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5 technologies fighting climate change

Can tech help fight climate change? Five innovations making a difference today

  • min read
    • As we say goodbye to the last decade, we usher in a new and crucial one for our planet. According to research, Earth has warmed around 1c since the industrial revolution, which is wreaking havoc on the planet we call home. This is just the start, according to this fun, but terrifying sliding scale. Since the 2016 Paris Agreement – which aims to keep global temperature increases under 2c – climate change has become a critical conversation for all nations and industries. But, as the research of agricultural economist Ester Boserup shows, humankind has the potential to adapt using technology to overcome its problems. These five technologies are designed to help us combat the number one issue we face as a species: global warming. Vacuuming gas from the atmosphere https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63S0t4k_Glw Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere have risen 48 percent since the start of the industrial revolution. We need to start reducing it, with the help of direct air capture (DAC) technology. But what is it? Giant vacuum cleaners remove CO2 from the atmosphere, sequestering it underground and, in some cases, supplying it back to specific industries, like fertilizer for farmers or bubbles for drinks companies to carbonate their products. One of the companies already using Direct Air Capture tech is Climeworks. They're removing and sequestering thousands of tons of carbon from the atmosphere every year. The CO2 fighting resilient crop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDVDa5Xuffs Arborea has developed the world's first BioSolar Leaf – which puts a whole new spin on natural photosynthesis. Using unique, photovoltaic-like panels, coined 'bionic leaves,' BioSolar Leaf uses sunlight to grow microscopic plants which can grow in high concentrations within arid and infertile ground. These tiny plants, in turn, produce healthy food ingredients while generating oxygen and sequestering high amounts of CO2. Bees glorious bees https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6HLWS86-Y8&feature=emb_title Bees. You'd be hard pushed to find someone who doesn't appreciate them. But you'd have an equally tricky time sitting down for a coffee with one (the bee, not the person). They are vital to a healthy environment, but unfortunately, their numbers are declining globally. It's time to save these winged wanderers. The World Bee Project and Oracle have teamed up to do just that. Their Hive Network uses cloud technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and smart sensors to collect information about honey bee decline to protect them better. The Hive Network allows researchers to 'listen' in on honey bee enclosures, analyzing data like wing movement, temperature and honey yield. By monitoring bee colonies at this level, conservationists and beekeepers can detect patterns and predict bee behaviors, giving them vital information to keep our (real-world) honeypots alive. Lab-grown cuisine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Iv0857U3UE Not a new technology by any stretch, but a new way of looking at a traditional industry. Meat has a much higher energy footprint than any other food type. It takes 75 times more energy to produce than corn and an area seven times the size of the European Union (EU) to produce enough food for the region's cattle and livestock to eat. In an attempt to curb our carnivorous habits and save our planet from total annihilation, start-ups like Impossible Foods are rearing fake meat – in labs. They've discovered that both animals and plants share a common protein – heme. In plants, this is leghemoglobin, whereas in animals, like cows, this would be hemoglobin. By taking heme from leghemoglobin and growing it in a lab, the product can be colored, shaped and even cooked like a piece of meat because they share the same properties. But there's more. Solar Foods are now turning water into different foods by taking bacteria from soil and multiplying it using hydrogen extracted from water – the result (in this case): flour. Although the flour isn't licensed for sale currently, it's been used to make an edible pancake. Not a bad start. Eventually, the flour will be used to replace fillers in thousands of food products. It can be modified to mimic milk and eggs, and can even be manipulated to create lab-grown fish with all those healthy omega-3 acids. The power of energy storage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmrwdTGZxGk&feature=emb_title Many countries around the world have committed to a 100 percent carbon-free future, but how exactly will it happen? With renewables, in the first instance. But we also need to manage better the energy we produce to power the right tech to help us, like electric cars. The stage is set for interconnectors. These power lines not only move energy across long distances between regional power grids but also store excess energy for later use using lithium-ion batteries – those used in mobile phones and electric cars. The use of these interconnectors is expected to grow tenfold by 2024. They help to store energy for longer to transport it to places where there's less produced – a win-win. Right now, current storage tech can handle four hours of storage. But, technology firms aim to improve that drastically like Energy Vault, a