logo
Eeki Raises USD 7 Mn from Sixth Sense Ventures to Scale Climate-Resilient Farming

Eeki Raises USD 7 Mn from Sixth Sense Ventures to Scale Climate-Resilient Farming

Entrepreneur3 days ago
The newly acquired funds will be strategically deployed to scale nationwide operations, enhance research and development, and roll out Eeki's advanced Gen 3 aeroponic growing chambers.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Agritech innovator Eeki has raised USD 7 million in fresh funding from Sixth Sense Ventures, marking a significant boost for the startup as it accelerates its mission of climate-resilient, sustainable farming.
This funding round comes over three years after Eeki's last major raise and positions the company for aggressive expansion and technological advancement.
The newly acquired funds will be strategically deployed to scale nationwide operations, enhance research and development, and roll out Eeki's advanced Gen 3 aeroponic growing chambers. These chambers use a nutrient-rich mist to nourish plant roots suspended in air, drastically reducing water usage and allowing year-round, pesticide-free cultivation — even on barren land.
"This funding marks a pivotal moment in our journey toward scaling climate-resilient farming across India and abroad," said Abhay Singh, CEO and Co-founder of Eeki. "The introduction of aeroponics in our Gen 3 chambers represents a paradigm shift in precision agriculture. Our aim is to build a future-ready food system that thrives regardless of environmental challenges."
Founded in 2018 by IIT Bombay alumni Abhay Singh and Amit Kumar, Eeki is based in Kota, Rajasthan. The startup builds and operates IoT-powered, climate-controlled aeroponic chambers that enable the sustainable, large-scale production of pesticide-free vegetables at costs comparable to conventional farming. Eeki collaborates with landowners to set up these chambers, turning even non-arable plots into productive farmland.
The company's goal is to make nutritious, affordable, and locally-grown produce accessible to all, while addressing critical challenges like soil degradation, water scarcity, and food insecurity. With over USD 10 million raised in the last year alone, Eeki is fast emerging as a leading force in agritech innovation.
"30% of our team is focused on improving core tech to maximise yield with minimal resources," said Amit Kumar, Co-founder of Eeki. "With Sixth Sense's consumer expertise, we aim to establish Eeki as a leader in both nutrition and origin."
Nikhil Vora, Founder and CEO of Sixth Sense Ventures, added, "Eeki's breakthrough model has proven itself in India's toughest conditions. Abhay and Amit are building what could be the world's most efficient farming company — and we're thrilled to support them."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Meet Soham Parekh, the engineer burning through tech by working at three to four startups simultaneously
Meet Soham Parekh, the engineer burning through tech by working at three to four startups simultaneously

The Verge

timean hour ago

  • The Verge

Meet Soham Parekh, the engineer burning through tech by working at three to four startups simultaneously

One name is popping up a lot across tech startup social media right now, and you might've heard it: Soham Parekh. On X, people are joking that Parekh is single-handedly holding up all modern digital infrastructure, while others are posting memes about him working in front of a dozen different monitors or filling in for the thousands of people that Microsoft just laid off. From what social media posts suggest, Parekh is actually a software engineer who seems to have interviewed at dozens of tech startups over the years, while also juggling multiple jobs at the same time. Several startups had this revelation on July 2nd, when Suhail Doshi, founder of the AI design tool Playground, posted a PSA on X, saying: PSA: there's a guy named Soham Parekh (in India) who works at 3-4 startups at the same time. He's been preying on YC companies and more. Beware. I fired this guy in his first week and told him to stop lying / scamming people. He hasn't stopped a year later. No more excuses. Doshi's post was quickly flooded with replies that included similar stories. 'We interviewed this guy too, but caught this during references checks,' Variant founder Ben South said. 'Turns out he had 5-6 profiles each with 5+ places he actually worked at.' When asked what tipped him off about Parekh, South told The Verge that his suspicions arose during Parekh's interview, prompting his team to do a reference check earlier than they usually would. 'That's when we learned he was working multiple jobs,' South said. Parekh's resume and pitch email look good at first glance, which helps him garner interest from multiple companies. 'He had a prolific GitHub contribution graph and prior startup experience,' Marcus Lowe, founder of the AI app builder Create, told The Verge. 'He was also extremely technically strong during our interview process.' Just one day after this all unfolded, Parekh came forward in an interview with the daily tech show TBPN. Parekh confirmed what many tech startup founders had suspected: he had been working for multiple companies at the same time. 'I'm not proud of what I've done. That's not something I endorse either. But no one really likes to work 140 hours a week, I had to do it out of necessity,' Parekh said. 'I was in extremely dire financial circumstances.' Parekh seems to have made a good first impression on many people. Digger CEO Igor Zalutski said his company 'nearly hired him,' as he 'seemed so sharp' during interviews, while cofounder Justin Harvey similarly said that he was 'THIS close to hiring him,' adding that 'he actually crushed the interview.' Vapi cofounder Jordan Dearsley said Parekh 'was the best technical interview' he's seen, but he 'did not deliver on his projects.' The startups that did hire Parekh didn't seem to keep him around for long. Lowe said that he noticed something was off when Parekh kept making excuses to push back his start date. After telling Lowe that he had to delay working because he had a trip planned to see his sister in New York, Parekh later claimed that he couldn't start working following the trip because he was sick. 'For whatever reason, something just felt off,' Lowe said. That's when Lowe visited Parekh's GitHub profile and realized he was committing code to a private repository during the time he was supposed to be sick. Lowe also found recent commits to another San Francisco-based startup. 'Did some digging, noticed that he was in some of their marketing materials,' Lowe said. 'I was like, 'Huh, but he didn't declare this on his resume. This feels weird.'' Create ended up letting Parekh go after he failed to complete an assignment. It looks like Parekh even had a stint at Meta. In 2021, the company published a post highlighting his story as a contributor working on mixed-reality experiences in WebXR. In the post, Parekh said that he found 'that the best way to get better at software development is to not only practice it but to use it to solve real world problems.' Meta didn't immediately respond to The Verge's request for comment. Parekh's purported scheme may have been uncovered, but his outlook might not be all bad — if you believe him. Parekh claims he landed a job at Darwin, an AI video remixing startup. 'Earlier today, I signed an exclusive founding deal to be founding engineer at one company and one company only,' Parekh posted on X. 'They were the only ones willing to bet on me at this time.'

