Sand to Inexperienced, a Moroccan agrotechnology startup that turns degraded land into productive farmland, has gained a $50,000 grant on the DeepTech Summit 2025, unlocking new funding to increase operations throughout Africa, the Center East, and Southern Europe. The corporate was awarded the prize within the Inexperienced Financial system class on the summit held on Could 8–9 and organised by the Mohammed VI Polytechnic College (UM6P) in Benguerir, Morocco. 

The grant highlights the rising investor curiosity within the agriculture technology-as-a-service (AaaS) sector in Africa. Comparable companies, together with South Africa’s Aerobotics, have obtained related consideration after elevating a complete of $26.8 million in funding.

The curiosity in Sand to Inexperienced additionally comes at a time when the Moroccan authorities and the World Financial institution, by its Morocco Digital and Local weather Sensible Agriculture programme and different associated ventures, are investing in agrotechnology. By offering much-needed expertise to scale farming, traders are shopping for into startups that may faucet into Morocco’s $12.39 billion agriculture market, whereas nonetheless backing expertise.

Sand to Inexperienced’s mannequin blends satellite-driven land evaluation, solar-powered desalination, and regenerative agroforestry to remodel arid zones into fertile, sustainable farmlands. The corporate says the grant will fast-track its growth plans and deepen its attain in markets extremely susceptible to desertification and climate-driven meals insecurity.

“This worldwide recognition is a turning level for us,” mentioned Benjamin Rombaut, CEO and co-founder of Sand to Inexperienced. “It confirms that Deep Tech is usually a highly effective lever for restoring ecosystems, combating desertification, and providing sustainable financial prospects to susceptible territories in cooperation with all native actors.”

Based in 2021 by Rombaut, Gautier de Carcouët, and Wissal Ben Moussa, Sand to Inexperienced has raised $1 million in seed funding from traders together with Norway’s Katapult and the Catalyst Fund. 

The corporate operates on the intersection of two rising international priorities: local weather resilience and meals safety. In accordance with the United Nations (UN), over 40% of the world’s land is already degraded, affecting half of the worldwide inhabitants and costing the world economic system as much as $6 trillion yearly. Resulting from desertification, Africa loses roughly 3 million hectares of forest and arable land every year. This interprets to almost 3% of Africa’s gross home product (GDP) development being misplaced yearly from soil and nutrient depletion, in response to the Meals and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), forcing the continent to spend greater than $35 billion on meals imports.

Sand to Inexperienced’s strategy integrates environmental knowledge—soil sort, local weather patterns, topography—with native agricultural practices to develop customised agroecological methods. Initiatives are co-developed with rural communities, farmers, and native establishments, a method the corporate says ensures long-term viability and neighborhood buy-in.

The corporate makes cash by designing and managing sustainable farms that develop high-value crops like nuts, grains, and herbs. It additionally earns income by consulting, land improvement, and by producing carbon credit, which it may promote to companies seeking to offset emissions.

Sand to Inexperienced operates in Morocco and plans to increase domestically within the Tan-Tan area. The agrotechnology startup is backed by NextAfrica, a trans-continental accelerator run by UM6P and Paris-based STATION F, offering strategic help, mentorship, and investor entry to startups.

By marrying conventional land stewardship with superior satellite tv for pc and water expertise, Sand to Inexperienced is betting on a mannequin it believes can scale—each economically and ecologically—to fulfill one of many planet’s most urgent challenges.