Swiss start-up. They use windy days and automated cranes to stack bricks, recapturing the kinetic energy generated when the bricks fall back to the ground. Watch the video to see it in action. Smart cities are the next port of call The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that climate change could increase deaths by air pollution by hundreds of thousands between 2030 and 2050. One of the big problems: congested cities. Now with advances in artificial intelligence, internet of things (IoT) and smart sensors, smart cities are being designed to help keep earth-defiling emissions down and citizens' lungs healthy. Hamburg is a case in point. A prominent port city in Germany, it's bustling with shipping containers, cruise ships and other sea vessels – but struggling to manage increasing air and noise pollution. Air pollution is due to ships burning marine fuels for on-board equipment while they're docked in the harbor. After Hamburg Port Authority teamed up with Siemens and adopted the Siharbour technology (a mobile-operated generator), Hamburg's ports can now hook incoming ships onto the mainland power supply, stopping them from burning unnecessary fuel and keeping emissions down. What happens next? The teams behind these innovations (and countless others) are working around the clock for a better chance of saving our planet. Which ones do you think will help make a difference? And what innovations could your business develop now that could help protect our world?
social robots

Can social robots help us live better lives?

  • min read
    • C3PO, the Iron Giant… even The Terminator. We've been watching robots interact with humans in movies for years, but for many of us, that's all it's been: a futuristic dream. Now, after years of promises, prototypes and teasers, the era of social robots is finally here. But what are they? And how do they differ from the robots of today? Social robots are bred for interaction Robots are nothing new. They help in factories and warehouses, typically in highly structured environments with limited interactions with humans. And we're grateful for that. Social robots, however, are designed to interact with us and show social behaviors. I'll let SoftBank's Pepper introduce itself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqlyxg1-gE0&feature=emb_title Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) mean robotics designers and manufacturers now have the power to translate psychological and neurological insights into algorithms. These allow robots to recognize voices, faces and emotions, as well as speak, make eye contact and a host of other things that humans do with each other. There you have it: a social robot. They're a step up from droids and warehouse robots whose sole functions are task-based, and they're going to revolutionize how we live our lives. There are already 15,000 Pepper robots worldwide that are helping to check people into hotels and take customer orders at restaurants (amongst other things). But with the addition of Temi and Loomo – next-generation personal assistants, think Amazon Echo with legs – our social spheres might soon contain a bot or two. Social robots can benefit society We're already seen the impact of robotics in industries like manufacturing, government and retail. But these machines don't have the social capacity that this new wave of robots do. Here are a few of the latter's uses in business and society. Efficient eateries Tokyo's bustling Shibuya district + tech giant SoftBank = a restaurant staffed entirely by Pepper robots. Yep, it's the Pepper Parlor Café, where a group of social robots greet customers, chat with them and serve them. And there are plans for expansion. SoftBank is developing Nao and Whiz: the former will be on table dancing duties; the latter will clean the place until it's spotless. But how practical is it? You decide. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U3Dhw5QiU4 Hotels for the human-phobic Keen to have as little human contact as possible? The Henn-na is the place for you – you won't find a human in the gaff. Owner Hideo Sawada said the hotel, which is part of an amusement park in the Nagasaki prefecture, was built to highlight innovation. It's staffed entirely by robots, who check customers in, take luggage to their rooms and make the beds. It's 'manned' by an English-speaking dinosaur and a Japanese-speaking female bot. Take a look for yourself. Social robots against loneliness Perhaps one of the most poignant uses in today's world. For many elderly and not so elderly, loneliness is a growing problem. In the UK, around 10 percent of Brits feel isolated, with London appointing a Minister for Loneliness in 2018. Social robots have particular appeal for assisting the world's growing elderly population. The PARO Therapeutic Robot, developed by Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, which looks like a cuddly seal, is meant to reduce stress for patients in care facilities. Take a look for yourself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9wj5v22KsA Then you have Mabu (Catalia Health). This social robot is more of a wellness aide, reminding the elderly to take walks and medication and to call family members. Robotic companions won't replace human interaction, but for many, these friendly jumbles of metal, plastic and synthetic fur could be extremely helpful. Social robots in space Space, I would imagine, is a lonely and potentially stressful place for an astronaut, which is why the Crew Interactive