Irish ag-tech company, Iamus Technologies, has been announced as a finalist in the THRIVE global accelerator programme, and is set to receive significant investment as a result.
Dublin-based Iamus Technologies is one of 10 companies in the eighth cohort of the programme, chosen from more than 800 applicants from 78 countries around the world.
Iamus Technologies is an artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics company that develops solutions to issues farmers and processers face through data collection.
The company has created a robot named ‘Gallus’, which protects the health of poultry farmers and their flocks by entering coops and analysing bird health.
The robot collects and reads data by analysing factors such as food and water consumption, temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. It can then conclude the condition of individual birds and offer the farmer recommended actions.
This system can help farmers combat issues including labour shortages, animal-welfare pressures, biosecurity risks, and sustainability challenges.
Founder of Iamus Technologies, Shane Kieran, said taking part in the programme will facilitate entry into new markets:
“THRIVE allows us to build the foundations that help position our business to capitalise on the massive US poultry market opportunity.”
The 10 finalists will now go through a three-month programme, which includes in-person mentorship in California, as well as attendance at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit this September.
THRIVE by SVG Ventures
The investment company THRIVE by SVG Ventures has graduated 83 start-ups in total, which have created more than $1 billion in value.
Four of these have been from Ireland, including Nutritas, MagGrow, MicroGen Biotech, and Orbis MES Ltd.
Less than 3% of applicants make it through to the final of the accelerator programme, where they have access to a multitude of resources including tailored mentorship from industry experts alongside early and late-stage investment.
As well as commercial success, THRIVE focused on the companies’ potential impact on sustainability throughout the selection process.
The programme is largely focused on bringing companies together to develop solutions for the issues that affect the agri-food industry around sustainability.
Its goals are closely aligned with those laid out in the European Green Deal’s Farm to Fork strategy, which aims to see Europe become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.