InfyU LABS Company Profile

Background

InfyU LABS, founded in 2019 by Amit Srivastava and Ankit Chauhan, is an agritech startup headquartered in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. The company is dedicated to revolutionizing the agricultural sector by providing non-destructive, IoT-based quality testing solutions for fruits and vegetables. Their mission is to democratize food testing, enhance food safety standards, and significantly reduce perishable food wastage through innovative technology-driven solutions.

Key Strategic Focus

InfyU LABS focuses on developing portable, non-invasive devices that enable rapid and accurate assessment of internal quality parameters in fresh produce. Their flagship product, Infyzer, utilizes spectroscopy powered by machine learning algorithms to analyze fruits such as apples, pomegranates, and kiwis within seconds. Key features include:

Internal Quality Assessment: Measures parameters like Total Soluble Solids (TSS or Brix), acidity (pH), moisture content, starch index, firmness, shelf life, and ripeness without damaging the produce.

User-Friendly Interface: Connects via Bluetooth to a smartphone app, providing instant, detailed quality reports accessible to farmers, aggregators, and retailers without the need for specialized training.

Supply Chain Transparency: Through InfyQR, a traceability solution that attaches QR codes to quality-checked consignments, enabling real-time tracking and fostering trust between sellers and consumers.

Financials and Funding

InfyU LABS has secured funding to support its growth and technological advancements:

Seed Round (September 2021): Raised ₹1.8 crore (approximately $242,000) from the Indian Angel Network (IAN), led by investors K.R.S. Jamwal, Sanjay Bansal, and Vishnuraj Kunjur. The funds are allocated for deploying more devices, enhancing quality effectiveness, boosting R&D, expanding into pre-harvest fruit quality testing, and including other perishable commodities in their offerings.

Technological Platform and Innovation

InfyU LABS distinguishes itself through its proprietary technologies and innovative methodologies:

Spectroscopy and Machine Learning Integration: Infyzer employs advanced spectroscopy techniques combined with machine learning algorithms to non-invasively assess internal fruit quality parameters.

IoT-Enabled Solutions: The devices are part of an end-to-end IoT-based platform, allowing quality managers to quickly assess incoming produce, thereby reducing perishable wastage, logistic costs, and optimizing storage time.

Portable Lab Services: PortaLabs offers portable, easily accessible testing centers, enabling stakeholders to test products without investing in the Infyzer device, further lowering the barrier to entry.

Leadership Team

Amit Srivastava: Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. An IIT Madras alumnus with a background in radio astronomy, Amit brings analytical and strategic expertise to the company.

Ankit Chauhan: Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer. Ankit combines technical skills with agricultural knowledge to drive the company's technological innovations.

Competitor Profile

Market Insights and Dynamics

The global market for non-destructive fruit quality testing is expanding, driven by increasing demand for high-quality produce, stringent food safety regulations, and the need to reduce food wastage. The integration of IoT and AI technologies in agriculture is transforming traditional practices, offering real-time data and analytics to stakeholders.

Competitor Analysis

Key competitors in the non-destructive fruit quality testing market include:

F-750 Produce Quality Meter by Felix Instruments: Utilizes near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to measure internal quality attributes of fruits and vegetables.

DA Meter by Sintéleia: A portable device that assesses fruit maturity and quality using chlorophyll fluorescence.

HarvestLab by John Deere: Employs NIR technology for real-time analysis of crop constituents during harvesting.

These competitors focus on providing accurate, non-invasive quality assessments to optimize harvesting decisions and supply chain management.

Strategic Collaborations and Partnerships

InfyU LABS has engaged in strategic collaborations to enhance its market position and innovation capacity:

Google for Startups SDG Program: Participated in this program, receiving mentorship support from Google experts to solve operational challenges and scale their solutions.

Youth Co:Lab Initiatives: Engaged in programs like the Springboard Programme and Startup Impact Summit, providing networking opportunities with like-minded social entrepreneurs and exposure to potential investors.

Operational Insights

InfyU LABS differentiates itself through:

Cost-Effective Solutions: Offering affordable, portable devices that eliminate the need for complex infrastructure and trained personnel.

Rapid Testing Capabilities: Providing instant quality assessments, enabling quick decision-making and reducing delays associated with traditional lab testing.

Supply Chain Transparency: Enhancing trust and transparency through traceability solutions like InfyQR, allowing real-time tracking of product quality.

Strategic Opportunities and Future Directions

InfyU LABS aims to:

Expand Product Offerings: Develop solutions for pre-harvest fruit quality testing and include other perishable commodities in their portfolio.

Enter Export Markets: Assist Indian fruit exporters in meeting stringent global quality standards, reducing rejection rates, and ensuring acceptance in international markets.

Advance Technological Capabilities: Improve prediction model accuracy by incorporating multispectral imaging and ultrasonic sensing to cater to a broader range of fruits and vegetables.