Mobile Companion (CIMON) was invented. In 2018, it flew to an international space station alongside a lucky bunch of astronauts. In the process, it became the first-ever autonomous free-floating robot at the station and the first-ever smart astronaut assistant. But what does it do? Developed by IBM, the German Aerospace Center and Airbus, CIMON serves several functions, from helping to find information and keeping track of tasks astronauts are doing on board to potentially assisting the teams in bonding. Now, CIMON-2 has burst onto the scene, promising to be the next step for social robots. According to its manufacturers, it has better hardware and software, notably the introduction of the IBM Watson Tone Analyzer. This means CIMON-2 can understand and analyze the conversations of astronauts to see how they're feeling – if they're feeling joyful, or if something makes them angry, and so on. Here it is in action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE0LQ2y_-Pk But as with any new technology, the risks are fresh and need addressing before social robots reach peak uptake. As Dmitry Galov believes: Risks of social robots As with all AI-powered technologies, cybersecurity is a considerable risk; recent research by the University of Ghent and Kaspersky found no different. Although the specifics of their findings may surprise some, first things first, let's tuck into this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i58ZPRIzKsk&feature=emb_title The researchers found a new and unexpected dimension of risk associated with robotics: social impact. The research focused on the effects of a specific social robot designed to interact with humans, which they placed in two different scenarios. Robots in not-so-safe spaces In the first part of the study, the robot was placed near a secure entrance of a building in the center of Ghent. It asked staff if it could follow them through the door. (For context, usually, this area could only be accessed by certain personnel.) Not all staff complied with the robot's request, but 40 percent did unlock the door and keep it open for the robot to waltz in. Hhhmmm. Worse so, when they positioned the robot as a pizza delivery person, staff were less inclined to question why it needed access to the secure area. Interrogation bots The second part of the study focused on how easily the robot could get sensitive information typically used to reset passwords (like your dog's name). Alarmingly, with all but one participant, the robot managed to rack up personal data at the rate of one item per minute. Which goes to show, as your mother said, you shouldn't share secrets with strange robots you don't know. Well, there you have it: social robots. Whether their impact will be positive or negative remains to be seen, but we do know that they're numbers are set to grow. Worldwide sales of consumer robots are expected to grow to $19bn by the end of 2025 (from an estimated $5.6bn in 2018). If you're working in retail, healthcare or even space travel, social robots could help your business to innovate and reach the next level. But as with all new technologies, it's essential to invest heavily in making them secure and safe for public consumption. The real question is, could you see yourself living with one? (Who could say no to this face?)
Circular Economy and IT

Reducing waste and cutting costs: How digital tech is powering up the circular economy

  • min read
    • We're facing unprecedented change; once stable industries are being transformed beyond measure. One thing is known: digital solutions will play a major role in the sustainability of our world. And the principles of the circular economy could help us to become more sustainable. Since the industrial revolution, businesses have traditionally exploited resources linearly by extracting raw materials, assembling goods and then leaving their customers to dispose of them. With non-renewable resources only getting rarer and populations getting larger and more demanding, it's time for a new approach. The circular economy principle reduces the environmental impact of industry by designing systems that reduce waste and pollution, investing in renewable resources and keeping materials in use for longer – be it forest wood or computer hardware. Adopting the principles of a circular economy is vital, not only for sustainability but also for reducing business risk and increasing profitability. And it's the right thing to do. Start-ups supporting the cause Many of today's fast-moving startups are already building sustainable business models to address some of the most pervasive concerns of our time. Climate Edge uses data to help farmers in developing nations solve crucial agricultural issues. Rubicon leverages the power of big data to enable higher diversion rates from landfill sites and find creative ways to reuse waste materials. Even established companies are getting on board: Apple has salvaged 61 million pounds of reusable raw materials from discarded iPhones using cutting-edge robotics. Also, Nest, an Alphabet company, makes smart thermostats to measure and reduce energy consumption. The list goes on. From harm to help: how digital technology helps the transition Technology is often hailed as the solution to all our woes but, depending on how it's used, it can either help or hinder when it comes to sustainability. We're already generating around 50 million tons of e-waste every year, and the figure is rising all the time. Only 15 to 20 percent of that waste is