Api-Agro

Agdatahub operates as a neutral data intermediation platform specifically for the French and European agricultural and agri-food sectors. The company originated from API-Agro, a research project initiated in 2017 by agricultural technical institutes and chambers of agriculture with support from the French Ministry of Agriculture. This initiative evolved into a full-fledged company, Agdatahub SAS, in November 2020, founded by the agricultural holding company API-Agro and the Banque des Territoires. The firm is led by President Sébastien Windsor, a farmer with a background as an engineer, and CEO Sébastien Picardat. The company's governance structure is designed to align its strategic vision with the needs of the agricultural sector while maintaining its independence.

The core of Agdatahub's business is to provide a sovereign technological infrastructure that facilitates the secure exchange of agricultural data, ensuring that farmers retain control and provide consent for the use of their information. Its client base is diverse, encompassing farmers, agricultural cooperatives, AgriTech startups, food industry manufacturers, public bodies, and research institutions. The business model is centered on two main solutions: 'Agritrust' for consent management and 'API-Agro' for data exchange. 'Agritrust' provides a digital identity for farms, allowing farmers to manage who can access their data via a mobile app, while service providers can subscribe to the solution. The 'API-Agro' platform functions as a marketplace where data providers and users can securely transact. This platform enables users to find, evaluate with samples, and access datasets or APIs, which can be free or monetized, all under a licensing framework. Additionally, Agdatahub offers operational consulting services on data-related projects, assisting clients with technology, project management, and marketing.

A significant milestone was a €4.8 million fundraising round in 2023, which brought in new investors like Avril, InVivo, and IN Groupe, alongside historical partners. This funding was intended to accelerate the platform's development and connect France's 380,000 farms with their 85,000 partners. However, despite its strategic backing and role in coordinating the European 'Agridataspace' project, the company faced economic difficulties due to slower-than-expected adoption by the industry and was declared insolvent in late 2024, subsequently filing for liquidation.

Keywords: agricultural data, data exchange platform, agrifood sector, data intermediation, farmer consent, digital identity, API-Agro, Agritrust, data sovereignty, agritech, data marketplace, farm data management, European agriculture, data sharing, food traceability, environmental scoring, sustainable agriculture, data governance, API-Agro SAS, Sébastien Windsor