One of the biggest consumer food producers in the world has invested in a startup which provides beekeepers with “unprecedented data-driven oversight.”
Californian-Israeli tech firm BeeHero confirmed having received USD 64 million (EUR 59 million) from various investors including London-based food and agriculture business Cibus Capital, Dutch financial services enterprise Rabobank and General Mills.
Headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, General Mills markets numerous popular brands such as Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs and Nature Valley. In 2020, the food giant’s revenue was USD billion 17.6 (EUR 16.4 billion).
General Mills reportedly claims it funded BeeHero to help build a more sustainable food ecosystem amid growing global food insecurity.
Omer Davidi – who is the co-founder and current CEO of BeeHero – said: “This latest round of funding will help us continue to support the agricultural industry as it faces some of its toughest challenges yet.”
The entrepreneur added winning the financial support was “another step towards building a Sustainable Agriculture Ecosystem.”
BeeHero was founded in 2017. It says on its website: “Our team of commercial beekeepers and food growers, engineers and entrepreneurs, and industry-renowned scientists work around the globe and around the clock to maximize every pollination cycle.”
The company – which uses artificial intelligence to monitor honeybee colonies – adds: “We built our cutting-edge platform and low-cost sensors to provide frictionless setup and operation for beekeepers and achieve our goal: increasing crop yield and quality while enhancing pollinator health.
“Now you can be everywhere all the time – with unprecedented data-driven oversight of your entire operation, from real-time colony health insights to pollination activity.”
It promises that “everyone wins: farmers, beekeepers, and nature.”
Per capita consumption of honey and honey-sweetened products reached an all-time high in the United States in 2021 at 280,000 tonnes, according to the country’s Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Per capita consumption of honey and honey-sweetened products reached an all-time high in the United States in 2021 at 280,000 tonnes, according to the country’s Department of Agriculture (USDA).
An estimated 70 per cent of crops in the world rely on bees and other pollinators. At the same time, the insects’ habitats are decreasing due to intensifying construction activity. Excessive application of herbicides is posing another existential threat.
