In a world where AI is writing poems, driving cars, and recommending your next binge-watch, one startup decided to use it for something more… grounded. Literally. Meet Cropin, the Bengaluru-based AgTech powerhouse using artificial intelligence to decode the past, present, and future of farming, and in the process, helping feed the planet.
Founded in 2010 by Krishna Kumar, Cropin is now a global leader in agri-intelligence, with a mission that’s part science, part sustainability, and part superhero origin story. Let’s dig in.
From Bootstrapped Beginnings to Billion-Acre Brilliance
Cropin didn’t start with a billion-dollar valuation or a fancy office. It began in a single-room setup, driven by Krishna Kumar’s vision to improve farmer livelihoods using tech. Alongside co-founder Kunal Prasad, the duo set out to bring data, digital tools, and AI to one of the world’s oldest industries.
Fast forward to today, and Cropin has:
– 🌍 Digitized 30 million acres of farmland
– 👨🌾 Positively impacted 7 million+ farmers
– 🌾 Built a crop knowledge graph covering 500 crops and 10,000 varieties
– 🌐 Operated in 103 countries
– 🧠 Created intelligence over 1 billion acres of cultivable land
Not bad for a company that started with just a laptop and a dream.
The Big Idea: Ag-Intelligence, Not Just AgTech
While most AgTech startups focus on sensors and soil, Cropin went a step further. They coined the term “Ag-Intelligence”, a fancy way of saying, “Let’s make farming smarter using AI.”
Their flagship platform, Cropin Sage, is like a crystal ball for crops. It:
– Analyzes past yields
– Evaluates current weather and soil conditions
– Predicts future harvests
It’s the Google Maps of agriculture, rerouting farmers around climate change, pests, and supply chain chaos.
Krishna Kumar: The Man, The Mission, The Moustache (Probably)
Before founding Cropin, Krishna Kumar worked at GE, but he left the corporate world to solve real-world problems. His mission? To decode agriculture in a changing climate and build a sustainable food future.
He’s not just a CEO, he’s a climate warrior in a blazer, leading a team that’s transforming how the world grows, eats, and survives.
Cropin’s Greatest Hits (So Far)
Here’s what makes Cropin a certified game-changer:
🌩️ Cropin Sage – The Gen AI Whisperer
The world’s first real-time Gen AI-powered agri-intelligence platform. It doesn’t just give data, it gives decisions.
☁️ Cropin Cloud – The Industry’s First Agri-Cloud
Think AWS, but for agriculture. It helps businesses manage everything from farm operations to food traceability.
🧬 Micro Language Model (µ-LM)
A purpose-built AI model for climate-smart agriculture. ChatGPT can’t tell you when to irrigate your sugarcane.
The Sustainability Flex
Cropin isn’t just about profits, it’s about planet-first practices. Their tools help:
– Reduce water usage
– Monitor soil health
– Predict pest outbreaks
– Cut down on fertilizer and pesticide overuse
– Track deforestation and land use changes
In 2024, they even bagged the B Corp™ certification, joining a global league of companies using business as a force for good.
The Numbers Are Growing Like Monsoon Paddy
Despite being in a sector that’s notoriously tough to monetize, Cropin’s financials are looking up:
– 💸 FY24 Revenue: ₹31.15 Cr (up 15.9% from FY23)
– 📈 Total Income: ₹35.76 Cr (up 18.48%)
– 📉 Total Expenses: ₹98.64 Cr (down 13.51%)
– 🔻 Net Loss: ₹62.87 Cr (down 25.04% from FY23)
Translation: They’re spending smarter, earning more, and bleeding less. That’s a win in startup land.
The Secret Sauce: Crop Knowledge Graph
At the heart of Cropin’s tech is a massive crop knowledge graph, basically, a digital encyclopedia of:
– 500 crops
– 10,000 varieties
– 103 countries
– 1 billion+ acres of data
This graph powers everything from yield predictions to disease detection, making it the Wikipedia of agriculture, but with actual science.
Raising the Bar for Global Food Systems
As part of its bold 2025 kick-off, Cropin announced a major partnership with Walmart, the global retail giant, to bring its agri-intelligence tools into Walmart’s U.S. and South American fresh produce supply chains. This isn’t just another tech tie-up; it’s a power move that amplifies Cropin’s global footprint. Through Cropin’s AI-powered platform, Walmart can now forecast yields with greater accuracy, track crop health in real time, and predict seasonal changes that affect sourcing and shelf life.
The partnership aims to reduce waste, avoid stockouts, and keep fresh produce flowing smoothly, even as climate volatility throws curveballs at supply chains. From pest predictions to water use tracking, this collaboration is a game-changer for food retail, showing how AI can bring real-time smarts to the supply chain and make fresh food smarter, too.
Cropin’s Global Squad Goals
Cropin isn’t flying solo.
They’ve partnered with:
– 🌾 Global CPG brands
– 🏦 Financial institutions
– 🛒 Food retailers
– 🏛️ Governments and NGOs
Together, they’re tackling:
– Food insecurity
– Climate change
– Pest outbreaks
– Supply chain volatility
Basically, if there’s a problem in the agri-world, Cropin’s probably already working on it.
Final Thoughts: From Soil to Software, Cropin’s Got It Covered
In a world where agriculture is still battling outdated practices, unpredictable weather, and shrinking margins, Cropin is the tech-powered tractor leading the charge.
With AI in its DNA, sustainability in its soul, and a billion acres in its database, Cropin isn’t just growing crops, it’s growing the future.
So the next time you bite into a perfectly ripe mango or sip your morning chai, remember: there’s a good chance Cropin’s AI had something to do with it.
