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Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

AgShift

Intello Labs Raises $2M, Takes its AI to the Skies with Drones for Crop Assessments

Intello Labs, which uses computer vision and AI to assess food quality, announced last week that it has raised a $2 million seed round from Nexus Venture Partners and Omnivore. This brings the total amount raised by Intello to roughly $2.4 million.

A few things have changed for Intello Labs since we last checked in with the company almost a year ago. Back then it was using its computer vision and AI to create a neutral food grade to help farmers earn a fair price for their crops. With an AI-based grade, farmers were better able to defend and earn higher prices from picky buyers who might try to question the quality of the produce to pay less.

Sreevidya Ghantasala, a Research and Development Analyst at Intello Labs who also heads up its U.S. operations (the company is headquartered in India), told me in a phone interview that the company is moving away from independent farmers and more towards corporate ones. “We believe independent farmers are apprehensive about using new technology,” Ghantasala said.

Additionally, Intello Labs is also moving on up, literally, and using its computer vision and AI platform with drones. Previously, Intello only worked with smartphone cameras with which parties involved would take pictures of food and submit it to Intello’s cloud for analysis.

With the move to drones, Intello has been able to expand its features and crop capabilities. Its software has now been used by drones flying over rice fields to count flowers that will produce rice seeds. Ghantasala said that having successfully completed this expansion into aerial image taking and rice, Intello is working with the rice producer to broaden into even more applications.

Intello Labs isn’t the only company using computer vision and AI to do crop assessments. AgShift does pretty much the same thing, though as Intello appears to be going further into the fields with drones, AgShift is diving deeper into the supply chain with the recent launch of its bulk food inspector.

Ghantasala said that Intello Labs will be using this seed round to establish a larger presence in the U.S. as well as improve the company’s technology.

AgShift Launches Hydra, its AI-Powered Food Quality Analyzer for Bulk Inspections

AgShift is on a mission to remove human biases from food quality inspection by using computer vision and artificial intelligence. It started off doing this by having inspectors use smartphone cameras to snap pictures of food (like berries), which were then analyzed by AgShift‘s machine learning algorithms to assess quality.

While the company’s software platform may bring objectivity to quality assessment, having inspectors manually take photos of fruit was still mostly manual. And when you consider that one state, California, produces one billion pounds of one fruit, strawberries, each year, these manual inspections can still take quite a bit of time. In addition to accuracy, there is a need for speed in the supply chain.

This is why AgShift created Hydra F100 BQ, a new hardware analyzer that the company officially announced today. With Hydra, companies can do more bulk inspection and thereby faster assessment of food like berries and edible nuts.

We wrote about this hardware analyzer before, but that was when it was in the prototype/development stage. Today’s news takes the wraps off the full industrial version of the device.

The Hydra is a kiosk like machine with a touchscreen that is installed at a food processing facility. Instead of inspectors manually selecting and inspecting samples, whole trays of samples can now be inserted into the machine to be assessed at once. The Hydra has cameras above and below the fruit to capture images of this bulk sample, which is sent to AgShift’s cloud platform to analyze it for weight, size, color and to check for defects like mold or bruising. The result is the same objective analysis, but AgShift says it’s now done in half the time of manual inspections.

“When you do a manual inspection [of strawberries], you are inspecting roughly 4 to 6 clamshells in a sample size, roughly 100 berries in total,” said Miku Jha, Founder and CEO of AgShift. “[That] takes 6 to 8 minutes with manual inspection. Hydra does it in under three minutes.”

AgShift’s Hydra has already been running in trials with both Driscoll’s for strawberry inspection and Olam for cashews.

By removing manual inspections by hand, AgShift says it can also reduce waste because. As we reported last June:

[Jha] said that traditionally cashews are examined by hand, with inspectors looking at one or two pounds of nuts at a time. That takes time, and after being touched, those particular nuts need to be discarded. Both time and waste can add up when you’re processing literally tons of cashews. Using AgShift’s analyzer, sampling can be done faster and samples do not need to be thrown out because of the workflow at the processing facility.

In a recent phone interview, Jha told The Spoon that the company was still determining the business model around Hydra, but that it wasn’t in the business of selling boxes. Instead, the Hydra would most likely be leased with the price of the software subscription coming in around $4,000 per month, depending on the volume of assessments.

AgShift isn’t alone in the computer-vision-for-food-inspection space, Bengaluru-based Intello Labs does much the same thing for farmers in India.

Earlier this month, AgShift raised another seed round from CerraCap Ventures. The amount wasn’t disclosed at the time, but in the Hydra press announcement, AgShift says it has raised $5 million in seed funding. Since just about a year ago AgShift announced a $2 million raise, it looks like the recent raise was for $3 million.

