PlantBit

PlantBit, founded in 2023, is an agritech company operating from Parma, Italy, that has emerged as a spin-off from the Italian National Research Council (CNR). The company was co-founded by Filippo Vurro (CEO), Nicola Coppedè, Manuele Bettelli, and Michela Janni. The founding team's work on biocompatible materials for bioelectronics led to the idea of creating in-vivo sensors for plants.

The core of PlantBit's business is its proprietary product, Bioristor, an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) designed to be inserted directly into a plant's stem. This biosensor monitors the ionic changes in the plant's sap in real-time, providing direct data on its health and needs, such as water, nutrients, and phytosanitary treatments. The technology is the result of scientific research conducted by the Institute of Materials for Electronics and Magnetism (CNR-IMEM) in Parma and is protected by an international patent exclusively licensed to PlantBit.

PlantBit operates on a B2B model, targeting farming operations and producer associations within the precision agriculture market. Its offering functions as a service that includes the installation of the Bioristor sensors, a dedicated application for data visualization, data analysis, and decision support. The system connects the in-plant sensor to an IoT control unit, which transmits data to a mobile app. This allows farmers to receive early warnings, for instance, detecting water stress up to 30 hours before visible signs appear, enabling precise and timely irrigation. This capability can lead to a reduction in water consumption for irrigation by as much as 40%.

The company's technology supports the broader goals of Agriculture 4.0 by enhancing resource efficiency and sustainability. In December 2024, PlantBit secured a seed funding round of approximately €200,000 from investors including Scientifica Venture Capital and Terra Next, an accelerator program initiated by CDP Venture Capital. This capital is intended to accelerate the pre-industrialization and finalization of the Bioristor, bringing the product to a wider market to address global food security and the environmental impact of agriculture.

Keywords: precision agriculture, agritech, biosensor, plant health monitoring, real-time data, water stress detection, IoT in agriculture, sustainable farming, irrigation optimization, in-vivo sensor, crop monitoring, Bioristor, OECT, farm management, water conservation, CNR spin-off, nutrient management, decision support system for farming, smart farming, soil-less monitoring