Amber Agriculture, a University of Illinois student startup with ties to EnterpriseWorks, has been named the top startup of the 2017 Consumer Electronic Show (CES).
Amber Agriculture’s agtech product helps farmers manage their stored product, and is part of the connected farm movement.
“Plenty of startups promise solutions to problems that are either overblown or don’t really exist, but we can’t say the same about Amber Agriculture. With Amber’s array of sensors, farmers can more easily check the quality of their stored grain and get their wares to the companies that make our food at the right time. Beyond ensuring these farmers get the biggest return on their crop yields, the ability to monitor for the conditions that lead to spoilage could eventually help whole countries deal with food supply issues. Long story short: Amber’s is a savvy approach to a pressing problem most people don’t even know about,” wrote Endgadget editor Chris Velazco.
Engadget wrote a longer piece on Amber Agriculture: “What’s more, Amber’s approach falls in line with other big trends at the show. You’ve heard of the smart home. Now the Amber team is trying to help build the smart farm.
Amber Agriculture won the 2016 Cozad New Venture Competition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and subsequently participated in the iVenture Accelerator student program over the summer, housed at Research Park. After a short stint at EnteprieseWorks, the team spent the past semester at Hax Accelerator in China. They have received grant money from EnterpriseWorks and plan to resume tenancy there in 2017.
Interested in learning more about Amber Agriculture? Visit the link to hear more from co-founder, Lucas Frye.