currently being recycled. On top of that, the enormous energy consumption required to keep all those data centers, computers and mobile devices running. Some computing workloads are having a particularly negative impact on the environment without giving anything back. Bitcoin mining alone consumes as much electricity as the entire Czech Republic, a country of nearly 11 million people. Additionally, a large portion comes from illegitimate cryptojacking malware. In legitimate business, things are changing fast. According to HPE Financial Services, almost half of companies are legally obliged to report on their environmental impact. Sustainability has also become a value proposition in its own right as consumers become more concerned with their environmental footprint. And there are also clear business benefits of adopting the circular economy model, such as reduced costs and greater value creation. These needs and benefits combined have prompted over two-thirds of organizations to incorporate environmental sustainability into their IT strategies. What technologies are enabling the circular economy? It mostly comes down to the rise of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) combined to enhance efficiency by doing away with cumbersome manual processes. For example, smart sensors can tag and track assets to reveal potential issues and, in doing so, prolong their lifecycles. In construction, manufacturing and logistics, geospatial information lets businesses track the flow of materials. In every industry, more efficient, AI-enabled management of big data can identify performance bottlenecks and predict energy consumption patterns to boost efficiency. We live in a sharing economy driven by new business models that are powered by new technologies. For example, cloud computing uses virtualization technology in major data centers to make maximum use out of available hardware resources which are shared between multiple users. That's a lot more efficient than overprovisioning an in-house server room or having one high-end workstation for every end-user when all they need to do is run a few simple office apps. The convergence of sustainability and the internet of things In a constantly connected environment, keeping track of supply chains and asset ownership might seem like an impossible task. As the number of short lifespan devices increases, it often feels like our technology infrastructure is outpacing our ability to manage it. At the same time, innovations that enable a better exchange of information can help us control and improve the tech we use. For example, internet-connected sensors can track the location, condition and availability of assets in a supply chain. Direct exchange of information via secure, decentralized channels like blockchain can keep these communications secure. Together, these innovations can optimize resources, extend lifecycles and help regenerate natural resources. Making sense of big data to drive sustainable decision making Technology, in all its forms, plays a pivotal role in reducing our impact on the environment and reducing business overheads. The shift towards more sustainable business models is driven by smarter decision-making, empowered by the ability to make sense out of big data. Data can itself help fuel awareness and education, and breakdown the information silos that still plague many businesses. With the amount of data in the world now measured in zettabytes (270 bytes), we have countless opportunities to improve efficiency across many systems and processes – from critical infrastructure to online retail. But, given the size of today's data sets, those opportunities can only be realized by using artificial intelligence. Moving towards a service-driven economy Underutilization of computing resources is one of the most common reasons why businesses spend more than they need to on IT. But things are changing fast as we shift towards a more service-orientated economy. With cloud providers offering access rather than ownership, businesses get to pay for performance only, instead of constantly reinventing the wheel by investing in and maintaining their own hardware infrastructures. Technology also helps support dematerialization by reducing our reliance on physical resources – e.g. retailers selling e-books directly to consumers or digital video and audio being delivered online rather than through physical media. The circular economy and your IT infrastructure Want even better news?  If you're purchasing IT equipment for your organization, the circular economy model can save you cash. By planning the end-to-end lifecycle of hardware using asset lifecycle planning, and avoiding the temptation of always buy more tech when a new project comes along, you can feel virtuous about saving the environment while saving dollars. Depending on your arrangements with your supplier, you may be able to trade-in and trade-up hardware. Or otherwise work with a trusted and reliable recycling partner who can dispose of hardware to meet regulations, particularly to remove data from devices. The convergence of digital transformation with the circular economy provides many business benefits, both financial and environmental. With almost half of companies now being legally obliged to report their environmental impact, it's an important compliance issue too. In a time when the environment is a major concern to many, the circular economy can add value, again and again. Article reflects the opinions of the author. Published in 2019.
