Blab Tech
Mitti Labs Secures $9.5 Million Series A to Expand GeoAI-Powered Rice Farming in Asia
On August 5, 2026, Bengaluru‑based deep‑tech company Mitti Labs closed a $9.5 million Series A round led by Aramco Ventures, with Lightspeed India, Godrej Industries Group, Cisco Foundation, Francis Family Fund, and Volta Circle joining the mix. The capital will drive expansion into India’s core markets and launch greenfield projects in the Philippines and Indonesia.
Mitti Labs’ flagship GeoAI platform blends high‑resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data with ground‑truth measurements and physical models to generate digital twins of rice fields at the resolution of individual plots. The system translates raw satellite imagery into actionable insights on crop health, soil moisture, and flooding—data that is scarce on the fragmented farms that dominate rice production.
Rice feeds half the world’s population, yet it is the most water‑intensive crop, consuming over 30 % of all irrigation water. Continuous flooding also releases methane, a greenhouse gas that accounts for roughly one‑third of climate‑warming emissions to date. Studies show that low‑cost, alternate irrigation techniques can cut water use by about 40 % and methane emissions by more than 50 % while preserving yields.
"Growing more rice with less water is one of the world’s major challenges. Demand for rice continues to grow, but record heat and changing rainfall patterns are threatening water systems and endangering food security," co‑founder Xavier Laguarta said. "With our technology and scalable operational model, we can transform how rice is grown, lower emissions and cut water consumption while building resilient livelihoods for 150 million smallholder farmers."
The GeoAI platform, developed with support from NASA, addresses the data gap on small farms—most of which are under two hectares—by converting SAR imagery into field‑level insights that inform irrigation practices. These insights enable farmers to adopt the Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) technique, a proven method that reduces water use and methane emissions without compromising yields.
Aramco Ventures’ Executive Managing Director Zayed Al‑Amri emphasized the platform’s reach: "Rice covers a fifth of Asia’s cultivated land, and it is both a major source of methane and one of the most water‑intensive crops grown. Changing farming practices is not easy, but the harder part has been knowing what is actually happening in the fields across millions of small farms. That is what Mitti Labs’ AI and satellite technology aims to solve."
Lightspeed India Partner Hemant Mohapatra added, "Solving the world’s water crisis requires bringing together smallholder farmers, industry stakeholders, governments, and nonprofits to transform how rice is grown. With its unique technology and vast network of farmer‑partners, Mitti Labs can unlock new revenue opportunities tied to this transition and help build the future of rice."
Since launching in 2023, Mitti Labs has built the largest AWD rice program worldwide, enrolling more than 100,000 farmers across several Indian states. The company has already saved 500 billion liters of water—roughly the annual supply of Bengaluru—and generated revenue from both carbon credits and its GeoAI platform. Current customers include global technology, service, food, and agriculture firms such as Cool Effect, Ebro Foods, and Syngenta.
With the new funding, Mitti Labs will extend its satellite‑based monitoring and AWD support into the Philippines and Indonesia over the next 12 months, tapping the vast rice markets of those countries. The company also plans to deepen its carbon‑credit and data businesses, further scaling its impact on smallholder rice farmers.
In short, Mitti Labs’ Series A investment positions the company to broaden its geographic footprint, enhance its data‑driven services, and accelerate the adoption of water‑saving irrigation practices across Asia—reducing methane emissions, conserving water, and sustaining yields amid a changing climate.
Mitti Labs’ flagship GeoAI platform blends high‑resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data with ground‑truth measurements and physical models to generate digital twins of rice fields at the resolution of individual plots. The system translates raw satellite imagery into actionable insights on crop health, soil moisture, and flooding—data that is scarce on the fragmented farms that dominate rice production.
Rice feeds half the world’s population, yet it is the most water‑intensive crop, consuming over 30 % of all irrigation water. Continuous flooding also releases methane, a greenhouse gas that accounts for roughly one‑third of climate‑warming emissions to date. Studies show that low‑cost, alternate irrigation techniques can cut water use by about 40 % and methane emissions by more than 50 % while preserving yields.
"Growing more rice with less water is one of the world’s major challenges. Demand for rice continues to grow, but record heat and changing rainfall patterns are threatening water systems and endangering food security," co‑founder Xavier Laguarta said. "With our technology and scalable operational model, we can transform how rice is grown, lower emissions and cut water consumption while building resilient livelihoods for 150 million smallholder farmers."
The GeoAI platform, developed with support from NASA, addresses the data gap on small farms—most of which are under two hectares—by converting SAR imagery into field‑level insights that inform irrigation practices. These insights enable farmers to adopt the Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) technique, a proven method that reduces water use and methane emissions without compromising yields.
Aramco Ventures’ Executive Managing Director Zayed Al‑Amri emphasized the platform’s reach: "Rice covers a fifth of Asia’s cultivated land, and it is both a major source of methane and one of the most water‑intensive crops grown. Changing farming practices is not easy, but the harder part has been knowing what is actually happening in the fields across millions of small farms. That is what Mitti Labs’ AI and satellite technology aims to solve."
Lightspeed India Partner Hemant Mohapatra added, "Solving the world’s water crisis requires bringing together smallholder farmers, industry stakeholders, governments, and nonprofits to transform how rice is grown. With its unique technology and vast network of farmer‑partners, Mitti Labs can unlock new revenue opportunities tied to this transition and help build the future of rice."
Since launching in 2023, Mitti Labs has built the largest AWD rice program worldwide, enrolling more than 100,000 farmers across several Indian states. The company has already saved 500 billion liters of water—roughly the annual supply of Bengaluru—and generated revenue from both carbon credits and its GeoAI platform. Current customers include global technology, service, food, and agriculture firms such as Cool Effect, Ebro Foods, and Syngenta.
With the new funding, Mitti Labs will extend its satellite‑based monitoring and AWD support into the Philippines and Indonesia over the next 12 months, tapping the vast rice markets of those countries. The company also plans to deepen its carbon‑credit and data businesses, further scaling its impact on smallholder rice farmers.
In short, Mitti Labs’ Series A investment positions the company to broaden its geographic footprint, enhance its data‑driven services, and accelerate the adoption of water‑saving irrigation practices across Asia—reducing methane emissions, conserving water, and sustaining yields amid a changing climate.
