TVM Startup AgriSense Wins $500k Grant at Singapore Agritech Finals With AI Soil Scanner

["AgriSense, a Thiruvananthapuram startup founded by two Kerala Agricultural University alumni, won the top prize of $500,000 at the Singapore Agritech Innovation Finals, beating 340 startups from 48 countries with their handheld AI soil scanner.","The device uses near-infrared spectroscopy combined with a proprietary AI model trained on 2.4 million Indian soil samples to detect 22 nutrient deficiencies in under 60 seconds without any chemical reagents. Farmers receive results in Malayalam, Tamil or English on their phones.","CEO Arun Krishnan said the device costs Rs 3,200 and is already used by 4,700 farmers in Palakkad, Wayanad and Thrissur districts under a Kerala Agricultural Department pilot. The grant will fund manufacturing scale-up and expansion to Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.","KSITIL noted this is the third consecutive year a Kerala-origin startup has won a top international agritech award. Kochi T-Hub has offered free lab space for R&D expansion."]