AgShift Raises New Funding from CerraCap Ventures

CerraCap Ventures has invested an undisclosed sum of new funding in AgShift, an ag-tech startup that uses computer vision and AI to help remove transactional bias in the food supply chain.

The press announcement from CerraCap was vague, saying only that AgShift was “the newest addition to our portfolio of high performing start-ups.” The Spoon followed up with AgShift Founder and CEO, Miku Jha, who confirmed via email that CerraCap had invested in AgShift and that this was the startup’s second institutional investor. AgShift had previously raised a $2 million seed round from Exfinity Ventures in March of last year. UPDATE: Jha told us by email that the CerraCap funding is part of AgShift’s seed raise.

AgShift automates food inspection along the supply chain using computer vision and cloud-based deep learning to create an objective rating for food. Cameras take pictures of produce or edible nuts and run those images through AgShift’s algorithms to identify color, bruising and other factors to assess the quality of the product and give it a rating. This computer-generated rating (based on either USDA or customized standards) speeds up and removes the guesswork that can happen when inspections occur by hand. AgShift’s technology is meant to eliminate the interpretive disagreements between buyers and sellers.

AgShift’s technology can be used with smartphone cameras capturing the image, but last year the company also developed its own analyzing hardware that can be installed at food processing depots for large scale assessments.

Automating the food supply chain with cameras and AI is becoming quite the trend. In addition to AgShift, Intello Labs does much much the same thing to help farmers get a fair price for their produce. And both ImpactVision and P&P Optica (which just got its own new funding as well) are both using hyperspectral imaging on the food production line to assess food quality and contaminants.

We’ve reached out to AgShift for more details and will update when we hear back.

AgShift Expands its Deep Learning Food Inspection to Nuts and Seafood

AgShift, a startup that uses computer vision and deep learning to determine food quality in the supply chain, is broadening its capabilities beyond produce into edible nuts and seafood.

We named AgShift as one of our Food Tech 25 companies last month because of the way it allows produce buyers and sellers to come to an objective price. AgShift’s software lets inspectors take a picture of fruit with their mobile phone and upload it to the cloud where AgShift’s deep learning algorithms would assess its quality (color, bruising, etc.) and base that against USDA, or other customized ratings, to provide a food grade.

AgShift is expanding this type of objective algorithmic grading to inspect edible nuts, starting with cashews, and is in the process of exploring seafood inspections.

To do this, AgShift has developed its own hardware to do bulk analysis. This analyzer is an enclosed box with cameras optimized for deep learning that is installed on-site at a food processing facility. Food, in this case cashews, is loaded into the analyzer which takes pictures of the product and sends the images through AgShift’s platform for analysis and grading.

Miku Jha, AgShift Founder and CEO, told me that using the analyzer on-site allows for better, and more efficient, large-scale assessments. She said that traditionally cashews are examined by hand, with inspectors looking at one or two pounds of nuts at a time. That takes time, and after being touched, those particular nuts need to be discarded. Both time and waste can add up when you’re processing literally tons of cashews. Using AgShift’s analyzer, sampling can be done faster and samples do not need to be thrown out because of the workflow at the processing facility.

Jha said that AgShift has finalized production units of its analyzer, and that the company has already been working with a global nut processor doing inspections and assessing the quality of their cashews.

AgShifts’s expansion into seafood is not as far along. Jha said that AgShift’s deep learning models can help the seafood supply chain with objective species identification and freshness assessment, as well as determine any change in quality of fish as they move through the supply chain. The company is still looking for its first customers in that field.

AgShift isn’t alone in its computer vision and deep learning approach to food inspection. Intello Labs uses the same type of technology to help farmers get a fair price from buyers in India, and it too is eyeing a move into seafood. Here at home, Walmart is using its Eden technology to assess general food freshness.

Earlier this year, AgShift raised its first $2 million seed round and announced it is working with RJO Produce marketing.

The Food Tech 25: Twenty Five Companies Changing the Way We Eat

Here at The Spoon, we spend most days writing and thinking about those who are transforming what we eat. No matter whether a startup, big company, inventor, or a cook working on new approaches in the kitchen, we love learning the stories of people changing the future of food. So much so, in fact, that we wanted to share those companies that most excite us with our readers.

And so here it is, The Spoon’s Food Tech 25: Twenty Five Companies Changing the Way We Eat

What exactly is the Food Tech 25? In short, it’s our list of the twenty five companies we think are doing the most interesting things changing the way we create, buy, store, cook and think about food.

As with any list, there are bound to be a few questions about how we got here and why we chose the companies we did. Here are some answers:

How did we create this list?

