KhetiBuddy's AI-Driven Agri-Tech Expands from Pune to Europe and Canada
Pune-based agri-tech startup KhetiBuddy is making significant strides in the global agricultural technology landscape, with its founders leveraging a unique blend of biofertiliser expertise and artificial intelligence to drive innovation. The company, which began as a solution to local farming challenges, is now expanding its reach across Europe and Canada, targeting mid-size and large agri-businesses with its advanced platforms.
From Biofertilisers to AI: The Founding Journey
The story of KhetiBuddy traces back to the entrepreneurial efforts of Vinay Nair, founder and CEO, and his wife Dr. Richa Nair, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer. With two decades of experience in technology deployment at an IT company, Vinay combined his skills with Richa's deep agronomy knowledge, rooted in her doctorate in science and background in manufacturing biofertilisers and biopesticides.
"As we travelled from farm to farm, explaining the advantages of biofertilisers to farmers, I realised that this approach was not sustainable. She could not reach the vast agricultural areas that needed support," recalls Vinay, highlighting the initial challenges that sparked their innovation.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated their efforts, leading to the development of remote advisory technologies. This eventually evolved into KhetiBuddy, an integrated SaaS platform designed to connect farm operations with post-harvest supply chains and business processes. The company's strong foundations are bolstered by childhood relationships, as Vinay, Richa, and founding investor Amit Maheshwari were schoolmates in Ahmedabad.
Addressing Global Agricultural Challenges
According to Richa Nair, labour shortages and climate-driven uncertainties in yield are compelling agri-businesses to accelerate technology adoption. "What is driving real enthusiasm is not just efficiency or the novelty of digital tools, but the emergence of systems grounded in deep agronomy knowledge," she explains. These platforms translate field realities into actionable insights, helping businesses support growers, reduce risks, and improve outcomes at scale.
KhetiBuddy's platform currently serves over 30 clients, including mid-size and large agri-businesses. Its international expansion into Europe and Canada marks a pivotal step in addressing fragmented agri value chains, lack of real-time data, traceability gaps, and inefficiencies between farm, market, and enterprise.
The AI Leap: Introducing Verdnt
In a significant upgrade, KhetiBuddy has transitioned from a standard SaaS platform to an AI-powered enterprise software solution named Verdnt. This platform connects farm-level data with business operations such as procurement, planning, compliance, and sustainability. "It helps companies get real-time visibility, manage risks better, and make smarter decisions using AI, all while keeping data transparent and auditable," says Vinay.
One of their notable clients includes a winery, where timely grape production is critical for wine manufacturing. Similarly, in potato chips value chains, ensuring timely potato harvests is essential. "Production visibility only comes with an integrated system featuring end-to-end data linkages," Vinay emphasises.
The technology also aids farmers with extensive land holdings. Through satellite-based sensing models, KhetiBuddy identifies crop stress areas, enabling farmers to take proactive measures without physically inspecting every parcel of land daily.
International Expansion and Investor Confidence
Amit Maheshwari, the founding investor and strategic advisor, asserts that this is the ideal time for KhetiBuddy's international growth. "The problems we are solving are no longer local in nature. Fragmented agri value chains and inefficiencies exist across both emerging and developed economies," he notes.
India has served as a robust proving ground for the product, allowing the team to stress-test the platform in one of the world's most complex agricultural ecosystems. "That learning curve gives us a natural advantage when entering international markets actively seeking scalable, tech-enabled agri solutions," Maheshwari adds.
His decision to support international expansion is driven by conviction in the core problem, the platform's adaptability, and the opportunity to build a globally relevant agri-tech company from India. "Rather than limiting ourselves to a single geography, we aim to create a lasting impact on global agriculture," he concludes.
As KhetiBuddy continues to innovate and expand, its journey from Pune's farms to international markets underscores the transformative potential of Indian agri-tech in addressing pressing global agricultural challenges.
