Argentina's Webee, Microsoft forge agtech alliance

Argentine startup Webee and Microsoft have created an alliance to develop technology for the agricultural and livestock sector.

Webee is a low-code and no-code platform which accelerates the design of technological solutions and reduces development times from months to days.

“We have created an end-to-end platform without developing a line of code,” Webee co-founder Cecilia Flores told a press conference.

The platform will democratize the use of sophisticated technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) in the field because technical knowledge is not required, she said.

Webee offers IoT devices with LoRaWAN connectivity, ideal for deployment in unconnected, rural areas.

The devices are equipped with sensors and batteries are solar powered with useful life of 5-10 years.

Data processing is done locally. "In facilities in Argentina there is very little connectivity, so everything is locally and only the result is sent outside," Lucas Funes, another co-founder, said.

Proven use cases have increased productivity by 10%, according to Webee. Among the applications are measurement of temperature, humidity, PH, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in soil, monitoring of machinery and silo bags, milk production control, and improving grain mill capacity.

Webee enables quick testing of solutions and return on investment in IoT and data intelligence.

The platform uses Microsoft’s Azure cloud architecture as the agreement also covers co-selling. Being part of Microsoft’s startup network, Webee also collaborates with the ecosystem to add enhancements.

Webee is currently adding an integrated network server to its platform with the help of Microsoft.

The US company has strengthened its agricultural business. Microsoft recently announced an agreement with seed producer Grupo DonMario to incorporate artificial intelligence and advanced analytics from Microsoft Azure to recommend farmers the best soybean seed.

According to research from startup Genome, agtech grew 14.5% annually in the last decade, for an average of 4.5%.

Webee has also business in the US, Japan and Mexico.