What Smart Sensing Brasil does

Smart Sensing Brasil is a Piracicaba-based agtech distributor and service provider founded in February 2017 by agricultural engineers specializing in precision farming technologies. The company is the exclusive Brazilian representative of WEED-IT, a localized spraying system originally co-developed with Wageningen University in the Netherlands. WEED-IT uses chlorophyll fluorescence sensors to detect live plants in real time and trigger individual PWM-controlled spray nozzles only where weeds are present, claiming up to 95% reduction in agricultural defensives in certain applications and operational savings of 60-90% across use cases (post-harvest desiccation, catação, green-on-green, in-row application, cotton stalk control). The system operates in three modes: localized spraying (on plants only), Dual mode (reduced blanket dose with full dose on detected plants), and full-area PWM mode.

Smart Sensing's revenue model combines one-time hardware sales of WEED-IT systems (sensors, PWM valves, control units) with continuous technical support and, since 2024, a usage-based services-per-hectare model designed to democratize access for small and medium producers. Distribution relies on a network of at least 17 authorized resellers across nine Brazilian states (MT, MS, GO, MG, BA, MA, PI, PA, TO) supported by direct technical sales representatives. The customer base consists primarily of large enterprise agribusinesses — disclosed names include SLC Agrícola, Grupo Franciosi Agro, Grupo Peccin, Agropecuária Sutal, Fazenda Rio Claro, Polato Sementes, Fazendas Nova Geração, Grupo Pelizon, and Grupo Spekken — many of whom are multi-year users (since 2017-2018) that have upgraded from the first-generation WEED-IT Ag to the 2021 WEED-IT Quadro platform. Marketing is multi-channel: social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube), the documentary series "WEED-IT pelo Brasil," agricultural events such as Agro Rosário, and podcast appearances.

The company operates as a privately held Brazilian entity with 36 employees, no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no public market listing. Its proprietary technology (chlorophyll fluorescence detection) is licensed/exclusively represented from the Netherlands origin, which gives it a defensible position in Brazil but exposes it to potential upstream technology dependence. The 2024 services model and the R$ 100M 2025 revenue projection represent a strategic pivot from hardware-centric to recurring service revenue, though these figures are projections and not realized.

Name

Smart Sensing Brasil

Legal name

Smart Sensing Brasil

Website

https://smartsensingbrasil.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Smart Sensing Brasil is a privately held Brazilian agtech founded in 2017 that exclusively distributes and services the WEED-IT precision spraying system, using chlorophyll fluorescence sensors to reduce agricultural chemical use for large and small-scale producers across Brazil.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Agriculture Equipment

SIC

Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Autonomous Spraying & Crop-Care Robots (Targeted application, spot spraying) (AFAAAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Robotics & Autonomous Field Operations (Weeding, Spraying, Harvest Assist, Autonomous Tractors) (AFAGALAJ), Spray Control, Rate Controllers & Nozzle Systems (Pumps, Valves, Atomizers) (AFAAADAF), Sprayer Calibration, Testing & Drift-Reduction Technology (Sensors, Shields, Adjuvant Dosing) (AFAAADAI)

Keywords

• Precision agriculture
• Localized spraying
• Weed detection sensors
• Herbicide savings
• PWM spray control

Headquarters

HQ city

Piracicaba

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Services per Hectare Model: New services business model launched to democratize precision spraying access for small and medium producers. Customers pay per hectare treated with the WEED-IT technology.
2. WEED-IT System Hardware Sales: Sale of WEED-IT spraying systems including sensors, PWM valves, and control units for installation on agricultural equipment.
3. Technical Support and After-Sales Services: Continuous technical support, personalized training, and ongoing optimization services to ensure maximum potential of the WEED-IT system.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Smart Sensing Brasil sells and services the WEED-IT localized spraying system, an agricultural technology that uses chlorophyll fluorescence sensors and PWM-controlled nozzles to apply herbicides only where live plants are detected. The system is sold as hardware to large producers and increasingly offered through a per-hectare services model that allows small and medium farmers to access precision spraying without purchasing equipment.