startup survival guide

Seven strategies for start-up survival

  • min read
    • Starting a business is one of the toughest challenges a person can face. In 2021, nearly half of US businesses started in 2016 had closed. One in five of those started the previous year had closed. These seven strategies will help your start-up be among the survivors. 1. Realize entrepreneurship is hard Studies show the median age of billion-dollar business founders is 34. This doesn't mean a 25-year-old will fail but suggests entrepreneurship demands discipline and hard work, and benefits from experience. Many new businesses start out with high expectations, like receiving significant investment or being acquired by a rival. They think little about how they'll become profitable. In the real world, to make your idea take off, you need to put in enormous effort to understand clients' needs, prototype the product, and know who to sell it to and how. 2. Define your product's value Look at your product and think about the value it can bring to a customer. Is there only one unique selling point (USP), or can it be used for different purposes, by different audiences? If your idea about the product's value for a customer is wrong, it can be too late to change it. 3. Test your idea: ask for feedback and adjust In some ways, start-ups aren't that different to enterprises. They both need to invent new products and continuously test ideas until they become profitable. The big difference is the amount they can invest in research and development. Start-ups can quickly run out of cash. They may make rushed decisions on gut feeling. Never ignore feedback from potential partners and customers. Find out exactly what they want from your product to make it more appealing. Be ready to test five, ten or more ideas before moving to the next stage. Mattress retail start-up Casper decided to sell mattresses direct to customers to eliminate extra charges. In March 2019, Casper raised $100 million in funding and investment and is now one of the fastest-growing consumer brands in North America. Their strategy reduced costs for customers and generated brand engagement, loyalty and trust. 4. Create an effective business plan and financial model A well-drafted and well-considered business plan demonstrate how your start-up will generate money and become profitable. Having an idea and making it a tangible product is a great first step. There must also be a plan for selling it. Then, the product can evolve. Even minimal earnings, to begin with, are better than nothing. They show potential, which encourages investors to part with cash. A well-thought-out financial model should help control your budget and ensure the business doesn't run out of money in its early stages. While financial models seem daunting to those who have little accounting experience, there are plenty of templates and tools to help. Or, simply outsource this stage to another firm. 5. Understand your go-to-market strategy Think about who your potential customers and audiences are, then decide how you'll reach them effectively. Start-up resources are often limited, so it's vital to reach potential customers quickly with a message that encourages them to buy. Even the biggest brands can get this wrong. Google tried to launch Google Glass, smart glasses that keep people online but didn't know why people would need them. This meant increased costs and lack of demand. If you have limited experience in the market you want to reach, you can go through a partner ecosystem – marketing collaboratively with other companies targeting a similar market for mutual benefit. If you do this, it's essential to communicate the value proposition to your partners effectively. It's all about encouraging and motivating them to work with you. 6. Build a team around your needs Entrepreneurs can't do everything by themselves. Hiring the right people early can make or break a start-up. It's not effective to hire people to fill stereotypical roles in small businesses. Instead, focus on hiring the roles you need most. While each employee has a crucial role to play that uses their expertise, they shouldn't be limited by it. This helps the start-up stay efficient. How can an employer get the right balance of people, right? There's no formula to rely on. It's best to focus on forming a team around achieving your current goals. The next recruitment phase, with more of an eye on the future, can wait until the business starts becoming successful. 7. Set goals along the path There's one more important thing all entrepreneurs must consider. Behind every start-up, there are people with emotions, concerns, dreams. Start-up founders and their teams may burn out and get bored because they can't achieve their career goals and get sucked into a monotonous routine. You must set goals, both personal and professional. Create a plan that clearly explains how to achieve these goals, so you can find inspiration to keep going. There's a difference between knowing the path and walking it. Businesses always need to adjust their initial plan. Nevertheless, this is the essence of entrepreneurship. If you're throwing yourself into a start-up, be prepared.
