Deere Announces 2020 Startup Collaborator Companies

Deere & Co. announced the companies that will be part of its 2020 cohort of the Startup Collaborator program in its Intelligent Solutions Group. Deere launched the Startup Collaborator program launched last year to, “enhance and deepen collaborative relationships with startup companies whose technology could add value for John Deere customers.”

The Startup Collaborator program was started to provide flexibility for Deere and startups to test innovative technologies with customers and dealers without a more formal business relationship. Startups also gain affiliation with and mentoring.

The four 2020 Startup Collaborator companies are:

• DataFarm – A Brazilian company building digital tools to recommend climate-smart agricultural practices to optimize farmers’ return on investment;
• FaunaPhotonics – A company from Denmark building technology for real-time pest detection to ensure sustainable crop management and improve tools for pest control;
• Fieldin – An Israeli company working on data management tools for specialty crops;
• EarthSense – A company from Champaign, IL building sensing methods to improve in-field data collection.

“The first year of the John Deere Startup Collaborator program showed us and the startups involved the tremendous mutual value of working closely together,” said Julian Sanchez, director of strategy and business development at Deere’s Intelligent Solutions Group. “We’re excited to continue building on the program’s success.”