The editors of the Spoon — myself, Chris Albrecht, Catherine Lamb and Jenn Marston — got together in a room, poured some kombucha (ed note: except for Chris), and listed all the companies we thought were doing interesting and important work in changing food and cooking. From there, we had numerous calls, face-to-face meetings and more glasses of kombucha until we narrowed the list down to those you see here.

Is this an annual list?

No, this is a list of the companies we think are the most interesting people and companies right now, in mid-2018. Things could definitely look different six months from now.

Is this list in a particular order or are the companies ranked?

No, the list is in no particular order and we did not rank the 25 companies.

Why isn’t company X on the list?

If this was your list, company X or Y would most likely be on the list (and that’s ok with us). But this is the Spoon’s list and we’re sticking to it (for now – see above).

And of course, making this list wasn’t easy. There are lots of companies doing interesting things in this space. If we had enough room to create runners-up or honorable mentions, we would. But we don’t (and you don’t have enough time to read a list like that).

So, without further ado, here is the Spoon’s Food Tech 25. If you’re the type that likes your lists all on one page, click here.


EMBER
Ember bills itself as “the world’s first temperature control mug,” which basically means you can dictate a specific temperature for your brew via the corresponding app and keep your coffee (or tea or whatever) hot for as long as you need to. The significance here isn’t so much about coffee as it is about where else we could implement the technology and relatively simple concept powering the Ember mug. The company currently has patents out on other kinds of heated or cooled dishware, and Ember has cited baby bottles and medicine as two areas in which it might apply its technology. And yes, it allows you to finally stop microwaving all that leftover morning coffee.

 


INSTANT POT
The Instant Pot is not the highest-tech gadget around, but its affordability, versatility, and speed have made this new take on the pressure cooker a countertop cooking phenomenon. It also has a large and fanatical community, where enthusiastic users share and reshare their favorite Instant Pot recipes across Facebook groups and online forums. By becoming the first new breakout appliance category of the millennial generation, the Instant Pot has achieved that highly desirable (and rare) position of having its brand synonymous with the name of the category; people don’t go looking for pressure cookers, they go looking for an Instant Pot.

 


DELIVEROO
We chose Deliveroo out of the myriad of food delivery services because of their Editions project, which uses customer data to curate restaurant hubs in areas which have unfulfilled demands for certain chain establishments or cuisine types. This model allows food establishments to set up locations with zero start-up costs, and also gives customers in more restaurant-dry areas a wide variety of delivery food options. Essentially, it’s cloud kitchens meets a food hall, with some heavy analysis to help determine which restaurants or cuisines customers want, and where. These “Rooboxes” (hubs of shipping containers in which the food is prepared) show that Deliveroo is a pioneer in the dark kitchen space, and are doing serious work to shake up the food delivery market.

 

AMAZON GO
There are any number of ways that Amazon could have been included in this list, but its Amazon Go stores are what we think will be the real game changer. The cashierless corner store uses a high-tech combination of cameras and computing power, allowing you to walk in grab what you want — and leave. That’s it. At its first location in Seattle, we were struck by how seamless the experience was. As the locations broaden, this type of quick convenience has the potential to change the way we shop for snacks, (some) groceries and even prepared meal kits.

 


INGEST.AI
Restaurants have more pieces of software to deal with than ever. In addition to all the delivery platforms they are now plugged into, there have to deal with payments systems, HR software, and inventory management software. And right now, none of those applications talk to each other. Created by a former IBM Watson engineer, Ingest.ai promises to extract and connect the data from ALL of those disparate software pieces and tie them together to give restaurant owners a holistic, data-powered view of their business. It also helps them have more precise control over their business and automate tasks like food ordering and staff scheduling.

Want to meet the innovators from the FoodTech 25? Make sure to connect with them at North America’s leading foodtech summit, SKS 2019, on Oct 7-8th in Seattle.

NEXT

Six Suggestions for Alphabet X’s Agriculture Ambitions

Alphabet X (part of Google family of companies), said that it is exploring ways to use AI to improve food production. During the MIT EmTech Digital event in San Francisco yesterday, Astro Teller, the head of X didn’t provide many details other than they may be looking at combining machine learning with drones and robotics for farming.

X is Alphabet’s ambitious “Moonshot Factory,” whose mission is to take on projects that they “hope could someday make the world a radically better place.” As the MIT Technology Review writes:

To be worthy of X’s attention, a project must fulfill three criteria: it has to potentially solve a problem that affects millions or billions of people; it has to involve an audacious, sci-fi-sounding technology; and there has to be at least a glimmer of hope it’s achievable within five to 10 years.

