full-stack agri-tech solution.
“Despite their contribution to Indonesia’s economy, farmers and rural MSMEs find it extremely difficult to sustain their livelihoods and take advantage of the growing middle-class demand for diversified food products. This is due to the fragmented and complex agricultural supply chains in Indonesia, which leads to opaque pricing, lack of access to affordable farming inputs, and a huge mismatch in supply and demand,” the company said.
Abhishek Gupta, Gaurav Batra, and Muhammad Yoga Anindito founded Semaai in April 2021 to provide a comprehensive spectrum of services for rural agricultural areas.
“We are committed to growing our team and expertise to help empower rural farming communities across Indonesia and improving our tech solutions to increase their earning potential,” Gupta said.
Through its staff of qualified agronomists, the startup offers individualised advice, as well as access to productivity tools such as soil testing technologies and farming supplies such as seed and fertiliser products.
Semaai intends to extend its network of service delivery centres, beginning with toko tanis (agri-retailers) and eventually reaching the great majority of smallholders in rural Indonesia, according to the company.
“Semaai comes at an important time where farmers are open to and rapidly adopting digital methods, with increasing smartphone penetration rates and affordable data. The agricultural industry is definitely ripe for change, with technology as a key driver,” says Batra.
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