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Map My Crop: Neil Jadhav's AI-driven agtech startup boosts sustainable farming globally
Neil Jadhav, the Founder and CEO of Map My Crop, has spent much of his life at the intersection of technology and agriculture. Born and raised in Pune, India, Neil was deeply influenced by his entrepreneurial family, with his father being a major role model in his life.
His early career involved founding and running Hardcastle GIS, a GIS (Geographic Information System) technology company that saw success working with high-profile clients like McKinsey & Company, Coca-Cola, and the Greek Government. However, Neil’s ambitions always gravitated towards creating scalable product-based solutions, leading to the inception of Map My Crop, an agriculture technology startup now making waves in both the United States and India.
Neil’s journey to founding Map My Crop began in Pune, where he pursued a BCA degree from MIT School of Management before completing his MSc in Geoinformatics at Symbiosis International University. His studies earned him accolades, including recognition for the best project at the university. After a decade of running Hardcastle GIS in India and later expanding it to the U. S., Neil decided it was time to shift his focus to a scalable, product-driven company.
The idea for Map My Crop emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when many were reconsidering their paths. Unable to travel to his farm in India, Neil began using satellite imagery to monitor it remotely. The results were eye-opening. After sharing his findings with his former co-founder, Rajesh, they decided to experiment further. Rajesh, who comes from a farming family, worked alongside Neil to apply this technology to his farm and village. After just one crop cycle, the results were remarkable. This two-year-long experiment with various technologies like IoT, satellite imagery, and drones laid the foundation for Map My Crop.
Globally, 84% of the world’s 570 million farmers are smallholders who face significant challenges when accessing modern technology. Expensive tools like ERP systems, drones, and IoT devices require technical expertise and are often out of reach for these farmers. At the same time, agriculture enterprises struggle to work with small farms due to a lack of data and analytics, often relying on costly and time-consuming surveys.
Map My Crop addresses these challenges by offering a fully automated, scalable solution that uses satellite imagery, AI, and hyper-local weather data to monitor and manage millions of farms remotely. The platform helps farmers reduce input costs by 40% through more efficient use of resources like pesticides and water. Additionally, by improving yield by 30%, Map My Crop is helping bridge the gap between India’s crop productivity and global benchmarks.
At its core, Map My Crop leverages cutting-edge technology to simplify farming. The company offers satellite imagery that provides hyper-detailed crop health insights, with resolutions as fine as 1 meter, soon to be improved to 30 cm. This gives farmers an unparalleled view of their crops’ health, enabling them to make data-driven decisions about water usage, fertilization, and disease management.
Neil explains that the platform’s disease forecasting feature, which uses proprietary datasets developed by agronomists and PhD experts, predicts specific crop diseases 15 days in advance. Additionally, the platform’s photo-based disease detection can identify over 1,000 diseases across 400 crops, offering farmers early warnings and actionable insights.
Map My Crop’s AI models are another standout feature. These models help with everything from farm boundary detection to crop type classification, ensuring the system can work effectively across 90+ countries and monitor over 250 crop types.
Since launching, Map My Crop has grown rapidly, now helping over 4.2 million farmers practice sustainable agriculture. The company works with federal entities like the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to monitor crops and promote sustainable farming practices.
Neil and his team are far from finished. Map My Crop plans to launch its own satellite and aims to onboard over 100 million farmers globally, helping them adopt more sustainable agricultural practices. With a market estimated at $6.2 trillion, Map My Crop is poised to disrupt the agtech space and become a global leader in precision agriculture.
The startup’s success is also evident in its financial performance. In just 12 months, Map My Crop has achieved an annual recurring revenue (ARR) of $800,000, and the company is currently raising $1.8 million from investors like Startup Wise Guys and Your Nest VC to fuel further growth.
Behind Map My Crop is a talented and diverse team. Neil’s co-founder, Rajesh, brings valuable ground-level experience, having grown up in a farming family. Meanwhile, Devdatta, the company’s CTO, has over 10 years of experience in technology, ensuring the platform is both innovative and scalable.
The company culture at Map My Crop is open and collaborative. Monthly meetings ensure that innovation is continually fostered, and the team remains laser-focused on delivering impactful solutions. "We don’t just hire based on CVs anymore," Neil says. "We’ve learned from past mistakes and now emphasize experience and practical trials to find the right talent."
Of course, every startup faces its challenges, and Map My Crop is no exception. One of the company’s biggest hurdles has been securing funding due to the complex structure of having both a U. S. headquarters and an Indian subsidiary. However, Neil’s determination and the company’s rapid growth have helped overcome these obstacles.
Hiring the right resources is another ongoing challenge, as Map My Crop aims to onboard federal customers while expanding its global reach. Nevertheless, Neil’s experience as a serial entrepreneur has taught him the importance of persistence. "I’ve failed many times in my life, but I’ve never seen giving up as an option," he says. "I trust that after every storm, there is calmness and growth."
Looking forward, Map My Crop has ambitious plans. The company is working on launching a new satellite and rolling out AI models that will revolutionize precision agriculture even further. Additionally, the company is developing drone monitoring software and a farmers’ credit score system to help farmers access financial support more easily.
Partnerships will also play a key role in the company’s future. Map My Crop is collaborating with federal organizations like the U. S. FDA to expand its coverage and improve sustainable agriculture practices. Neil is confident that these collaborations will help the company reach new heights.
As a seasoned entrepreneur, Neil has valuable advice for others embarking on their own startup journeys: "Don’t give up, and trust your gut." He emphasizes that the key to success is resilience and the ability to learn from every failure. Neil’s journey has been filled with challenges, but his passion for innovation and his dedication to improving the lives of millions of farmers keep him moving forward.
Map My Crop is not just another agtech company; it’s a game-changing solution for millions of farmers worldwide. Under Neil Jadhav’s leadership, the company is setting a new standard for precision agriculture, using advanced AI and satellite technology to help farmers increase yields, reduce input costs, and practice sustainable farming. As Map My Crop continues to grow, it’s clear that the company is on a mission to revolutionize the agriculture industry for a more sustainable future.
