Two teenagers from Germantown, Maryland, have transformed a classroom concept into a groundbreaking tool that is benefiting thousands of farmers around the globe.
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Two Germantown teens create global AI farming tool
Rudra Kunvar, a 16-year-old junior at Poolesville High School, and Jacob Lee, an 18-year-old recent graduate now studying at Stanford University, co-founded a startup named Evion while they were classmates. The inspiration for their venture sparked during a conversation with farmers at their school’s Tractor Day event.
When they asked a farmer about the health of his land, the response caught them off guard.
“He said, ‘We don’t know. We’re guessing,’” Lee recalled.
That moment ignited their entrepreneurial journey.
“We realized that while the technology to address this issue exists, it’s often too complex and expensive for smaller farms to utilize,” Lee explained.
Evion employs artificial intelligence to analyze images taken by standard drones, assessing both the color and reflectivity of the crops captured. The AI generates a color-coded map indicating crop health: green signifies healthy plants, orange indicates moderate health, and red highlights stressed crops. This innovative approach replaces traditional sensors that typically cost thousands of dollars.
“Our goal was to provide an alternative that directly challenges large agricultural monopolies and makes this technology accessible to small- and mid-sized farms,” Kunvar stated.
According to the USDA, small and mid-sized farms contribute to 36% of the total agricultural production value in the United States, showcasing the importance of their tool.
So far, Evion has reached over 2,000 farmers in Asia and the U.S. Lee noted that many farmers have expressed their gratitude, saying, “This is going to save us a ton of money.”
Kunvar mentioned that they have declined offers to sell their technology because they want to ensure it remains affordable for smaller farms, including several in Montgomery County that are currently utilizing it.
“We have personal connections with many farmers who have supported us in various ways, and we wanted to give back to them,” Lee shared.
The duo envisions expanding Evion’s reach beyond agriculture into sectors like forestry and construction, aiming to make advanced analytical tools accessible to all.
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