Helm acquires majority stake in agritech startup Plantix

HELM and Plantix have joined forces to lead the digital transformation in agriculture towards environmentally and economically sustainable agriculture and extend the startup's vision globally.

Family-owned, world-leading multipurpose distributor HELM already invested in agritech startup Plantix (registered as: PEAT GmbH) in 2020, based on the shared ambition to enable smallholder farmers worldwide to farm more efficiently and sustainably.

The core value of Plantix's all-digital solution is the image-based application for disease recognition and a platform to disseminate best agricultural practices. The app covers 30 agricultural crops, detects over 500 plant symptoms, is available in 18 languages and has over 15 million downloads worldwide. In addition, Plantix has created an ecosystem for distributors to connect farmer needs with sourcing and financing. The services are offered free of charge.

HELM and Plantix are dedicated to making technology affordable, reducing environmental impact and increasing productivity. The potential is vast, with the UN estimating that more than 500 million smallholder farmers form the backbone of local food production today.

"We are proud to partner with Plantix, which already serves nearly six million farmers in India. With HELM's global network, we will grow Plantix's presence to support more farmers. At the same time, HELM expands its agricultural technology capabilities digital technology to reduce resource use in agriculture and especially the misuse of crop protection products," said HELM Corporate Development Head, Daniel Tepe.

"Today is a big day for us and the farmers and suppliers we serve. Together with HELM, we can continue our vision of leading the digital transformation in agriculture towards environmentally and economically sustainable agriculture," added Plantix founder and CEO, Simone Strey.

The investment in Plantix is one of many steps towards shaping and proving HELM's future impact inside and outside the agricultural sector. Having a social and environmental impact through large investments is the way forward for HELM. Both parties are very excited about the joint future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in agriculture.

Leading technology investors, including Atlantic Labs, Happiness Capital, Index Ventures, Piton Capital and RTP Global, among others, have supported Plantix. "We are proud to have supported the Plantix team from the beginning and believe that HELM AG is the perfect partner for the next step," said Atlantic Labs Managing Partner, Marc-Olivier Lücke.