Security Awareness

How to build a better cyber-aware culture at work

  • min read
    • Your employees are one of the biggest risk factors when it comes to your business and cybersecurity. You can lecture them, make them take online tests, even install software on their machines, but one rogue click on a phishing email could cost your business dearly. The answer: build a robust cybersecurity awareness culture to keep your business safe. When was the last time you inspired your employees about cybersecurity? You might've given a presentation, or delivered a series of online tests for people who, most probably, didn't pay it their full attention. Ask yourself, if you said "cybersecurity awareness session," would employees A: be excited and engaged, B: see it as a chance to switch off, or C: be more worried about pressing deadlines to pay full attention? If you answered A, well done – you're already building a cyber-aware organization. If you answered B or C, you need to change the dynamic from one-off training to a more embedded cultural of cyber-awareness. Culture, not lectures I worked at a firm years ago, one of their biggest rules: the phone never rings a fourth time. So for every member of staff, as soon as we stepped into that office, we knew the drill. And nobody had to teach new members of staff to do it – they could see for themselves what was expected of them. We just did it instinctively. It was part of our culture which became a habit. Think of cybersecurity best practice like clearing out your cupboards – you do it once, but inevitably you'll need to repeat it on a regular basis. Or to get more specific, it's like putting anti-virus software on a computer and never updating it. Strong cybersecurity cultures aren't built on one-off lectures about how dangerous the cyber-world is, they're built on engagement and habit. How to engage your employees and protect your business Firstly, if you have the funds, invest in IT talent. By appointing someone who's in charge of protecting your business, monitoring threats and educating your staff, your business will be better equipped to deal with cyberattacks. And make sure your IT teams have the training in threat intelligence and the right technologies in hand to spot and act on threats. But what if you're a small medium-sized businesses (SMB) with limited resources, and perhaps none or few dedicated IT specialists? Think bite-sized: small, but frequent. As you build momentum in the office, people will become more aware of what you're trying to do. For example, a poster with five ways to stay cyber-safe will catch people's eyes if you put it somewhere public, like the kitchen sink – next to your other safety at work signs. Or think about your procedures. As spear phishing emails – in which hackers assume the identity of a member of your staff – become more prevalent in targeted attacks. Giving multiple people the responsibility to sign off financial transactions, could stop identity thieves in their tracks. Rewarding colleagues and employees can go a long way too. Who has reported the most phishing emails, for example? A gift voucher prize should keep everyone keen to report them. And while you're at it, encourage other more security awareness practises in the workplace, like questioning when unknown people are in the building, and avoiding digital clutter like confidential information on the printer or unsecured data sticks. Ultimately, the most effective way to build a better cybersecurity culture is regularity. My top tip: run short activities often – lessons, tests, simulations, even treasure hunts or a meeting room transformed into a 'cyber-escape room' for the day. Frequently give employees a digestible amount of information. They'll get small enough bites of information to integrate into their daily work while building a foundation for a strong cybersecurity culture. The result? Stronger protection for your business. For more tips on security awareness and workplace cybersecurity best practise, read an interview with Barton Jokinen, Kaspersky's Head of Information Security and Compliance for the Americas.
