Source.ag: 10 Key Things You Must Know

Overview

Source.ag is a pioneering company based in Amsterdam that develops advanced artificial intelligence (AI) software tailored for Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), particularly in greenhouse crop production. Founded in 2020, Source.ag has quickly become a critical player in agri-tech by enabling growers to optimize yields, automate irrigation, and make data-driven cultivation decisions. Their AI platform supports hundreds of greenhouse operations spanning thousands of hectares across multiple countries, contributing to the daily fresh produce supply for millions worldwide. This article dives deep into the innovative technology, market impact, and future potential of Source.ag, revealing key insights about this transformative company shaping the future of sustainable agriculture.

1. Origins and Founders

Source.ag was founded in 2020 by Rien Kamman and Ernst van Bruggen in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Their vision was to harness AI and data science to solve challenges faced by modern greenhouse growers—mainly productivity limits, labor constraints, and environmental pressures. By combining plant science with machine learning, they sought to develop a platform that not only digitized growing knowledge but also acted as a virtual co-pilot for growers, empowering smarter, sustainable agriculture.

2. Core Technology: AI for Controlled Environment Agriculture

At the heart of Source.ag’s offering is a suite of AI-powered tools designed specifically for CEA, a method of farming that uses greenhouses or other highly controlled environments to optimize crop growth. The technology integrates environmental sensor data, plant physiological models, and historical cultivation information to enable precise forecasting, autonomous crop management, and irrigation automation — improving both yield quality and quantity. The software helps growers make timely decisions on irrigation, nutrient application, and harvest timing.

3. Scale and Deployment Across Global Greenhouses

By 2025, Source.ag’s software has been implemented in over 300 greenhouse facilities across 18 countries, covering approximately 2,500 hectares of production area. These greenhouses cultivate common crops like tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers. Collectively, these operations supply fresh produce for an estimated 40 million consumers daily, underscoring the platform's wide-reaching impact and acceptance across key markets in Europe and North America.

4. Funding and Strategic Investors

Source.ag has attracted significant investor interest, underscored by multiple funding rounds since its inception. In November 2025, they closed a $17.5 million Series B round led by Astanor Ventures, a European agrifood impact investor. Notable strategic investors participating include seed breeder Enza Zaden and grower cooperative Harvest House. Total funding now exceeds $60 million. This backing enables Source.ag to accelerate product development and global expansion, aiming to solidify its leadership in AI-driven horticulture.

5. Partnerships with Seed Companies and Grower Cooperatives

The partnerships with players like Enza Zaden and Harvest House are strategic. Enza Zaden integrates Source.ag’s AI insights into its seed breeding programs to minimize grower risk and maximize seed potential. Harvest House leverages Source.ag to enhance operational efficiency and forecasting accuracy across its extensive tomato portfolio. These collaborations illustrate how Source.ag's technology supports the entire supply chain, from genetics to growers to consumers.

6. Advanced Features: Plant Balance Metrics

In 2025, Source.ag introduced innovative features such as Plant Balance Metrics within its Source Workspace platform. This includes new indicators like the Plant Balance Factor (PBF) and Generative Trend Indicator (GTI) that provide growers unprecedented insights into their plants’ physiological states. These tools shift operations from reactive adjustments toward proactive, data-driven crop steering, further improving yield stability and resource optimization.

7. Addressing Growing Industry Challenges

The global agriculture sector faces increasing pressures from population growth, labor shortages, climate change, and resource scarcity. Source.ag’s AI solutions help overcome these by digitizing expert knowledge, centralizing data, and enabling automation. This reduces reliance on scarce expert labor and mitigates risks by allowing growers to simulate and evaluate different cultivation strategies digitally before implementation.

8. Future Prospects and Product Expansion

Looking forward, Source.ag plans to expand its crop offerings beyond tomatoes to include peppers and other vegetables, deepen integration with existing grower data platforms to streamline IT operations, and advance product features to enhance precision farming capabilities. The company also envisions creating a “digital twin” for every farm and crop, providing a virtual replication to optimize decisions continuously.

9. Impact on Sustainability and Food Security

Controlled Environment Agriculture, boosted by AI innovations like Source.ag’s, represents a sustainable solution to produce high-quality fruits and vegetables efficiently, even under adverse conditions. This technology supports climate resilience by optimizing water, energy, and nutrient use, reducing food waste via better forecasting, and increasing local food production, all of which contribute positively towards global food security goals.

10. Recognition and Industry Influence

Source.ag has rapidly established itself as a leader in AI-enabled horticulture, frequently featured in agtech media and industry reports. Their success has energized European agtech investment following a selective funding environment in 2025, and the company is recognized for translating conceptual AI hype into practical, scalable solutions that deliver measurable value to growers daily.

Conclusion

Source.ag stands at the forefront of digital transformation in agriculture, demonstrating how AI and data science can revolutionize greenhouse farming. By enabling growers to make smarter, more efficient decisions, the company not only boosts productivity and quality but also addresses pressing sustainability and food security challenges. As Source.ag continues to expand its technology, partnerships, and crop coverage, its influence on the future of sustainable food production is poised to grow even further. The journey of transforming farming with AI begs the question: how will such innovations reshape global agriculture in the decades to come?