Watercell
Watercell (now Agrinote Inc.) is a Niigata-based Japanese agricultural technology company that provides Japanese farmers and rice producers with farm management software, a rice trading marketplace, and satellite-based precision agriculture tools.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersNiigata, Japan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
Watercell firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Watercell
- Legal name
- ウォーターセル株式会社
- Website
- https://water-cell.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Watercell (now Agrinote Inc.) is a Niigata-based Japanese agricultural technology company that provides Japanese farmers and rice producers with farm management software, a rice trading marketplace, and satellite-based precision agriculture tools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Watercell industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Farm Management Software
- NAICS
- Farm Management Services (115116)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Farm Management & Decision Support Software (FMIS, ERP, Recordkeeping) (AFAGALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Satellite Imagery & Monitoring Platforms (AFAAAFAI), Field Mapping, GIS & Remote Sensing Analytics (AFAAAFAB), Decision Support & Agronomic Modeling (Yield, Irrigation, Pest/Disease Forecasting) (AFAAAFAF)
Keywords
Where Watercell is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Niigata
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Watercell business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Agrinote App Services: Subscription-based access to farm management applications including field mapping, work recording, harvest tracking, and financial management features
- Agrinote Rice Market Transaction Fees: Commission-based revenue from rice trading matching service connecting producers directly with wholesalers and buyers
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Watercell product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Watercell develops and operates the Agrinote agricultural business management platform for Japanese farmers. The platform provides farm management apps with field mapping, work recording, harvest tracking, and cost management, alongside an online rice trading marketplace (Agrinote Rice Market), a delegated farm data management tool (Agrinote Manager), a pesticide search app, and a satellite remote sensing service for crop growth visualization and variable-rate fertilization.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- アグリノート: Farm management application that enables farmers to create field maps on aerial photos, record agricultural work content, crop growth conditions, harvest and shipping information, and manage收支 and cost information.
- アグリノート米市場
- アグリノートマネージャー
- 農薬検索アプリ
- アグリノート衛星リモートセンシングサービス
Products and services
- Agrinote (アグリノート) Farm management support application that allows farmers to create field maps on aerial photographs, record crop growth status, work activities, harvests, shipments, and cost data, facilitating information sharing, succession planning, and regulatory documentation for Japanese farmers.
- Agrinote Rice Market (アグリノート米市場) Online marketplace connecting rice producers directly with rice wholesalers and food service buyers for forward contracts, providing producers with stable farm management and buyers with reliable sourcing relationships.
- Agrinote Manager (アグリノートマネージャー) Management tool that allows farm managers to receive, aggregate, download, edit, and proxy-enter farming data that producers have stored in the Agrinote app, enabling seamless collaboration and coordinated data utilization between management staff and producers.
- Pesticide Search App (農薬検索アプリ) Mobile application for quickly looking up pesticide information, pest and disease data, and agricultural news on demand, supporting farmers' day-to-day crop protection decisions.
- Agrinote Satellite Remote Sensing Service (アグリノート衛星リモートセンシングサービス) Precision agriculture tool that visualizes crop growth conditions based on satellite imagery to support timely operations and efficient fertilizer use through variable-rate fertilization for Japanese farmers facing labor shortages and climate challenges.
Quantifiable outcome
- Labor savings through precision agriculture and digital farm management
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Watercell
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Watercell technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature4 records
Watercell partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Bayer CropSciencecoreBayer CropScience collaborated with Watercell, Iseki, and Yanmar Agri to jointly develop the Agrinote Satellite Remote Sensing Service. The service uses satellite imagery to visualize crop growth and supports variable fertilization for Japanese farmers. Bayer contributes agricultural science expertise and crop protection knowledge to the precision agriculture platform.
- Iseki (井関農機)coreIseki (Iseki Agricultural Machinery) partnered with Watercell, Bayer CropScience, and Yanmar Agri to develop the Agrinote Satellite Remote Sensing Service. Iseki contributes agricultural machinery expertise and distribution channels for precision farming solutions in Japan.
