Key Takeaways
- Antonie raised €2 million in a Seed round, with Bejo taking an equity stake.
- The investment builds on collaboration around CROP Monitor™, Antonie’s AI-driven crop monitoring platform.
- AI models are used to track growth stages, diseases, weeds, and yield in seed production fields.
- LIFE Monitor™ will expand Antonie’s offering into automated soil health and nematode analysis.
- The funding follows earlier Pre-Seed financing from Royal Eijkelkamp.
Antonie Announces Strategic Investment from Bejo
Antonie has announced that Bejo, a global vegetable breeding company, has taken an equity stake in the company as part of its €2 million Seed funding round. The investment formalizes an ongoing collaboration focused on applying artificial intelligence to seed production systems.
The partnership centers on Antonie’s CROP Monitor™ platform, which integrates drone and satellite imagery with AI to monitor crop growth, detect diseases and weeds, and assess yield in seed production fields. Through joint development efforts, AI models have been trained to identify growth stages and detect deviations, supporting improvements in sustainability, operational efficiency, and labor productivity.
John-Pieter Schipper, Managing Director of Bejo, stated: “Our mission is to make high-quality vegetable seeds available worldwide for the cultivation of healthy vegetables for current and future generations. This includes investing in innovative technologies that contribute to sustainable agriculture and more efficient processes. The collaboration with Antonie has proven that AI and digital innovation can have a direct impact in real world use.”
Antonie Expands into Soil Health Monitoring
In addition to crop-level monitoring, Antonie plans to deploy LIFE Monitor™, a system designed to analyze soil samples using high-speed imaging and automated nematode analysis. The technology aims to provide measurable insights into soil health and biodiversity, complementing above-ground crop analytics.
The integration of crop and soil data aligns with Antonie’s stated objective of supporting a transition from chemistry-based approaches toward ecological and data-driven farming practices.
Jerome H. Mol, CEO and Co-Founder of Antonie, commented: “Bejo is an international market leader, and a global player. Their investment and involvement give us the strength to further roll out our solutions internationally, executing on our vision and mission of Improving Soil Health.”
Antonie Positions for International Growth
The Seed round follows earlier Pre-Seed financing from Royal Eijkelkamp and reflects continued investor interest in AI applications within seed production. With Bejo’s participation, Antonie plans to accelerate international deployment of its digital monitoring solutions across global seed production operations.
By combining remote sensing, AI modeling, and soil analytics, Antonie aims to strengthen data-driven decision-making in vegetable seed production while expanding its presence in international markets.
