Feat. Mary Grace Gasco, CEO of SpaceCrop
Let us introduce you to SpaceCrop from our Batch #3 and for that, we did a little interview with the CEO of SpaceCrop - the wonder woman Mary Grace Gasco 🦸♀️
What are the problems that your startup helps to solve? And what is the solution?
SpaceCrop helps farms manage irrigation and increase crop resiliency using satellite data and artificial intelligence. Our services include weather forecasting, smart irrigation planning, and farm management system. 🚜 🌾
Weather forecasting: We provide accurate hourly and daily estimates based on your farm’s location.
Smart irrigation: We provide user-friendly and actionable insights to farmers about the soil moisture levels in their farms.
Farm management: We empower farmers to make data-driven decisions and better plan resources by keeping track of all farm expenses such as water, energy, seeds, machinery, and labour costs.
How do SpaceCrop technologies make it possible?
SpaceCrop combines cutting-edge satellite imagery 🛰️, with soil moisture data, and powerful AI algorithms to provide farmers with real-time and forecast insights on soil moisture, crop health, and weather conditions.
“With this smart data, farmers can make informed decisions and fine-tune their irrigation practices, ensuring healthier crops and a greener future.” 🌱 🌏
What is your “why” and how did everything start with SpaceCrop?
"When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut," Mary said. Growing up, I realized that I have to be a scientist to become an astronaut. I came from faraway islands in the Philippines. Farming is something personal for me as I grew up in a small family farm being chased by goats, chickens, and cows. I took a Bachelor’s degree in Geography in the Philippines where my strong interest in space science and technology applications started.
When I came to Budapest for my master’s in Environmental Sciences, I took most of the courses in agriculture development and water management. After graduation, I worked for one of the biggest tech companies in the world where I got so much exposure to data, cloud, and AI applications. I knew in my heart then that I could do something different for agriculture. I started joining ideation and startup programs in the EU to help me build the idea and technology which is now "SpaceCrop".
Mary Grace Gasco, CEO of SpaceCrop
What was your experience with Beamline Accelerator?
It was a great experience joining the Beamline Accelerator last year. What I really liked the most in the program is its value for diversity, inclusivity, and strong support for innovation. The Beamline Accelerator team is cool, fun, and very creative. I really enjoyed the program as team Beamline helped me through my startup’s financial models and planning. During the program, we visited and get introduced to the biggest founders of startups and have shown us how rich the startup ecosystem is in Estonia. They have introduced us to potential investors and partners that could be interesting for our startup. Even after the program, I am still in touch with the Beamline team to access support in financials, legal, management, and operations.
What is the biggest value you got from Beamline Accelerator?
"I believe that finding the right accelerator program is very important," noted Mary. "There are a lot of startup programs in the world which could be interesting for everyone. Thus, it is a matter of finding a strategic partner for your startup to help you grow as a company. I strongly consider the Beamline team as not only our investor but also SpaceCrop's partner in delivering value to farmers and making agriculture sustainable."
Reach out to the future-minded agritech startup SpaceCrop team through their website or follow them on LinkedIn!
Beamline Accelerator is from the land of the unicorns, a topic-focused accelerator, where we offer a tailor-made approach to each startup, delivering services and networks to fuel organic growth.