climate edge farm

The future of farming: The start-up digitizing agriculture in developing nations

  • min read
    • As part of Kaspersky's Bring on the Future series, we're meeting businesses around the world who are changing their industry, and society, for the better. Farming isn't easy – fact. It's even trickier for smallholder tea or coffee farms in developing nations. Why? Lack of affordable infrastructure and the intensifying effects of climate change to name a couple of factors. But things are changing. Since 2015, the good people of Climate Edge have been helping farmers in developing nations fight common problems – from lack of affordable farm insurance to jumping through hoops to join cooperatives – by digitizing their day to day. I spoke with James Alden, co-founder and CEO, to find out more. Ryan: Why did you start Climate Edge, and how did you come to found it? James: We started it from a social perspective – my business partner Paul and I were studying environmental technology at Imperial College. When it came to our dissertations, Peter Baker, now our business partner, was running a project on how to prepare smallholder coffee farmers for climate change. We liked the sound of it, so went to Honduras to get involved. Almost instantly, we realised that farmers were really up against it. Climate change was impacting their ability to grow crops massively and not much was being done to support them. As part of our dissertation, we were required to collect yield data manually every day. Which, as you can imagine, was tedious. We thought, "If this is hard for us, how hard is it for the farmers, and what knock-on effects will it have if they don't do it?" After doing some digging, we realised that by not having data from the farm readily available, it was impacting everything from the way farmers insure themselves to understanding climate change and selling their products. That was how we could help, by giving farmers the means to digitize their everyday work. Helping farmers digitize their everyday processes, got it. So who's behind Climate Edge? Myself, Paul Baranowski and Peter Baker. Both Paul and I are from an environmental tech background – with exposure to policy, business and management – whereas Peter is the academic. Since beginning in 2015 we've brought on a product designer, a developer and someone to specifically focus on partner relations. You're building quite the team, what's the big vision? To be honest, our vision has changed quite a bit since we first started. Originally, we set out to help farmers adapt to climate change conditions by giving them a simple, easy-to-use digital system to record key farming data, how that affects their farm, and how best to prepare against changing environmental conditions. Now, we want to open up the market so that farmers can get access to the services and the value they need, to address the problems they have, which go beyond preparing for climate change. For example, insurance. Without recorded data – which most smallholder farms don't have – insurers don't know the risk of each individual farmer. They end up estimating, which results in small farms being lumped onto policies that either don't fit them, or are too expensive altogether, so if a fire comes and wipes out their crop, they're finished. We also want to move away from helping farmers at a localized level, to helping their cooperatives. In developing nations, a handful of farms form 'cooperatives', which are groups of farms that club their exports together to sell on – the benefits of which are tenfold, from fair prices to guaranteed sales. However, cooperatives need to be certified by organisations like Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade, otherwise traders won't buy from them. All well and good, but to be accredited, these small farms need to show a series of markers, from biodiversity measures, to pesticide use or even crop history, something that's increasingly difficult to do by hand, and can often be a barrier for these farms to join cooperatives. Climate Edge helps farmers store this data digitally, instead of on thousands of sheets of paper – or not at all! Must be a huge weight off their minds. So how does the technology work? In the first instance, we use Nexo – a weather station – to collect data from farms. The Nexo monitors everything from soil temperature to humidity and everything in between. Then our analytical software takes this data and logs it. By measuring air temperature, soil temperature, air humidity, precipitation and more, we can monitor the key conditions determining yield and quality. Our back-end system then takes this raw data, analyses it and provides farmers and their cooperatives, if they have one, with actionable, tailored information so they can implement the right solutions. Climate Edge gives smallholder farmers globally the information needed to adapt to a devastating changing climate. Our agricultural weather stations and blended satellite imaging identify how yield and quality of crops are being impacted by key climatic variables, at an affordable price for the market we are working in. Remarkable! So how does Climate Edge differ from similar technologies on the market? Right now, future forecasting in agriculture is huge. Future forecasting is the ability to know if the prices for different things are going to go up or down depending on yields. Our technology and operation differs because we use Climate Edge-affiliated farmers to collect very high quality data, then use that data to make conclusions from the surrounding farmland and other farmers. Climate Edge also has the power to affect the agricultural supply chain. For example, our climate data enables micro-insurers to make accurate pay-outs, our farm management data gives micro-financers the ability to identify reliable investments and the two combined provide the information needed to manage supply chains securely. Through this accessible approach we can provide the 500 million global farmers growing the world's most valuable crops the necessary information to grow stable and profitable businesses. That has the potential for a huge impact. How does it work when a farm signs up? What's the process? We currently work with farmer cooperatives who have a big data burden, but little in the way of automating any of their processes. The biggest burden for cooperatives is maintaining their certification standards (meaning that they can sell their crops under value-adding marks, such as Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade). Without this certification it can be very difficult, if not impossible, for the cooperatives to sell the crops, which is why this is such an important issue. Climate Edge supports cooperatives through this process by providing an app which integrates into the current data collection and reporting process, making this far less time consuming and complicated.  