［Health Science domain］
The KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND Invests In Sagri, A Company That Uses Satellite Data And AI Technology To Solve Agricultural Issues
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August 09, 2024
Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
TOKYO, August 9, 2024 – The KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND, a corporate venture capital (CVC)*1 fund founded by Kirin Holdings Company, Limited (Kirin Holdings) and Global Brain Corporation, (Global Brain) a leading independent venture capital firm, has invested Sagri Co., Ltd (https://sagri.tokyo/en/).
1 The practice of an operating company investing its corporate funds directly in an external startup company aligned with its business lines, intended to establish a mutually beneficial relationship or launch a new business by leveraging the latter’s assets.
Sagri is a startup company that builds data platforms that cross satellite data with AI and plotting technologies to solve problems in the agricultural sector. The company provides farmland management solutions for local governments, such as farmland parceling and surveys using satellite data. For farmers and agricultural cooperatives around the world, the company provides farming solutions such as soil analysis and issues carbon credits to help farmers achieve higher incomes and help companies combat climate change.
To date, the KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND has invested in startup companies with health science-related technologies and business models. Kirin Holdings decided to invest in Sagri's efforts to address the global food crisis and climate change because Kirin Holdings believes that the company's efforts are important to the Kirin Group, which deals with natural capital; and from the perspective of food supply, which directly affects people's health. Together with Sagri, Kirin Holdings will explore initiatives to visualize and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) Scope 3 emissions from agricultural land, and work toward the achieving the Kirin Group Environmental Vision 2050, "Enrich the Earth with positive impact.”
About Sagri, Inc.
Sagri is a start-up company founded in Hyogo Prefecture in 2018 and originated from Gifu University. With the vision of " Achieving the Coexistence of Humanity and the Earth," Sagri is working to reduce fertilizer costs by optimizing the amount of fertilizer applied and improve the global environment by identifying and reducing greenhouse gases produced by soil through soil diagnosis using satellite data and soil analysis technology based on AI technology. By increasing yields and developing environmentally friendly agriculture through vegetation analysis and issuing carbon credits, Sagri aims to contribute to improving the profitability of farmers not only in Japan but also in Southeast Asian countries, Africa, South America, and other countries.
About the KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND
Through the KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND, Kirin Holdings intends to invest in startups around the globe that have innovative technologies and business models for resolving health issues, and to leverage their advanced health science technologies and solutions for improving customer experience. By combining the Kirin Group’s wealth of assets and competence in health science with innovations and technologies that startups will bring to partnerships, Kirin Holdings will be better able to bolster its existing Food & Beverages domain as well as step up efforts to launch new businesses in its Health Science domain.
Company Overviews
(1) About the KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND
| Fund name | KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND (registered as KIRIN and GB Investment Limited Partnership) |
|---|---|
| Primary sector for investment | Startups around the globe operating in the health science domain |
| Established | March 2020 |
| AUM | 5 billion yen |
| Investment period | 10 years |
| General partner | Global Brain Corporation |
(2) About Global Brain
| Company name | Global Brain Corporation |
|---|---|
| Head office | 2-17-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan |
| President | Yasuhiko Yurimoto |
| Established | January 1998 |
| Primary business | Venture capital business |
| URL | https://globalbrains.com/en |
(3) Outline of Sagri Co., Ltd
| Company Name | Sagri Co., Ltd |
|---|---|
| Location | 725-1 Joraku, Hikami-cho, Tamba City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan |
| representative | Shunsuke Tsuboi, CEO and Representative Director |
| Established | June 2018 |
| Business | Business creation through satellite data analysis and machine learning |
| URL | https://sagri.tokyo/en/ |