CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Oct. 21, 2025) — EarthSense, an EnterpriseWorks graduate based at the University of Illinois Research Park, competed in the Startup World Cup semifinals in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.
Founded in 2016 by CEO Chinmay Soman and CTO Girish Chowdhary, EarthSense develops autonomous robots and artificial intelligence technology for agriculture. The company’s flagship products use machine vision and machine learning to collect crop health data and convert it into actionable insights for farmers, agronomists and crop breeders.
Soman represented EarthSense at the competition after guiding the company through the Agriculture and Food Regional round held at the 10th Annual AgTech Summit earlier this year. Competing startups pitched their companies to a panel of investors for the chance to win the competition’s $1 million grand prize.
The Startup World Cup is a global series of startup competitions and conferences organized by Pegasus Tech Ventures. The competition spans more than 100 regional events across 60-plus countries, with the field ultimately narrowing to a Grand Finale held in San Francisco on Oct. 22, 2025.
