BASE Demo Day Profile: Aditya Prabhu, Canopy Systems
by Jolynn La
This week we're offering snapshots of some of the students pitching their concepts at Demo Day. One of them is Aditya Prabhu, who is pitching Canopy Systems.
Q: Can you tell us a little about your background?
A: I'm a senior at the University of Minnesota, studying computer engineering. I learned about the BASE accelerator through the Anderson Innovation Labs, where I often visit to work on developing prototypes for the portable smart sensors concept.
Q: What was the inspiration behind the idea for your company?
A: The idea for developing better greenhouse sensors was shaped by a much simpler problem I had when I was a sophomore and had moved to campus full-time. I have several windowsill plants at home I had left behind, and found it hard to manage when to water them when I'm away. I decided to design a sensor I could attach to my windowsill which can virtually tell me when the water is too low, so I can remotely monitor the plants. I then started visiting greenhouses throughout the Twin Cities area, and learned growers didn't have a flexible way to monitor the temperature and humidity for their plants, especially when away from the greenhouse.
Q: How does your company differentiate itself from existing companies in your industry?
The greenhouse industry is still mainly rooted in hardwired systems, if they measure anything at all. There is a huge opportunity to build a portable device that can scale with different setups, and doesn't need technicians and additional costs to install. I've iterated through several designs to make the sensors run as easy as a push of a button. Additionally, WiFi is very limited in
coverage and may not cover the entire setup, especially if the greenhouse is very large or in a remote area. I've experimented with a technology that can give a coverage of several miles and counting, helping cover the full greenhouse area with just one router instead of multiple.
Q: What are the future plans and next steps for your company?
A: I plan to expand this idea outside of just greenhouses, and also expand the breadth of data we can collect and analyze. Right now, the technology measures ambient greenhouse metrics. However, through customer research, we've started learning outdoor growers also monitor soil conditions to improve their yields with the right amount of fertilizers and watering schedules.
Additionally, researchers are also starting to explore how much nutrients the plants themselves are able to take up, which indicates the overall health of the plant before any noticeable signs of stress show up. This wearable sensing is still a very new frontier but very promising as they give more accurate results on how crops are doing.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to highlight about your company?
If you're interested in learning more about our work and mission, as well as stay tuned for updates - feel free to check out our webpage on LinkedIn! You can find us at Canopy Systems.
BASE Demo Day happens Thursday, July 27 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm at the Toaster Innovation Hub in Walter Library. The public is welcome to watch entrepreneurs pitch their startups and get feedback from the panel of faculty and industry experts.