Messium, the UK agritech innovator harnessing hyperspectral satellites and artificial intelligence to transform nitrogen efficiency in farming, has raised £3.3 million in seed investment to accelerate its commercial rollout.
The funding round was co-led by the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (UKI2S, managed by Future Planet Capital) – drawing on UKI2S’s Space portfolio backed by the UK Space Agency – alongside Expansion Aerospace Ventures. Additional investors included Mudcake, Laconia, GRDC GrainInnovate, Clear Current Capital, Moonstone Venture Capital and follow-on backer SuperSeed.
At the heart of Messium’s technology is a platform that fuses hyperspectral satellite imaging with AI-driven crop growth models. By capturing crop data across hundreds of wavelengths, the system can pinpoint nitrogen levels within each part of a field. Combined with weather, soil, and farm management data, the platform generates real-time, field-specific recommendations on where and when to apply fertiliser.
This precision approach helps farmers reduce wasted inputs, cut emissions, and boost yields – aligning profitability with sustainability. Trials in 2024 involving more than 13,000 lab-validated crop samples revealed that over 50% of fields were incorrectly fertilised, driving unnecessary costs and avoidable greenhouse gas emissions.
The fresh investment will allow Messium to scale its team and data infrastructure, extend partnerships with farmers and researchers, and expand operations in the UK, Europe, and Australia. The company is also preparing for a Series A round to accelerate international expansion and broaden its technology into other nutrient and crop health challenges.
CEO and co-founder George Marangos-Gilks said: “Feeding the world sustainably is one of the defining challenges of our time. Today, more than half of all farmland is either over- or under-fertilised – a problem that wastes billions, drives emissions, and holds back global food security. We believe the answer lies in harnessing the best of satellite technology and AI to deliver field-specific recommendations at massive scale – week in, week out, for every farmer on the planet.”
Messium’s platform is already in use across more than 75 farms in the UK and Europe, with pilot projects underway in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the US. The technology has been developed with support from the UK Space Agency, the European Space Agency, Innovate UK, and leading agronomy researchers.
Dr Craig Brown, Investment Director at the UK Space Agency, said: “Messium’s success demonstrates the transformative potential of space technology in addressing critical global challenges. By integrating advanced hyperspectral satellite data with artificial intelligence, they are enabling farmers to improve yields, reduce input waste, and minimise environmental impact.”
The company credits ESA BIC and the UK Space Agency’s GEO Accelerator for helping advance its integration of hyperspectral remote sensing, machine learning, and crop growth modelling into a practical, farmer-ready tool.
With nitrogen fertiliser among agriculture’s most essential yet environmentally challenging inputs, Messium’s data-driven system offers farmers the ability to identify over- and under-fertilised areas within fields, make precise adjustments, and farm more profitably while supporting food security and net-zero goals.
