Seqana Secures €3.2 Million to Revolutionize Soil Health Monitoring
Séqana, a Berlin-based digital MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification) company, has successfully closed a €3.2 million funding round. This innovative company, which specializes in quantifying soil health using satellite imagery and machine learning, is poised to make significant advances in agricultural resilience and sustainability.
Investment and Support from Leading Entities
The recent funding round was led by Pymwymic, with participation from existing investors HTGF and Counteract. The mix of venture capital and debt capital includes a seed loan from Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank, building on previous investments and grants from the European Space Agency. This financial backing underscores the growing importance of addressing soil health as a critical component of agricultural and environmental sustainability.
Seqana’s Approach to Soil Health
“Carbon is at the heart of what we do,” stated Stefan Goenner, co-founder and CEO of Seqana. “It’s how the market has learned to assign value to soil and the discipline that underpins our measurement. This cycle adds the ability to manage yield stability, product quality, and supply chain continuity, providing companies with a comprehensive picture of the soil on which their supply depends.”
Founded in 2020, Seqana leverages digital MRV tools to assess soil health indicators at scale, aiming to deliver cost-effective and scalable soil carbon MRV solutions without sacrificing accuracy or scientific rigor. As soil health becomes increasingly critical for food and commodity companies in managing climate goals and supply chain risks, Seqana’s role in the industry is ever more vital.
The Importance of Soil Carbon
Seqana emphasizes soil carbon as a key indicator of overall soil health and one of the most scalable natural carbon sinks. Measuring soil carbon levels and their accumulation over time is essential for assessing soil health and the effectiveness of regenerative agriculture efforts in the voluntary carbon market (VCM).
With soil degradation costing the EU around €50 billion annually and more than 60% of European soils classified as unsanitary (European Commission), the financial risks associated with poor soil health are starkly evident. During the 2023 droughts in Europe, French farms employing advanced regenerative practices experienced only an 8% yield loss, compared to 22% for less regenerative farms, illustrating the quantifiable link between soil health and agricultural resilience.
Seqana’s Innovative Solutions and Industry Impact
Working with fiber, food, and fuel companies, as well as carbon project developers, Seqana covers millions of hectares, offering insights into soil health through tools like digital soil maps and soil sampling models. These tools enable clients to credibly track progress in regenerative agriculture, claim CO2 elimination, and enhance supply chain resilience.
Combining proprietary machine learning models with terrain data and satellite imagery, Seqana creates digital soil maps that quantify soil health for project developers and various companies. Their expertise has also contributed to shaping voluntary carbon market standards, co-authoring methodologies for Verra and Gold Standard. Esteemed clients such as Danone, eAgronom, Klim, and Bayer have utilized Seqana’s products to measure soil carbon at scale, evaluating millions of hectares to date.
“Seqana transforms soil organic carbon from an invisible asset to a measurable asset,” said Monique Meulemans, Partner at Pymwymic. “We are proud to support technology with the potential to transform the way agricultural resilience is understood and rewarded.”
Future Developments and Expansion
With the new capital, Seqana plans to accelerate the development of its soil carbon MRV tools and expand its measurement capabilities to other soil health indicators and carbon pools. These advancements will provide clients with a clearer understanding of their regenerative agriculture programs’ effectiveness and help prioritize interventions.
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