Key Takeaways
- Stenon, a German AgTech company enabling real-time soil analysis, has raised €18 million in Series B financing led by Pymwymic, with new investor DeepTech & Climate Fonds (DTCF) and continued participation from existing backers including Founders Fund and TIME Ventures.
- The funding will accelerate expansion in South America (with Brazil as a core market), Central Asia, and select European markets, alongside advancing FarmLab's nitrogen and soil organic carbon (SOC) measurement capabilities.
- Nitrogen fertilizer prices in the EU were 71% above the 2024 average as of April 2026, according to the European Commission, intensifying pressure on farmers to improve nitrogen-use efficiency.
- Multi-year, multi-country customer data shows 20-40% nitrogen fertilizer savings and 2-8% yield increases across crops including corn, beans, cotton, sugarcane, coffee, grains, and vegetables.
- Stenon is preparing to unveil a next-generation, machine-integrated real-time nutrient intelligence platform later in 2026, building on its existing handheld FarmLab sensing system.
Stenon Raises €18M Series B to Scale Nitrogen and Soil Carbon Platform
Stenon, a German AgTech company enabling nutrient management through real-time soil analysis, has announced €18 million in Series B financing. The round was led by Pymwymic, a European impact investor focused on food and agriculture, with the DeepTech & Climate Fonds (DTCF) joining as a new investor. Existing investors Atlantic, Oyster Bay, Founders Fund, TIME Ventures (Marc Benioff's investment firm), and Bernd Hoffmann, former VP at AGCO and Claas KGaA, also participated.
The funding will accelerate new product development and expand commercial operations in markets where Stenon already operates, with a focus on real-time nitrogen management and soil organic carbon (SOC) measurement.
Nitrogen Management at a Critical Economic Moment
Nitrogen supply and pricing have returned to the center of farm economics, with renewed market volatility increasing pressure on farmers to improve nitrogen-use efficiency without sacrificing yield. In April 2026, overall nitrogen fertilizer prices in the European Union were 71% above the 2024 average, according to the European Commission.
Stenon‘s FarmLab platform measures plant-available nitrogen (Nmin) directly in the field and combines it with SOC and other soil parameters. The company's N + SOC approach links immediate agronomic decisions with longer-term soil management: Nmin data informs the amount and timing of fertilizer applications, while SOC data provides a baseline for soil condition, productivity, and carbon-related programs.
“Farmers cannot control global nitrogen supply or prices, but they can control how precisely each kilogram is used. That is why nitrogen management is Stenon's core competence. By combining real-time plant-available nitrogen measurements with SOC insights, we help customers make better immediate fertilizer decisions and build a longer-term view of soil productivity. This financing allows us to scale that capability in the markets where it is needed most,” said Niels Grabbert, Founder and CEO of Stenon.
Demonstrated Farmer ROI Across Multiple Crops
FarmLab combines proprietary optical and electrical sensor technology, artificial intelligence, agronomic models, and cloud software to generate real-time soil data in the field, replacing the need to wait for laboratory results. Multi-year, multi-country customer use cases show 20-40% nitrogen fertilizer savings and 2-8% yield increases across crops including corn, beans, cotton, sugarcane, coffee, grains, and vegetables. The platform serves input retailers, agricultural groups, machinery dealers, agricultural consultants, and food producers, and has already been deployed across several million customer acres.
Building Toward a Machine-Integrated Nutrient Intelligence Platform
The Series B proceeds will fund expansion of commercial and service operations in South America — with Brazil as a core market — as well as Central Asia and select European countries, alongside strengthened regional agronomic calibration, product localization, and customer support. Stenon is also preparing to unveil the next evolution of its technology platform, advancing from its proven handheld field sensing system toward a machine-integrated, real-time nutrient intelligence system, with the new platform expected to be announced later in 2026.
“FarmLab has proven that high-quality nitrogen and SOC data can be generated directly in the field. The next step is to make this intelligence more continuous, more integrated and more actionable for large-scale agricultural operations. We are building towards a system where nutrient decisions are supported by real-time data at the point where those decisions are actually made,” said Jens Meichsner, CTO of Stenon.
Investor Perspectives on Stenon's Growth
“Stenon sits at the rare intersection where improving soil health and strengthening farm economics go hand in hand. Its technology empowers farmers with better data, enabling more efficient input use while building the foundation for more productive and resilient soils,” said Rogier Pieterse, Managing Partner of Pymwymic.
“Real-time soil data is infrastructure for modern farming, and Stenon has built the foundation to deliver it at scale. Farmers today make million-euro fertilizer decisions based on soil data that is weeks old. Stenon closes that gap directly in the field, backed by a sensor system that is genuinely hard to replicate and a scalable hardware-SaaS model,” said Dr. Achim Plum, Managing Director at DTCF.
Stenon remains active in key Brazilian agricultural regions including Goiás, Mato Grosso, Paraná, and São Paulo, alongside operations in Central Asia and select European markets, adapting its agronomic models to local soils, crops, and practices.
