Nurturing Change: The Visionary Journey of Krishna Kumar and Kunal Prasad at Cropin Technology Solutions

In a world where every start-ups claims to be driven by innovation, the founding story of Cropin Technology Solutions stands out as an emotional decision that has blossomed into a ground-breaking venture. Krishna Kumar and Kunal Prasad, childhood friends from Ranchi, embarked on a mission to revolutionize agriculture through technology, driven by a deep sense of responsibility towards Indian farmers. Twelve years ago, long before terms like “agri-tech” and “start-ups” became commonplace in India, Krishna Kumar and Kunal Prasad decided to take a step that would change the face of Indian agriculture. The duo had shared their formative years, from school in Ranchi to preparing for engineering college entrance exams in Delhi, before pursuing different paths. Prasad worked in sales and marketing at Tata Motors, even earning an MBA along the way, while Kumar was a tech professional at General Electric. In 2009, Kumar made a life-altering decision when he quit his job, marking the birth of Cropin in the subsequent year.

Their vision was simple yet profound: to use technology to bridge the information gap and, subsequently, the price disparity between farmers and consumers. They recognized that technology could empower farmers to earn better returns for their produce while providing more predictable supply chains for food businesses, such as Mother Dairy, one of their earliest clients. In the early days of Cropin, they were ahead of their time. The world had not yet fully embraced cloud computing, digital technologies, or data-driven agriculture. However, Kumar and Prasad’s dedication paved the way for what would become a significant transformation in the agriculture sector. The rest of the world eventually caught up with their vision, now realizing the importance of data-driven agriculture amid climate challenges and growing populations. Kunal Prasad, who recently relocated to Europe to lead Cropin’s expansion into that market, acknowledges that “digital is the new norm, and everyone now understands data-driven agriculture.”

Krishna Kumar and Kunal Prasad have set their sights on an ambitious goal: creating the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI)-based cloud, fondly referred to as the ‘ag cloud,’ for agricultural intelligence. They have already mapped land and crops on a hyper-local level in 12 countries. The company is now expanding this initiative to 250 clients in 56 countries across India, Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin and North America. Their clients include global giants like McCain, Philip Morris, Syngenta, Unilever, as well as fertilizer companies, farm mechanization equipment providers, banks, insurers, government agencies, and developmental organizations. Cropin’s platform caters to nearly 500 different crop varieties, ranging from horticulture to field crops, covering around 10,000 crop types. This wealth of information is meticulously organized in what the company refers to as ‘crop knowledge graphs.’ The platform equips clients with tools to enhance per-acre yields, predict farm outcomes in advance, and promote sustainable agriculture with the help of AI sciences.

In the United States alone, nearly $1 trillion is invested annually in the agriculture value chain, and McKinsey estimates that connectivity technologies in agriculture could contribute $500 billion to the world GDP by 2030. Cropin’s solutions offer precise insights into land health, water stress, nutrient levels, disease pressures, and other factors critical for predicting yields. For instance, Unilever’s teams use SmartFarm Plus to gather information from coconut farmers supplying coconut sugar, ensuring a resilient supply chain and assisting smallholder farmers. Cropin also collaborates with government agencies, providing critical data for initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, which offers crop insurance to farmers at scale in India.

Cropin’s journey has been divided into distinct phases. The initial phase involved building applications to digitalize activities at the farm level. The second phase focused on expanding data acquisition to different crops, countries, and climatic conditions. Cropin generated a colossal 18 trillion datasets for its AI models through applications that were crop- and location-agnostic. The third and pivotal phase involved investing in AI capabilities. Over the past five to six years, Cropin developed 22 machine-learning models using the 18 trillion datasets. The company aims to achieve technology readiness level (TRL) 7 for these models, meaning they would be ready for large-scale commercialization. This effort has positioned Cropin as a frontrunner in data-driven agriculture.

Krishna Kumar and Kunal Prasad are now determined to launch the industry’s first ‘Ag Cloud,’ a comprehensive solution for intelligent agriculture. Their audacious goal is to compute crop intelligence for a third of the planet and make it accessible to agriculture-related businesses worldwide. This cloud platform will empower industry players to integrate advanced digital tools into their operations seamlessly. With a rapidly growing customer base and a firm commitment to sustainability, Cropin Technology Solutions is set to continue its impressive journey. The co-founders are not only building a pioneering agri-tech company but also nurturing a global community of agri experts and professionals. The possibilities are immense in a sector that requires collaboration from all corners to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for agriculture.