AgZen

AgZen is an agricultural technology company that develops feedback-optimized spraying systems, measuring and controlling droplet coverage at the leaf level so that pesticides and fertilizers reach their intended target. The company was founded in 2020 in Somerville, Massachusetts, as a spinout of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by MIT Professor Kripa Varanasi and his former doctoral student Vishnu Jayaprakash, following more than a decade of research at MIT in fluid dynamics and surface science that began in 2011. It has raised $13.5m and operates across three continents, with more than 250 dealer locations in North America, Europe and Australia.

Its principal product, RealCoverage, is described as the first system capable of measuring and controlling droplet coverage at the leaf level. Dual-camera imaging mounted on standard sprayers gives operators real-time, in-cab visualisation of where droplets land, while AI-powered recommendations adjust nozzle selection, spray pressure, boom height and driving speed. The company reports reductions of 30-50% in chemical and water use without loss of crop-protection efficacy. A second product, EnhanceCoverage, is a nozzle technology that cloaks droplets in adjuvants to increase the likelihood that they adhere to plant surfaces rather than bouncing off.

The engineering work spans fluid dynamics, surface science, computer vision, droplet coverage measurement and control, and nozzle and adjuvant coating technology. The company was formed to address a problem it estimates accounts for up to 90% of sprayed pesticides and fertilisers failing to reach their target, and states its mission as ensuring that every droplet sprayed counts.