Sumanta Talukdar – Founder and CEO of Gardin Ltd., Gardin Agritech
“Customer-centricity pervades everything we do; it builds client trust, drives recommendations and increases efficiency within our team. We’re big on ownership and autonomy based on a clear understanding of our mission, goals and purpose. To work here, you need to be smart, hard-working and, above all, eager to learn – because we’re pioneering something new.”
Sumanta Talukdar - Founder and CEO
Founded in January 2020, ag-tech company Gardin Ltd. is revolutionising horticulture with its unique cloud-based crop intelligence system. The technology helps growers across Europe to improve crop quality, boost yield, cut costs and reduce waste. To accelerate growth, Gardin is adding an office in the Netherlands, firmly embedding itself in the global horticultural ecosystem.
How did you come up with the idea for Gardin?
Unlike startups that create a solution first and then seek a problem to solve, Gardin was inspired by a real-world issue. Having mistakenly purchased poor-quality fresh produce, I questioned how it had passed quality checks. Coming from industries that focus on precise measurement, I was surprised to find that growers carefully monitor countless external factors (temperature, humidity, water, radiation), but not the crop itself – until maturity, by which point poor-quality produce must be discarded. This seemed at odds with the industry’s strong efficiency mindset, so I came up with a solution that facilitates early-stage quality monitoring at scale.
How does Gardin’s solution work?
Our cloud-based crop intelligence system uses advanced optical sensors to measure plant physiology in real time. The technique is based on chlorophyll fluorescence, a familiar and trusted scientific concept among growers. By applying that science in a scalable way, our solution enables them to monitor plant health before visible stress symptoms appear. The sensor data is transmitted to the cloud, where algorithms process it into actionable insights, displayed on Gardin’s user-friendly dashboard. Rather than growers guessing, the system tells them precisely what their crops need.
Why is your solution a big deal for growers?
In a 2021 pilot, Gardin’s system detected drought stress weeks before agronomists could see any symptoms, demonstrating its potential to increase yield, enhance uniformity and reduce waste. The system benefits both commercial growers of protected crops and seed producers. For instance, Bayer utilised our system when trialling a new drought-resistant pepper variety in Spain. Using Gardin’s irrigation advice, they delivered a higher yield whilst reducing water usage by 25%.
Moreover, our plug-and-play sensors make installation simple, and the system integrates seamlessly via API. And once the sensors have been purchased, the data insights are available based on a subscription model, so growers don’t face a high upfront investment.
How has your product been received in the market?
By the end of 2024, we had deployed over 170 sensors across Northern Europe and North America. Because our technology works on anything with leaves, it has been successfully applied to crops ranging from tomatoes and cucumbers to algae. Growers not only use the system themselves but also recommend it to others, which is the best validation you can get. One client publicly shared that he had recouped his investment in Gardin tenfold.
You’ve been operating out of the UK so far, but you’re now adding an office in the Netherlands. Why?
I’m a big believer that timing is crucial for startups, and due to current macroeconomic shifts, Gardin’s solution is rapidly evolving from ‘nice to have’ to ‘need to have.’ To capitalise on this massive opportunity, we are expanding in the Netherlands, which due to its exports of not only agri-food and flowers but also associated technology and expertise is right at the heart of global horticultural sector. Although we already have people on the ground there, we now aim to establish a dedicated commercial team, led by the best Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) around.
What makes someone the ‘best’ CCO?
In true startup fashion, all our team members have been hands-on in sales, but we now need a CCO to professionalise our approach. The role demands someone capable of generating revenue directly in the first six months while also developing a multi-year plan to take us to €10 million ARR, and then building the team and the relationships to execute it. Strategic partnerships worldwide – including collaborations with sales agents and ecosystem players – will be essential in enabling us to scale up quickly and effectively.
Gardin’s system is highly innovative, but that doesn’t mean it has to be complex to use. That’s why we’re continuously striving to further simplify the user experience. The focus is firmly on the benefits for our customers. In fact, we’re well on our way to achieving self-service implementation for growers. And while the sensors are essential, the real value lies in the data insights delivered via the dashboard. Therefore, it’s important that the CCO pays equal attention to our hardware and our software.
What are the longer-term goals?
Over the next three years, Gardin aims to dominate the protected cropping segment in the Western Hemisphere, deploying our sensors across all target markets. We’ve just signed a substantial strategic investment deal with a major ag-tech partner to help us further accelerate our expansion. But that’s only the first step. Our collection of unique raw data positions us to build the world’s largest global database of crop physiology combined with outcomes, unlocking huge opportunities for monetisation. If leveraged effectively, Gardin has the potential to grow into a multi-billion-dollar company – and the CCO role will be pivotal in our future success.
