Heaptalk, Jakarta — Agritech startup DayaTani completes seed funding at US$2.3 million, led by KBI Investment and MDI Ventures-backed Ascent Venture. Several investors, including Northstar Ventures, BRI Ventures, and Gentree Fund, h this round.
In response to this funding, Co-Founder of DayaTani, Deryl Lu, said, “This investment showcases confidence in our business model and technology. We are committed to elevating Indonesian farmers through technology and partnerships,”
Indonesia’s agricultural sector, which contributes about 13% to its GDP and employs nearly 29% of its workforce, faces significant changes1, particularly with the introduction of digital technologies. Food security remains a crucial goal for Indonesia. While there has been progress in staple food production since the Food Law of 2012, challenges persist, especially regarding food affordability and nutritional quality. The COVID-19 crisis has exposed vulnerabilities in the agri-food system but also presents opportunities for transformation.
However, Indonesia’s agricultural sector is characterized by its traditional practices, which are now backed and revolutionized by digital technologies. Currently, DayaTani operates several farming R&D sites across Java island for several horticulture and grain crops such as rice, corn, chili, tomato, potato, cabbage & shallots to understand the drivers of yield in a particular area.
The startup also executed farming R&D to build excellent SOP practices for the region, which will be shared with farmers in a profit-sharing business model supported by high-touch agronomy support, financed high-quality inputs, and digital tools to measure & control actions on the farm.
DayaTani plans to install over 100 IoT (Internet of Things) devices across Java within a year, creating a network of weather stations. This network will provide precise, location-specific weather information and more relevant weather alerts for farmers. The company is working on building the necessary hardware and software for this network, including developing its Agronomist app.
“We are building a semibionic agronomist agent who has access to relevant tools and technologies at his disposal to solve the farming problems of a farmer. Now, agronomists and farmers can ask agri-specific questions to the bot in their regional language via text or speech medium. It also supports multimodel capabilities such as image upload to accurately diagnose crop problems and generate custom recommendations,” Co-Founder of DayaTani, Ankit Gupta.
They are also focusing on creating data science models that can offer practical recommendations for farmers, such as more accurate fertilizer suggestions based on real-world conditions rather than basic rules. Using accurate world data, this approach aims to continually improve these technologies and ultimately enhance the productivity of smallholder farmers in Southeast Asia.
DayaTani has partnered with key industry players to support Indonesian farmers. With assistance from Microsoft Singapore, they are developing LLM chatbots tailored to agricultural needs. The company also collaborates with leading agritech firms in input selling, offering its farmers high-quality resources at competitive prices. Additionally, prominent companies in output trading purchase horticulture produce from the startup’s network of growers, ensuring a reliable market for their products.
“Overall, DayaTani’s initiatives align with the larger goal of modernizing Indonesia’s agriculture, making it more efficient, sustainable, and resilient. By leveraging technology, the startup will enhance productivity and contribute to the digital ecosystem that is becoming increasingly vital in the agricultural sector of Indonesia,” said Deryl.
