A Penryn-based agri-tech company can recruit more staff, thanks to new funding.

Glas Data has secured £140k equity investment from the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund (CIOSIF).

Rob Sanders and Colin Phillipson, founders of Glas Data, recognised that data fragmentation issues within the agricultural sector existed and saw how it restricted farmers, processors and retailers.

Rob said: “This latest round of investment will enable us to expand our business by investing in recruitment.

"We will be recruiting additional software engineers who can refine the software product, as well as a project manager and customer service employees which will include marketing and event support.”

Technology is developing rapidly, allowing farmers to collect data on everything from weather and soil nutrients to animal health.

With so much data now available, the challenge is how to make it accessible and easy to understand.

Read more: Jobs boost as agri-tech research and innovation centre to open in Dorset

Having identified this issue, the pair worked on developing a solution which would unite the agricultural sector and food supply chain with a universal data dashboard.

This would simplify the world of precision farming and unlock the value of the data it produces, saving farmers time, money and improving their productivity.

In 2018, they set to work on designing a cloud based, data management and decision support tool – the GlasCore dashboard.

Meg Salt, fund manager at The FSE Group, the appointed fund managers for CIOSIF, added: “GlasCore is an exciting technology solution aimed at optimising agricultural productivity and facilitating the fourth agricultural revolution.

"There is no competing software which collates and clarifies as many data sources into a single customisable and user-friendly interface, allowing its users to select data for their needs including integrating data from Internet of Things devices. We wish them every success for the future.”

The £40m Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund provides debt and equity finance from £25,000 to £2million to help growing small businesses across the region.

For more information about the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund, including how to apply, visit ciosif.co.uk.