We provide this service for free to the farmers. Climate Edge benefits as the data collected through this process is often the same as the data needed for processes done by other businesses in the supply chain. For example, one service we have been delivering recently is conducting impact assessments for NGOs (non-governmental organizations). If an NGO does a project with a cooperative, how much impact did they achieve with the money they were given?  There has been a great push from funding donors to know more about the impact that has been achieved using their money, but for many NGOs this requires a huge amount more money to be spent paying for staff on the ground to visit farms and survey farmers. We can cut out that process as we are already on the ground collecting the data they need. It can't have been smooth sailing the whole way. What big challenges have you faced so far? Our biggest challenges are probably the same as most other start-ups; making sure that what we commit to building is correct, that we grow efficiently but also as quickly as possible, and making sure we don't run out of money. This is a delicate balance to achieve and it is often difficult to make sure you are spending enough time on validating product market fit versus fundraising.  Both are incredibly important, but when you only have a certain amount of hours in the day and a small team, you have to make decisions on what is most important at that moment in time. Smallholder farming is built on narrow profit margins and often low incomes. This means it is difficult to develop technologies which add sufficient value whilst still being affordable. As a result, there is little innovation in the market. We believe creating products which benefit a number of stakeholders, including farmers, is key to spreading the cost between users, and achieving a suitable price point for each.  I'm sure you've had your fair share of positive stories. What's been your biggest success? Our greatest success is that we have been able to start generating revenue very early on in our journey.  This is not common among many start-ups, who want to make sure everything is perfect before offering it to customers. But that's dangerous because building a client base and building trust takes time, and as we all know, time is money. We've been able to offer our service in broken-down chunks to initial clients and partners, which is extremely beneficial in two ways. Firstly, it brings in money which means we don't need to fundraise as much, saving us time and equity, and secondly, it means that we can move quicker by understanding exactly what it is our clients want and how we can give it to them. It's been quite the journey so far. What do you think the future opportunities are for smart farming, or specifically, big data use in farming? The opportunity in our market is enormous. Agriculture in developing nations hasn't seen any significant innovation since the green revolution, but the demand for the crops produced has risen dramatically. We won't be able to learn how we can make sure supply keeps up with demand without innovating significantly. Of course some of this will come from breeding new crops which can yield more, or can withstand more extreme conditions, but it will also involve making agriculture more investible, or understanding where the greatest supply chain risks are and how to mitigate them. Smallholder farming is currently a number of steps behind other global agricultural systems, particularly in the tropics. Many of the farmers we have worked with are incredibly isolated from high-tech products which improve efficiency, up-to-date agronomic models and finance management software – all of which are mainstays of European and US agriculture. The technology to provide data-driven farming is not the problem, which is a great position to be in. The challenge is in creating business models that allow these technologies to be fostered in the market. Once this has been achieved in a scalable way, I see data-driven farming practices completely changing the global agriculture market, as much more information (and therefore power) will be put in farmers' hands. Previously, you've said that Climate Edge can 'provide significant value to other sectors'. Which sectors could this have a positive effect on? Our goal is to become a big data broker for the developing agriculture sector. This data can have a lot of value for a lot of different people. This includes NGOs, insurance providers who need data on the risk profile of farmers or of an area, or banks who need data to understand the likelihood of a client defaulting on their loan.  It also helps input providers who need to understand market drivers and demand so that they can pre-emptively make products which meet that need, and investors who speculate on commodity markets want to make sure their investments are most likely to pay off. The value of data is being seen in many different industries and agriculture is no different.  We are making this happen in a place it hasn't been done before. Impressive! What does the future hold for Climate Edge? Scaling up. We are currently consolidating our efforts and increasing our scale in two key areas.  The first is East Africa, starting with Kenya.  The second is Latin America, starting with Colombia.  We are moving from a scattergun approach where we were trying to better understand the landscape of different sectors, to now expanding within the most promising. We have a number of very exciting partnerships and clients, like Unilever and Producers Direct, which are starting to scale to lead this expansion.
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