Product overview

A Smart Sensing Brasil oferece o sistema WEED-IT como seu produto principal — uma tecnologia de pulverização localizada desenvolvida na Holanda em parceria com a Universidade de Wageningen. O sistema WEED-IT utiliza sensores de fluorescência de clorofila para detectar plantas daninhas e acionar bicos controlados por PWM apenas onde necessário. A plataforma opera em três modos: Pulverização Localizada (aplicação somente sobre plantas detectadas), Modo Dual (dose reduzida em área total com dose completa onde há plantas), e Modo Área Total PWM (operação convencional com tecnologia PWM). A empresa também oferece serviços por hectare para democratizar o acesso à tecnologia e mantém uma série documental 'WEED-IT pelo Brasil' com relatos de produtores. A loja oficial vende merchandise branded.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WEED-IT Localized Spraying System Localized spraying system that uses chlorophyll fluorescence sensors to detect plants in real time and activate spray nozzles only where vegetation is present, reducing agricultural chemical usage. Sold to large-scale Brazilian agricultural producers for use on row crops, pastures, and sugarcane.
• WEED-IT Services per Hectare Usage-based precision spraying service where customers pay per hectare treated with the WEED-IT technology, providing small and medium producers access to precision agriculture without purchasing equipment.

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Universidade de Wageningen (Wageningen University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2017The WEED-IT technology was developed in partnership with Wageningen University, the world reference in Agricultural Sciences located in the Netherlands. This academic partnership provided the scientific foundation for the chlorophyll fluorescence detection technology that powers the WEED-IT system, establishing it as the global leader in localized spraying.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• DJI Agriculture (Agras): DJI's Agras line of agricultural spraying drones offers targeted/spot application in a different delivery modality (drone-based) than WEED-IT (tractor/boom-based). It represents an emerging alternative precision-spraying approach with partial overlap on use cases such as targeted weed control.

Broad incumbents

• Raven Industries (CNH): Raven Industries (now part of CNH Industrial) provides precision agriculture technology including boom control, nozzle control, and guidance systems used in modern sprayers. Its components and software overlap with WEED-IT's precision application subsystem.
• Topcon Agriculture: Topcon Agriculture provides precision agriculture hardware and software including spraying-related control systems and sensors. It is a broad incumbent in the precision-ag stack against which WEED-IT's sensor-driven control competes.
• CNH Industrial (Case IH, New Holland): CNH Industrial offers AIM Command PWM nozzle control and precision spraying features through its Case IH and New Holland brands. It is a broad incumbent agricultural OEM with capabilities that overlap with WEED-IT's precision application value proposition.
• John Deere (ExactApply / See & Spray): John Deere offers ExactApply (individual nozzle control/PWM) and See & Spray (camera-based spot spraying) within its broader precision agriculture portfolio. As the dominant North American agricultural equipment OEM with growing South American presence, it is a broad incumbent against which WEED-IT competes for precision spraying budget.
• AGCO (Hagie, Fendt, Massey Ferguson): AGCO's brands — particularly Hagie self-propelled sprayers — operate in the same precision spraying space as WEED-IT-equipped machines. AGCO is a broad incumbent offering full equipment lines with integrated precision-ag features rather than a dedicated spot-spray retrofit.

Direct peers

• TeeJet Technologies: TeeJet Technologies is a major US-based manufacturer of spray nozzles, valves, controls, and boom components for agricultural spraying. Its PWM-based DynaJet and electronic nozzle-control products overlap directly with WEED-IT's valve and nozzle-control subsystem.
• Rometron: Rometron is the Dutch developer and manufacturer of the WEED-IT chlorophyll fluorescence localized spraying system, developed in partnership with Wageningen University. It is the upstream technology owner whose product Smart Sensing exclusively distributes in Brazil, making it the closest functional comparable.
• Agrifac: Agrifac is a Dutch manufacturer of self-propelled and trailed crop sprayers with precision application technologies including spot spraying and PWM-based systems. It competes in the same high-end precision spraying segment as WEED-IT, particularly across European and South American markets.
• CapstanAG: CapstanAG (US) specializes in PWM nozzle control technology for agricultural sprayers via its Sharpshooter and PinPoint systems, providing individual nozzle shutoff and pulse-width modulation similar to WEED-IT's valve technology. It is a direct comparable on the precision spray-control mechanism.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCR1vaeI6c4-VXw9TfEUK9fg
• Facebookfacebook.com/smartsensingbrasil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smartsensingbrasil
• Instagraminstagram.com/smartsensingbrasil

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smart Sensing Brasil