To continue evolving its offerings to customers, Deere and Company announced that it has added seven companies to its 2022 Startup Collaborator program. The initiative was launched in 2019 to extend Deere's involvement with startup companies that could eventually provide beneficial technology to customers. The seven companies are Burro, CropZone.com, Four Growers, SeeDevice, Ucropit, ViewAR, and Yard Stick.
"The startup collaborator shows that part of our investment in technology is establishing a mechanism to help external ideas and knowledge collide with ours," said Julian Sanchez, director of emerging technology for John Deere. "Agriculture is a domain ripe for technology pioneering, and the startup collaborator program is a way to travel that journey together with others."
Burro provides robotic platforms to help farmworkers enhance productivity out in the field. CropZone is developing a more sustainable way to control weeds without negatively impacting crops, while Four Growers is focused on robotic harvesting and analytics. SeeDevice is working to enhance imaging sensing capabilities, and Ucropit is honing in on verified sustainability traceability. ViewAR is developing augmented reality business solutions, as Yard Stick looks toward refining soil carbon measurement technologies.
Deere's Startup Collaborator program extends over the course of one year and allows startups to test their solutions with real-world customers and dealers.
"The expansion of this year's collaborator program provides an opportunity for John Deere to work with this globally diverse group across a broad area of technology spaces while continuing to unlock value for our customers across multiple production systems," said Michele Kaiser, business development manager for John Deere.
More information on Deere and Company's initiatives can be found at www.JohnDeere.com.