I understand that there are a lot of smart people working at Alphabet, and X’s mission is to invent and launch these world saving technologies. But we cover the intersection of AI and Ag here at The Spoon, and we’d love to put a few early stage startups on X’s radar.

First, let’s assume X is already looking in its own backyard. Sister Alphabet company, Google Ventures, has put money into companies like Abundant Robotics, Skycatch, and Farmers Business Network. And I’m sure Alphabet isn’t above synergizing across platforms to effectuate paradigm improvements throughout their stack.

But after that bit of corporate introspection, X can look outward, and we’re here to help. These are some startups we’ve covered that are intelligently using artificial intelligence or robots to improve food production and reduce food waste, and could make a radical impact at scale:

AgShift uses computer vision and machine learning to create objective food quality assessments throughout the supply chain. Using just a mobile phone app, inspectors can make nationwide food distribution more efficient and effective.

SomaDetect combines old light scattering detection tech with modern AI to determine the quality of milk and early spotting of Mastitis, a serious udder infection that is common–and deadly–among cows.

Farmstead is a grocery delivery startup, but it’s AI facilitates optimized inventory stocking in stores to decrease over-ordering (and subsequent spoilage and waste) as well as increased purchases from local sources.

ImpactVision applies its machine learning to hyperspectral images of food to assess quality and freshness to generate more transparency in the food chain.

Augean Robotics built the Burro, an autonomous worker robot that can carry food or tools and follow farm workers around with no beacon, remote or GPS required. Burro also maps routes to become a mobile conveyor belt for more efficient harvesting.

Huxley creates “plant vision” for farmers and growers. Through a combination of AI and augmented reality glasses, information about the types of plants and their various stages of growth can be quickly surfaced in a heads up display.

Of course, if X wants a deeper look into the future of food, we’re hosting our Smart Kitchen Summit Europe in June. Advances in AgTech are sure to be on the agenda.

AgShift Raises $2M, Reveals RJO as First Client

Today AgShift, a startup that uses computer vision and deep learning to reduce food waste, announced its first client: RJO Produce Marketing. This news comes just days after AgShift raised $2 million in its first seed round

Agshift uses its technology to attack food waste generated in the supply chain. Right now food inspection is done manually at different points along the food system, with workers literally eyeballing product to assess its quality using their own judgment, which can vary.

“The food supply chain is fragmented,” said Miku Jha, Founder and CEO of AgShift. “Inspections are done by different people at different points.” The results, according to Jha, are “subjective and inconsistent.” One person’s Grade A is another person’s Grade B.

Jha wants to take the subjectivity out of this process with — what else? — a mobile phone app. Instead of just looking at a piece of fruit, inspectors at wholesalers and distributors hold the produce up to the phone’s camera and take a picture (like depositing a check via mobile app, the software guides you for proper positioning). AgShift’s software in the cloud analyzes that image to quantify its bruising, color distribution, average size, mold, etc. to determine its quality.

Using the USDA’s produce guidelines (or a customized set of specifications), AgShift says its software can objectively give fruit its proper rating, and provide precise reasons why it made that choice. According to Jha, this level of consistency throughout food supply chain will deliver higher-quality produce to consumers.

It will also reduce food waste on multiple fronts. AgShift analyzes color distribution better than the human eye. So if, for example, it sees some strawberries that are 90 percent dark red at a shipping point, it can tell suppliers that it is more ripe. Then the suppliers can divert those riper berries to closer destinations, rather than running the risk of them getting spoiled on a cross-country trip.

AgShift can also reduce food waste by removing human judgment from the equation. Right now, vendors and buyers might dispute the rating of a food shipment. This can lead to canceled orders and food getting thrown out. With a computer generated rating, lower quality food can be assessed earlier in the supply chain and re-sold at a lower price or re-purposed, rather than discarded.

Industry watchers may note that AgShift sounds a lot like the Eden technology Walmart recently rolled out at its grocery stores to prevent food waste. Walmart is obviously a giant and a master of the supply chain, but Eden appears to be Walmart-specific. AgShift’s agnostic platform will give it a broad range of potential customers.

AgShift’s platform is already in trial use by a number of companies, the first of which to be publicly announced is RJO Produce Marketing. According to the press release, RJO provides “quality assurance inspections, in-depth market analysis and category management services for key perishable commodities.”

While the two million raised by AgShift is a rounding error for a company like Walmart, it’s just the start for this startup. The Sunnyvale-based company was founded two years ago and currently has 12 people working in their California and India offices. Jha said the money will be used to fund R&D and expedite the product.

Jha’s mission with AgShift is a global one. As she points out, we spend a lot of time talking about growing more food for a growing population — but a good first step is reducing the amount of food we waste right now.