Two Hawaii startups will advance energy conservation in the agriculture industry
Hawaii ag-tech startup Smart Yields announced today that it will work with Ibis Networks, a Honolulu-based energy management solutions firm, to explore ways to conserve energy and reduce costs for farms.
The two local startups signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to use Ibis Networks’ energy efficiency and commercial-scale automation solutions to expand the capabilities of Smart Yields’ technology platform. The Smart Yields mobile app brings data analytics, artificial intelligence and automation to small- to medium-sized farms that grow high value crops.
“Helping farmers here and around the world optimize their operations is a challenge that requires collaboration, and I’m especially excited to be able to work with another Hawaii startup in this important mission,” said Smart Yields founder and CEO Vincent Kimura. “Our software and data expertise, coupled with Ibis’ proven hardware solutions, brings powerful new tools to the agricultural industry.”
“No conversation about energy conservation is complete without addressing agriculture,” said Kevin Hause, Chief Operating Officer of Ibis Networks. “We look forward to exploring how our Plug Load Management System can work with Smart Yields’ app and sensors to help farmers increase efficiency and save money.”
In addition to integrating their technology, Smart Yields and Ibis Networks have agreed to pursue commercial pilots that will inform product development and validate the benefits of the combined system. In addition, the companies will jointly develop case studies to inform the development of next-generation agricultural applications.
Smart Yields is part of Elemental Excelerator’s latest Go-to-market Track cohort, which invests up to $1million in innovative startups that impact people’s lives across multiple sectors, including energy, water, agriculture, and mobility. Ibis Networks is an Elemental Excelerator alumni.
“In building our portfolio of startups, we look for companies that have complementary solutions,” said Jill Sims, Head of Innovation Deployment for Elemental Excelerator. “It is exciting to see two of our portfolio companies working together to uplift our agricultural industry and our innovation economy.” Applications for Elemental Excelerator are currently open for their 2018 cohort of entrepreneurs.
It was during the Elemental Excelerator’s “Interactive Week” in Silicon Valley last week that Kimura announced the launch of Smart Yields’ new app.
Meanwhile, Smart Yields this year is expanding its education initiatives, bringing its technology into classrooms and school gardens to boost student engagement in STEM fields.
To date, Smart Yields has raised more than half a million dollars in support of its vision to give farmers flexible yet powerful tools to help protect crops, optimize operations, and increase yields, with more than half of the capital coming from investors in Asia. The startup is currently working on a $1 million fundraising round.
About Smart Yields
Smart Yields is an agriculture technology platform for farmers, indoor growers and gardeners, featuring an intuitive and customizable mobile app. While designed to be simple and easy to use, Smart Yields connects with a wide-variety of sensors and hardware and taps a diverse array of data sets and agronomy best practices to give farmers a flexible yet powerful tool to help protect crops, optimize operations, and increase yields. Founded in 2015, Smart Yields was part of the sixth cohort of the Blue Startups accelerator program and is part of the 2017 cohort of the Elemental Excelerator. For more information, visit smartyields.com.
About Ibis Networks
Ibis Networks is a leading provider of energy management solutions for the enterprise, using advanced IoT technologies to provide building owners with actionable insights and advanced control tools for their energy use, enabling them to make more informed decisions and save money. The flagship InteliNetwork system provides industry leading plug load management tools for commercial buildings. Ibis is based in Honolulu, Hawaii, with offices in California and Washington. For more information, visit ibisnetworks.com.
