SourceTrace Systems

SourceTrace Systems provides a digital platform to manage the entire agricultural value chain, from farming operations to retail. The company was founded in 2007, initially focusing on financial inclusion and branchless banking solutions. A pivotal change occurred in 2013 when Venkat Maroju took over as CEO and steered the company towards digital agriculture. This strategic shift was driven by his direct experience with the hardships faced by farmers in his home state of Telangana, India, which motivated him to make agriculture more sustainable and empower smallholders.

Maroju's background combines high-level technology leadership at global corporations like Bose with a deep-seated passion for social enterprise. Prior to SourceTrace, he founded Factum Ventures, a holding company for ventures in sustainable agriculture and microfinance, and holds an MBA from MIT Sloan and a Ph.D. in Engineering. This blend of corporate and social-impact experience shaped SourceTrace's mission. In 2012, while advising one of its investors, Gray Ghost Ventures, Maroju proposed the pivot to agriculture, which the board endorsed, subsequently appointing him CEO.

The company operates on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business model, charging clients a one-time onboarding fee followed by a monthly subscription based on the number of farmers or acres under management. Its clientele includes a diverse range of organizations such as farmer cooperatives, large agribusinesses, food importers and exporters, governments, and NGOs. The firm's core product is the DATAGREEN platform, a comprehensive suite of digital tools. This platform digitizes farm and farmer data, including profiles, GPS-based geo-plotting, and crop records. It facilitates supply chain management through procurement modules, harvest planning, and real-time inventory tracking.

A key feature of the DATAGREEN platform is its emphasis on traceability, which is sometimes powered by blockchain, using barcodes and QR codes to track produce from the farm to the end consumer. The system also offers farmer advisory services via text and voice messages, certification tools for standards like Fairtrade and Organic, and financial service integration for crop loans and insurance. By creating a transparent and data-rich environment, SourceTrace aims to enhance productivity, improve market linkage, and provide greater financial stability for farmers across Africa, Asia, and South America.

Keywords: AgTech, digital agriculture, supply chain management, farm management software, food traceability, sustainable agriculture, smallholder farmers, DATAGREEN, agricultural data analytics, crop monitoring, agricultural value chain, mobile farming solutions, SaaS, farmer advisory services, food safety, blockchain in agriculture, remote sensing, procurement management, certification tracking, carbon farming