With an innovative approach, based on image analysis and artificial intelligence, Inarix rethinks quality assessment of crops

Paris, September 22nd, 2020 - Unilis Agtech, a joint-venture between Unigrains et Arvalis created in early 2020 to support young and innovative agro-technology companies, signed a financial and technical agreement with Inarix. The ambition is to provide a new and powerful tool to better assess, and therefore valorize, the quality of grains.

Image analysis and artificial intelligence for a rapid and multi-criteria assessment of crop productions
Inarix, founded in 2018 by Pierre Chapelle, has developed PocketLab, a mobile application that transforms a smartphone into a pocket laboratory capable of rapidly analyzing the quality of crop productions via a simple photograph. The company’s core mission is to develop artificial intelligence in service of biological analysis, bypassing time-consuming and often expensive methods.

Since 2020, Inarix has been marketing a first module used to determine the varietal purity of a bath of malting barley. In 2020, PocketLab was used to analyze roughly 10% of the French malting barley production from several agricultural cooperatives.

Many other modules are under development: multi-species varietal characterization, evaluation of protein content, identification of mycotoxins, measurement of impurities, seed analysis… The modules are developed in close partnership with clients in each segment: malt, flour, starch, seed industry... The project has also expanded into different agricultural sectors starting with grapevine.

Financial and technical support to accompany the development of Inarix
The financial and technical agreement reinforces the company’s financial structure and provides services, notably to enhance Inarix’ algorithms with Arvalis’ grain sample library, built up over numerous harvests and representative of the diversity of French farm regions. Unilis will also mobilize its network of partners – and more generally those of Unigrains and Arvalis – to accompany Inarix in the deployment of its solution and its development projects.

Inarix is the first company to benefit from the support of Unilis Agtech, following its launch in early 2020. Endowed with €M 4, Unils Agech aims to support roughly 10 start-ups in order to accelerate the optimization and adoption of innovative solutions for the production of row crops and forage crops.

Alexandre Biau, CEO of Unilis Agtech, declared: “Access to this type of rapid and inexpensive solution enables us to rethink quality assessment strategies, with more systematic tests and increase efficiency. Inarix has already demonstrated its ability to successfully bring a first product to market and has many development opportunities. We are delighted to start this collaboration with Pierre Chapelle and his team.”

Pierre Chapelle, Founder and CEO of Inarix, added: “With Unilis Agtech we have found an expert-partner committed to innovation and the optimization of new solutions such as ours. Beyond the financial and technical aspects – essential for our young company – and access to Unigrains’ and Arvalis’ networks, we are very proud to receive this mark of confidence and support from the French grain industry, reflecting the relevance of our mission and development projects.”