John Deere’s 2024 startup collaborators

John Deere has chosen six companies developing cutting edge technologies for the 2024 class of its Startup Collaborator program.

The Startup Collaborator program launched in 2019 to highlight and support companies working in technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), satellite communication, and electric propulsion. The program is mutually beneficial to Deere and its collaborators, intended to find new technological benefits for farmers, says Dennis Muszalski, VP of module and electrification systems engineering for John Deere.

The program also serves as an incubator for John Deere’s own technological development. Startup Collaborator alum Bear Flag Robotics joined the program for 2019, and was later acquired by Deere in 2021.

“The cohort this year represents a diverse group of solutions that are applicable across a range of challenges and opportunities that our customers face,” says Cody Sorge, business development manager for the John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group. “We look forward to working side by side with these companies to learn together regarding their solutions and how they can apply to John Deere customers in agriculture and construction.”

The companies in this year’s program include:

• Cloudscape Labs is a construction production management software company behind Virtual Superintendent. The software collects data in real-time to give engineers, foremen, commercial teams, and project managers insights to meet production, cost and safety targets. 
• Constellr works to measure land surface temperature and water from its satellites with a high level of accuracy. Constellr uses collected insights to monitor vegetation, soil health, and provide insight on water and carbon. The technology will be available in an early access program when Constellr launches its first satellite into orbit in 2024.
• Fermata Energy specializes in bidirectional electric vehicle charging/discharging with the goal of reducing the cost to operate electric vehicles (EV), and provide back-up power during blackouts. Fermata’s charging station enables standard charging for EVs, and discharging that allows users to return stored energy back to the power grid, office, or home. 
• Geminos Software is bridging the gap between businesses and AI to understand causality behind generated results and enhance decision making. This type of AI is designed to work with humans to adapt to changing conditions and make real-time decisions, while remaining transparent and free of bias.
• goFlux is a logistics company based in Brazil focused on using technology to measure and neutralize CO2 emissions in freight transport operations. The goal is to achieve carbon-neutral freight transport, with traceability of carbon credits, and to become an active contributor to the preservation of the environment. 
• SB Quantum is developing navigation tools for the earth and space for navigation based on a quantum magnetometer. This technology is essentially an advanced compass that uses the earth’s magnetic North and South Poles to sense its orientation. 

For more information about John Deere, visit JohnDeere.com.