- Yanmar Agri (ヤンマーアグリ)coreYanmar Agri partnered with Watercell, Bayer CropScience, and Iseki to jointly develop the Agrinote Satellite Remote Sensing Service. Yanmar provides agricultural equipment expertise and distribution network access for delivering satellite-based farming solutions to Japanese farmers.
Scale indicators2 records
Watercell competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Climate FieldView (Bayer CropScience): Climate FieldView is Bayer's digital agriculture platform offering satellite imagery, field mapping, and farm management tools. It is both a direct competitor in farm management software and a strategic partner to Watercell, making it the most relevant peer.
- Granular (Corteva): Granular is a farm management software platform acquired by Corteva that helps growers manage operations, financials, and agronomy. It competes directly with Agrinote's core farm management functionality, particularly among larger operations.
- xFarm Technologies: xFarm is a European farm management platform offering field records, agronomic decision support, and integrations with machinery partners. It is comparable as a multi-product agtech SaaS targeting crop growers with similar FMIS-style use cases.
- Farmers Edge: Farmers Edge provides digital agronomy tools including field imagery, variable-rate prescriptions, and farm data management. It overlaps with Watercell's satellite remote sensing and farm management offerings.
Emerging players
- Taranis: Taranis is a precision agriculture intelligence platform using aerial imagery and AI to deliver field-level scouting and crop health insights. It overlaps with Watercell's Agrinote Satellite Remote Sensing Service in particular.
- CropX: CropX is a soil-sensor and farm management platform focused on irrigation and input optimization. It is an adjacent agtech SaaS that competes for the same digital-farming budget among Japanese and global growers.
Broad incumbents
- Trimble Ag (Trimble Inc.): Trimble Ag provides precision agriculture hardware and software for farm management, mapping, and machinery guidance. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities but a much wider portfolio than Watercell.
- CNH Industrial (Raven Industries / Case IH / New Holland Agriculture): CNH Industrial's ag brands, including Raven, sell precision agriculture platforms integrated with tractors and implements. Comparable as a partner-channel and broad incumbent in the same ecosystem Watercell is targeting with Iseki and Yanmar.
Regional players
- Bushu Pharma: Bushu operates a Japanese livestock and agriculture data platform. It is a regional peer in Japanese agtech but focuses on livestock rather than crop/rice production.
- Nippo Co., Ltd. (agriculture/ICT): Nippo is a Japanese construction and ICT-adjacent firm exploring smart agriculture solutions domestically. It is a regional peer given its interest in Japanese digital agriculture, though its primary business is in road construction.
Market position
Customer concentration
Watercell financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Watercell leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Watercell funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Watercell M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Watercell
What does Watercell do?
Watercell develops and operates the Agrinote agricultural business management platform for Japanese farmers. The platform provides farm management apps with field mapping, work recording, harvest tracking, and cost management, alongside an online rice trading marketplace (Agrinote Rice Market), a delegated farm data management tool (Agrinote Manager), a pesticide search app, and a satellite remote sensing service for crop growth visualization and variable-rate fertilization.
Is Watercell a public or private company?
Watercell is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Watercell founded?
Watercell was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Watercell based?
Watercell is headquartered in Niigata, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Watercell make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Agrinote App Services are the primary driver. The others are agrinote Rice Market Transaction Fees.
Who are Watercell's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Climate FieldView (Bayer CropScience), Granular (Corteva), xFarm Technologies and Farmers Edge. Emerging players are Taranis and CropX. Broad incumbents are Trimble Ag (Trimble Inc.) and CNH Industrial (Raven Industries / Case IH / New Holland Agriculture). Regional players are Bushu Pharma and Nippo Co., Ltd. (agriculture/ICT).
Does Watercell have an API?
No public API is recorded for Watercell.
What industry is Watercell in?
Watercell's product category is Farm Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAGALAA, Farm Management & Decision Support Software (FMIS, ERP, Recordkeeping), with a secondary code of AFAAAFAI, Satellite Imagery & Monitoring Platforms. Its NAICS code is 115116 and its SIC code is 700.