Yamaha Motor Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based investment arm of the Japanese multinational, has led a $7.1 million initial funding round for The Yield, an Australian agriculture-technology startup focusing on providing data for irrigation.
The round, which leveraged Yamaha’s $100m Exploratory Fund, also included Germany’s Bosch Group. It will help 2014-founded Yield, which is based in Sydney, scale its patented AI-modeler, which alongside a sensing platform provides growers with real-time predictive insights.
“Our technology is poised to make a significant impact on the productivity and profitability of corporate growers, beginning with those here in Australia and New Zealand,” said The Yield’s founder and MD Ros Harvey.
“The Yield collaborates closely with sophisticated growers to drive clear ROI across a range of high-value crops,” added Yamaha Motor Ventures parter and global agtech lead Nolan Paul. “This investment opportunity is a key synergistic addition to the Yamaha Motor Ventures portfolio.”