Blue Radix, specialist in Autonomous Growing, is entering a new phase. Since its foundation in 2019, it has been working closely with growers to unlock the value of AI-driven technology for greenhouses on a global scale. Now is the moment for the next step: Navus Ventures and Investment Cooperative Horticoop are investing in Blue Radix to help the company further expand its product range and increase its worldwide impact to empower more growers. Together they will work towards sustainable food production and a healthy future for the global horticultural industry.
From left to right: Laurens van der Spek (COO), Ronald Hoek (CEO), and Rudolf de Vetten (CPO)
Blue Radix launched Crop Controller on the market in 2021, aimed at optimizing and realizing the grower's unique crop strategy without human interference. Its value has been proven at many different greenhouses in 13 different countries and multiple climate conditions. "Since the market introduction of Crop Controller, we've been working intensively with many leading greenhouse companies around the world to prove its value. Growers see significant improvements in yield and quality while they can manage many more hectares and reduce costs. We are grateful for their continuous support and trust. Thanks to their insights and feedback, we can now claim these significant improvements through our technology. It's such a compliment to hear growers say that they fully rely on our system, 24/7, freeing their hands to manage more hectares and improve other aspects of their daily operations," says Ronald Hoek, CEO and co-founder of Blue Radix.
Ready to scale
"The system is ready to scale. Crop Controller is available for every greenhouse with a climate computer and an internet connection. Blue Radix' mission is to enable growers to get the most out of their greenhouse data and optimize their results with the practical application of Artificial Intelligence. "We believe that growers should be able to use their knowledge and experience in the most efficient way without having to share data with others. Crop Controller helps them to achieve exactly that. This is crucial because growers are becoming scarcer every month," adds Laurens van der Spek, COO, and co-founder.
"And we're just beginning," says Rudolf de Vetten, CPO and co-founder, addressing the big impulse that these new investments bring to product development. "We won't be on this path alone. We believe in an open eco-system where growers can choose what fits them best, and we should make that possible together with our partners in greenhouse horticulture."
400 greenhouse horticulture companies invest
Horticoop actively invests on behalf of 400 greenhouse companies in companies that make a positive contribution to the horticultural sector. Blue Radix is fully in line with this. Steven van Nieuwenhuijzen, CEO of Horticoop: "Blue Radix is a leader in the field of applied artificial intelligence in the horticultural sector. At Horticoop, we believe that accelerated technological development is necessary to enable an even more sustainable and productive future of greenhouse horticulture. We are therefore delighted with this expansion of our portfolio. In this way, together with our members, we are closely involved in AI developments that benefit the entire sector. The investment characterizes the essence of our cooperative: jointly investing in the future of the horticultural sector."
Far beyond data platforms
"Blue Radix fits our portfolio of sustainable food and energy investments perfectly," says Eduard Meijer, director of Navus Ventures. "We see greenhouse technology as a key driver of efficient and sustainable food production. Blue Radix brings operational intelligence and energy efficiency to the greenhouse, going far beyond other data platforms to turn data into practical applications. With the Blue Radix team's 10-year history in AI-driven energy management and their proven track record in crop management, we're happy to support the company both financially and with our knowledge and network to make a global impact on sustainable food production and energy management."
For more information:
Marijke van Rongen 
Blue Radix
Tel.: +31 6 53 43 38 39
marijke.vanrongen@blue-radix.com
www.blue-radix.com