INVEST RAISE ABOUT INSTITUTIONAL arrow_back BACK Richard Lewis 14 August 2019 Downing Ventures has announced a £1.5 million follow-on investment into a leading global agritech company, Hummingbird Technologies. Hummingbird is an advanced crop analytics business that applies machine learning to remote sensing captured crop images to provide farmers with actionable insights and data so they can optimise inputs, protect and maximise yields. Hummingbird can guide the decisions of farmers or supplement an agronomist’s toolkit through a sophisticated crop analytics platform. The technology ingests high resolution imagery captured by drones, aircraft, or satellites, and applies machine learning to ascertain a wide array of critical factors including crop yield predictions, growth rates, biomass, plant stress, weed accumulation, and crop population counts. Analysis is carried out at scale, with results distributed within 24 hours of image capture via an online user interface. Richard Lewis, Investment Director at Downing Ventures comments: “The technology Hummingbird has developed will have significant social impact that can lead to more sustainable and efficient farming. We look forward to building a long-term partnership with the business.” This is Downing’s second investment into Hummingbird having completed an initial investment in 2018. Other investors in the round include SALIC, the Saudi Agriculture and Livestock Investment Company, in its debut investment in the UK. Other investors include the European Space Agency and Beeswax Dyson. Will Wells, Hummingbird’s Chief Executive comments: “We are pushing the boundaries of science and technology to help improve the efficiency of global crop production and feed the world’s growing population sustainably. The latest investment will fund a recruitment drive in the UK and push our international expansion.” Hummingbird has 40 full-time employees in London, with satellite offices in Sao Paulo, Sydney, Lviv and Moscow. Downing Home Our story The team News & views Responsible investing Careers Contact us Invest Bonds EIS Estate planning Downing Fund Managers VCT Existing investor Investor centre Institutional Institutional investors Infrastructure asset management Raise Development Capital Energy Healthcare Leisure Property Wholesale Finance Ventures Ventures home About ventures Portfolio Ventures team Ventures careers Legal & support Privacy & cookie policy Information Security Policy Statement Terms and conditions Terms of business Inducement disclosure FAQs Pillar III Modern slavery statement Fraud prevention Complaints Social Twitter LinkedIn Downing LLP does not provide advice or make personal recommendations and investors are strongly urged to seek independent advice before investing. Investments offered on this website carry a higher risk than many other types of investment and prospective investors should be aware that capital is at risk and the value of their investment may go down as well as up. Any investment should only be made on the basis of the relevant product literature and your attention is drawn to the risk, fees and taxation factors contained therein. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances of each investor and may be subject to change in the future. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Downing LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Firm Reference Number 545025). Registered in England No. OC341575. Registered Office: St Magnus House, 3 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6HD. VAT Number: 112 940 149 We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Click here for more information. DISMISS