What Is BRICS, the G-7 Alternative Being Pushed by China?
What Is BRICS, the G-7 Alternative Being Pushed by China?

Bloomberg

timean hour ago

  • Bloomberg

What Is BRICS, the G-7 Alternative Being Pushed by China?

The BRICS group of nations — the acronym stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — has gone from an investment thesis conceived by a Wall Street economist two decades ago to a real-world club that accounts for 40% of the world's economy and roughly half of its population. It now controls an investment bank and pairs several major energy producers with some of the biggest consumers among developing countries. BRICS has grown to include 10 full member states and several partner countries. The expansion is enhancing its economic clout in a US-dominated world and potentially undermining the role of the dollar in global trade. That's angered President Donald Trump, who has threatened to impose 100% trade tariffs on the group's members.

India Pushes Forward in Rare Earth Rare
India Pushes Forward in Rare Earth Rare

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

India Pushes Forward in Rare Earth Rare

India's Hindustan Zinc is moving into rare earths, but commercial production could take up to five years, underscoring the hurdles of building a domestic supply chain to challenge China's grip on the sector. "This (rare earth) is of strategic interest (to India)," said CEO Arun Misra in an interview, according to Nikkei Asia. The company was the only private bidder to win a monazite mining block in Uttar Pradesh in a government auction in May. However, exploration and reserve analysis will take three to four years. "The first part is exploration and mining, and that itself could take about three or four years, because we have to evaluate (the quantity and quality) of the reserves," said CEO Arun Misra. Global supply of permanent magnets is tight after China restricted exports of rare earths like terbium and dysprosium, both used to boost neodymium magnets' heat resistance. Auto manufacturers have been hit hard, though China claims it is still processing export applications. India holds 6% of global rare earth reserves but accounts for only 1% of production, compared to China's 69%. China benefits from large bastnaesite reserves with low thorium content, reducing processing costs—a "huge difference" in operating expenses, Misra noted. India has 12.73 million metric tons of monazite reserves, mainly in southern beach sands. However, private firms are barred from mining these due to their thorium content, which is reserved for nuclear energy under the Atomic Energy Act. Only state-run Indian Rare Earth Ltd. can mine these areas. 'If monazite is decontrolled and allowed to be mined with private participation, and companies like ours participate, it will help India make magnets,' Misra said. 'What is known is the (monazite content) in sea beaches, because rare earth mining has happened there for the last so many years.' EY estimates China holds 44 million tons of rare earth reserves—40% of the global total. In a recent report, EY India's chief policy adviser D.K. Srivastava stressed the need for more R&D and global partnerships. 'Any shortage will serve as a substantiative bottleneck in growth and employment,' he warned. Nikkei Asia writes that India's rare earth oxide imports dropped 22% year-on-year in FY 2022-23, but China's share of those imports rose from 17.5% to 25%. The supply crunch has highlighted India's broader reliance on imports of key minerals like cobalt, graphite, lithium, and copper—vital for EVs and energy storage. Despite large domestic reserves, India imports 60% of its graphite and does not refine cobalt locally. According to IEEFA, this reliance will likely persist as demand for critical minerals could more than double by 2030, while domestic production will lag. 'This situation (dependence on imports) is likely to continue,' it noted in a 2024 report. In response, India launched the ?163 billion ($1.9 billion) National Critical Mineral Mission and tasked the Geological Survey of India with 1,200 exploration projects by 2030-31. The country also aims to secure lithium and cobalt reserves abroad. Hindustan Zinc is expanding accordingly, having acquired potash and tungsten blocks. It targets 30% of its revenue from critical minerals in five years. While Misra didn't disclose funding details, he stated, 'money was not an issue,' citing a 33% jump in profits to ?103.5 billion in FY 2024-25. 'We would like to work in sectors which are apparently difficult to operate and hence not attractive enough for other big players,' he added. By More Top Reads From this article on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store