Mitti Labs Raises $9.5M Series A Led by Aramco Ventures to Slash Rice Farming's Water and Methane Footprint Across Asia

On August 5, 2026, climate-tech startup Mitti Labs announced a $9.5 million Series A funding round led by Aramco Ventures, the venture capital arm of Saudi Aramco . The round positions the New York- and Bengaluru-headquartered company to scale its platform combining satellite imagery, artificial intelligence, and field-level data to make Asian rice farming drastically more water-efficient and climate-friendly.

The Series A Round

The $9.5 million round included participation from Lightspeed India, Godrej Industries Group, Cisco Foundation, Francis Family Fund, and Volta Circle . With this new capital, Mitti Labs' total funding since its 2023 launch reaches $12.5 million, following a $3 million seed round in July 2024 .

The significance of Aramco Ventures' participation extends beyond the check size: it marks the venture arm's first-ever investment in an Indian startup . Zayed AlAmri, Executive Managing Director at Aramco Ventures, framed the bet as both a technology and operating-model play, citing the challenge of knowing what happens on millions of small farms across a fifth of Asia's cultivated land .

Technology and Impact

Mitti Labs' platform combines synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite imagery, AI, and on-the-ground field data to create digital twins of individual rice fields . This technology powers Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) irrigation, a practice that cycles between flooded and dry periods rather than keeping paddies continuously submerged. The results are significant: water use drops by roughly 40%, and methane emissions — a potent greenhouse gas — fall by more than 50%, all while maintaining rice yields .

The company generates revenue through two channels: verified carbon credits sold to corporations, and a subscription-based GeoAI platform .

Current Reach in India

Mitti Labs already runs what it describes as the largest AWD program in the world . The startup operates across multiple Indian states, including Telangana and Andhra Pradesh . A LinkedIn post from the founding team notes programs covering roughly 70,000 hectares across six Indian states, supported by more than 500 field agents .

The farmer adoption curve has been steep: from approximately 8,000 farmers in its first season (2024) to over 100,000 farmers by the 2026 season . The startup's workforce has grown to 150 employees, with most based in India .

Expansion Targets

With the new capital, Mitti Labs plans two simultaneous moves: deeper expansion within India, and greenfield projects in the Philippines and Indonesia . The company has also expressed broader ambition to expand into other Southeast Asian markets over time .

Key Customers

Mitti Labs has attracted notable corporate clients across technology, food, and agriculture:

• Cool Effect – a carbon marketplace that works with companies including Google and American Airlines
• Ebro Foods – a major rice producer using Mitti Labs' data and analytics to improve water resilience in its supply chain
• Syngenta – an agricultural company leveraging Mitti Labs' insights

Food and agriculture companies now buy Mitti's field-level data for their own supply chains, separate from the carbon credit business, signaling growing commercial validation .

Quality Verification

Mitti Labs' projects in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have received an "A" rating from carbon credit ratings agency Sylvera, a quality signal that has helped attract corporate buyers . The company also holds an $850,000 NASA grant, according to investor Lightspeed India .

Why This Matters

Rice cultivation covers roughly a fifth of Asia's cultivated land and is both a major water consumer and a significant source of methane emissions . By combining satellite-based monitoring with AI-driven insights and on-the-ground field operations, Mitti Labs has created a model that is both verifiable and scalable — turning rice paddies from a climate liability into a verifiable climate asset.