Bengaluru: Climate technology startup Mitti Labs has raised $9.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Aramco Ventures, the venture investment arm of Saudi Aramco, as it looks to expand its AI-powered agricultural platform across Asia and accelerate climate-resilient rice cultivation. Existing and new investors, including Lightspeed India, Godrej Industries Group, Cisco Foundation, Francis Family Fund, and Volta Circle, also participated in the round.
With the latest investment, the Bengaluru- and New York-headquartered company plans to strengthen its footprint across India while expanding operations into the Philippines and Indonesia, two major rice-producing markets. The fresh capital will also support the continued development of the company’s GeoAI platform, which combines satellite imagery, artificial intelligence, and field-level data to help farmers adopt more sustainable irrigation practices.
Founded to address the environmental impact of conventional rice cultivation, Mitti Labs focuses on reducing methane emissions and improving water efficiency through data-driven farming techniques. Rice cultivation accounts for a significant share of agricultural methane emissions while also consuming substantial volumes of freshwater, making sustainable cultivation practices increasingly important amid climate change and growing water stress.
The company’s technology creates digital representations of individual rice fields by integrating satellite-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery with proprietary datasets collected through field operations. These AI models enable continuous monitoring of crop growth, soil moisture, irrigation cycles, and methane emissions, allowing interventions without requiring extensive on-ground infrastructure.
Since launching its first farmer programmes in 2023, Mitti Labs has rapidly expanded its operations. The startup says it has grown from supporting around 8,000 farmers during its initial season to more than 100,000 farmers across multiple Indian states, with a long-term objective of reaching millions of smallholder farmers across Asia by the end of the decade. The company currently employs more than 150 people, with a majority of its workforce based in India.
The funding reflects growing investor interest in climate technologies that combine artificial intelligence with agriculture to improve productivity while reducing environmental impact. Venture capital firms are increasingly backing startups developing scalable solutions for water conservation, emissions reduction, and carbon measurement as governments and enterprises intensify their focus on sustainable food systems.
For Mitti Labs, the latest investment marks the next phase of growth as it seeks to expand its technology platform beyond India and help rice-growing regions across Asia improve resource efficiency, strengthen climate resilience, and support more sustainable agricultural practices through AI-enabled decision-making.
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