Soil Scout raises late-seed funding to grow its sustainable water management system

Finnish IoT sensor startup Soil Scout has secured a late-seed funding round led by Husqvarna Group. Soil Scout plans to use the funding to scale production so it can help more farmers, sports venues, and managers of green spaces around the world better manage their water resources.

The startup has developed a singular system for water management that outperforms traditional solutions. Soil Scout’s sensor is the first to transmit critical soil data wirelessly from underground in real time. The system transmits data about moisture, temperature, and salinity from two meters below the surface. Not only that, the system can run for up to 20 years without any maintenance.

Soil Scout’s roots begin with one man and his invention. A 19th generation farmer and doctor in agrotechnology, Johannes Tiusanen built the system to give farmers the data they need for precise agricultural observations, which help them not only conserve water resources but also increase long-term yields on their land.

Tiusanen explained the need for more statistical precision in an age-old practice such as farming: “Quite contradictory to what people think, precipitation actually is inadequate, even here in Finland: we have plenty of water, but agronomically in the wrong place. When it comes to agriculture, topography, draining and soil composition can lead to different parts of the same field having a substantially different yield potential. At Soil Scout, we have built a future-proof below-ground monitoring solution that can stay in operation and in-situ for decades.”

The leading investor Husqvarna Group is a global producer of outdoor power products and innovative solutions for forest, park, and garden care. Husqvarna sells its products to consumers and professionals in more than 100 countries.

The firm’s vice president of Accelerated Innovation & Venturing Björn Axling said, “We were particularly impressed with Soil Scout’s track record, with high-profile sports grounds like Wembley Stadium and Citizens Bank Park (home to the Philadelphia Phillies) already utilizing the system.”

Soil Scout’s CEO Jalmari Talola commented on the investment: “We are extremely excited about the recognition from Husqvarna as they have over a century’s worth of experience in the field and understand the need for water management. This funding is important for us as it allows us to improve our collaboration with new and existing partners and customers, as well as extend our product portfolio.”