Meet Scoutlabs, Startups of the Year 2024 Nominee

Hey Hackers!

scoutlabs has been nominated in HackerNoon's Startups of The Year 2024 awards in Budapest, Hungary under the Emerging Tech category.

Please vote for us here:

Read more about us below to understand why we deserve your vote.

Meet scoutlabs

We are addressing the intersection of food insecurity, climate change, and sustainable farming with the worlds densest digital insect trap network.

Our vision is to help 90 million family farms move from guess work to a more data led decision process to run their increasingly complex farm ecosystems, initially in pest pressure eating up to 40% of their yield but later into affordable weather and soil health technology, all key components of growing our food sources.

The Winning Team

• Donat Posta, CEO, co-founder
  • He comes from a multigenerational family farm in Hungary. He saw first hand the growing pest insect problem and given the climate change acceleration and weather changes forced his family to look at new ideas to use technology to forward predict the when and how to fight insect pest pressure.
  • He was recognized among
    • Forbes 30 under 30
    • SVG Thrive 2022 cohort
    • 776 Climate Fellow
    • Sigma Squared Fellow

• Jimmy Fong
  • “If we don’t solve climate, no other problems really matter.”
  • scoutlabs is his 5th startup
  • Ex CCO of SEON- fastest and largest growing Anglo Hungarian tech story.
  • 3 other startups hyperscaled and bought by Visa, Ingenico and Amex
  • Product led growth nerd

What scoutlabs does differently

Our solution stands out in the market due to its unparalleled affordability and direct-to-grower distribution model. Because we were started from a farmer perspective this was an original design. Unlike competitors, our digital trap network is 10-30 times more affordable, even more cost-effective than traditional manual traps. This affordability enables widespread adoption, achieving high trap density, which translates to greater accuracy in pest pressure monitoring. Our farmer-first approach ensures that the technology fits seamlessly into existing cost structures and farming practices, making it a practical and attractive option for growers.

How we acquire and retain customers

Our business model is centered around a product-led growth strategy, targeting individual farmers directly (B2C). We offer an affordable subscription fee of 69 euros per growing season per trap, making our solution 10-30 times more cost-effective than more complex alternatives. This low-cost approach encourages widespread adoption among growers.

We deliver our products through a direct-to-grower distribution model, ensuring easy access and installation. Our traps are designed for simplicity, requiring only a 1-minute DIY setup, eliminating the need for expensive on-field installation teams. This ease of use further enhances the appeal and accessibility of our product.

By charging a subscription fee, we ensure a recurring revenue stream, while the affordability and ease of installation drive product-led growth. This model supports rapid scalability and adoption, allowing us to quickly expand our market reach and impact on sustainable pest management practices.

Milestones and achievements

We have over 1500 devices deployed in the US, Latam, EU and Africa in pilot stage and taking orders with the largest Agbusiness in the current growing season- this is expected to >10x by the end of this year.

What Startups of The Year means to us

Participating in HackerNoon’s Startups of the Year is a great opportunity for us at scoutlabs to gain visibility within the tech and startup ecosystem. We're excited to share our journey of building innovative IoT solutions for pest monitoring, which supports farmers operating on thin margins and promotes food security by optimizing pest control methods. Being part of this initiative allows us to connect with a broader community of innovators, investors, and potential partners.

Vote for us today!