More than £200,000 has been raised to accelerate further development of 'game changing' commercial pollinator monitoring devices.
York-based agri-tech firm AgriSound has successfully raised the money out of its £300,000 goal in just the first two days of a crowdfunding campaign.
The bio-acoustic listening device - named Polly - was put it on the map earlier this year, with the start-up seeing a rise in demand.
Supermarkets including M&S and Tesco, business such as innocent drinks, and numerous farming businesses already use the devices.
The automated, low-cost listening device, which is powered by solar, monitors bee levels within a field.
It allows farmers and other users to track the number of pollinators in real-time and target specific interventions for improving numbers.
Insights are displayed via a web app and are used to take targeted action, such as boosting crop yields and protecting bee populations.
Polly was successfully launched to the UK market in January 2022, with 800 units committed for the 2022 season.
AgriSound has been funded through grants and private investment, with the company’s first patent filed in July 2022.
Founder and CEO of AgriSound, Casey Woodward, said: “The whole team is over the moon to see how far we’ve come with funding so quickly.
"Horticulture is a growing market, expected to reach $40bn by 2026 through the increased use of tech to address productivity challenges.
"We’re positive we can push the rest of the way to reach our crowdfunding goal necessary to onboard new commercial hires, improve manufacturing and support, and further develop our Polly device.”
AgriSound operates a SaaS model (software as a service), with a monthly fee charged per device. Hardware is purchased and guaranteed for three years.
Those interested in getting involved and learning more can visit the online crowdfunder.
