Supported ventures
Innobiz Group
Innobiz Group (Pty) Ltd
Brands: INNOBIZ
Flagship product: Agricultural soil testing mobile application
Founding team: Mr Lindokuhle Mdletshe
Application: AI driven and geo-tagged imaged based for soil Hhealth prediction (smartphone based application)
Sector/Industry: Agri-Tech
Subsector: Precision Agriculture
Year founded and commenced operations: 2020
Year partnered with TuksNovation: 2023
Email address: lmdletshe@innobizgroup.co.za
Website: innobizgroup.co.za
Description
INNOBIZ Group is a South African Agritech company driving digital transformation in sustainable agriculture. The company leads the development of innovative smart -farming technologies that combine AI, digital image processing, and machine learning to enhance soil analysis, crop prediction, and energy management.
Through its flagship innovation – a mobile-based soil analysis and crop recommendation platform. INNOBIZ empowers small-scale farmers with real-time insights for improved productivity, profitability, and environmental sustainability.
Growth Objectives
- INNOBIZ aims to scale its technology across Africa and beyond by establishing pilot and demonstration sites, expanding into international markets through AU – EU collaborations
- Creating new employment opportunities in digital agriculture
- By year 2028, the company envisions accelerating the adoption of smart farming technologies to enhance food security and natural resource conservation
Differentiation/Value Proposition
INNOBIZ stands out through its real-time, image-based soil diagnostics combined with integrated energy management capabilities, enabling farmers to make data-driven decisions instantly.
Unlike conventional systems that rely on lab testing, INNOBIZ offers a fast, mobile, and affordable solution that empowers rural farmers while advancing environmental sustainability.
Business Stage/Phase
INNOBIZ is at the early-stage growth phase, having validated market demand and completed proof-of concept testing.
Investment Stage/Phase
Currently in the seed-to-early expansion phase
- Requires funding to refine prototypes, conduct large-scale pilot testing, and scale production
- Preparing for farmers’ engagement, marketing campaigns, and regulatory approvals
- Exploring partnerships to access broad reach out for small-scale farmers
- Engaging strategic partners for commercialization and international scale-up
Investment Raised
INNOBIZ Group has raised funding from the following sources so far:
- Self-funded initial development
- Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) grant 2025/2026 – R1,917,430.00 for project implementation (project management and coordination, system requirements & architecture, digital image processing and machine learning model development, advanced agricultural mobile application development, system validation & demonstration, and dissemination).