Instacrops unveils its water-saving, crop-boosting AI at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

The pressing issue of water scarcity resonates deeply with Mario Bustamante, based in Chile, who shared with TechCrunch that it constitutes a major challenge in the region. This critical need for solutions has driven companies like Instacrops to innovate.

The firm's strategic pivot from a hardware-centric approach to one powered by artificial intelligence profoundly transformed its operations, enabling it to manage vast amounts of data with a leaner team. Bustamante elaborated on this shift, highlighting the dramatic increase in data processing capabilities: "We are processing — more or less — 15 million data points per hour. Almost 10 years ago, that was the amount for a year." This exponential growth translates directly into tangible benefits, as he noted, "We’re reducing cost, team members, and generating more impact with less."

At its core, Instacrops' technology empowers farmers by leveraging data from IoT sensors, whether newly installed or integrated into existing farm networks. This data is then fed into the startup's advanced LLM models, which process over 80 distinct parameters. These inputs include crucial metrics such as soil moisture, humidity, temperature, pressure, crop yield, and NDVI – a key plant productivity indicator derived from satellite imagery. The insights generated from this comprehensive analysis enable precise recommendations on when and where to irrigate specific areas.

These critical advisories reach farmers directly on their mobile phones. While Instacrops provides its own chatbot application, the company also prioritizes integration with WhatsApp. Bustamante anticipates a full transition to the messaging platform, stating, "I think in the next year, we will be 100% WhatsApp because it’s a universal tool for any farmer." For farms with a higher degree of technological sophistication, Instacrops extends its capabilities to directly control irrigation systems, providing an even more integrated solution.

Currently, Instacrops strategically targets high-value crops across Latin America, focusing on produce such as apples, avocados, blueberries, almonds, and cherries. Farmers access these vital irrigation insights by paying an annual fee calculated per hectare of their farmland.