In our Ones to Watch section, we highlight some of the top movers and shakers in Ireland. This week we feature MagGrow.
What is it?
MagGrow’s patented system is a very innovative yet simple solution that solves the spray drift problem.
It is based upon the premise that magnetic fields, applied under appropriate flow and fluid conditions, can influence the physical properties of spray fluid and associated spray droplets in ways that facilitate more effective spray dispersion and target-plant adherence.
The superior drift control provided by the MagGrow system means that finer droplets can be used thus delivering superior coverage.
MagGrow system can be easily fitted to new or existing spray equipment including crop sprayers.
MagGrow also offers backpack sprayers including backpack sprayers for centre-fed greenhouses and field spraying.
Who’s behind it?
MagGrow was set up in 2013 by brothers Gary and Derek Wickham and business consultant David Moore. All three come from entrepreneurial backgrounds with previous start-ups behind them. MagGrow, a graduate of Nova UCD, is currently headquartered at Orchard House, Clonskeagh Road and since 2013 employee numbers have risen to almost forty. By July 2017 this number is expected to total to one hundred, with offices in San Francisco, Ethiopia and Kenya.
The idea for MagGrow came from a chance meeting in the US a few years ago, when Derek Wickham met Ted Lenardht, a Florida based inventor with a background in agriculture spanning 40 years. Ted had developed the basic concept for what is now MagGrow. From his extensive research, he was aware that existing pesticide spray technologies for crops were a compromise, between coverage and drift control, which meant that approx. 70% of what is sprayed during conventional pesticide spraying is wasted.
MagGrow has raised a total of €6m, all of which came from within Gary Wickham’s network of family, friends and personal resources and without any reliance on venture capital. During this period the value of the company has been driven five-fold.
MagGrow’s aim is to be the biggest ag-tech company in Ireland, if not in Europe and to be part of the solution contributing to help solve the world’s food and water challenges in a meaningful way.
Business & Finance, in association with Comtrade Digital Services, recognises Ireland’s most dynamic emerging businesses in ‘Ones to Watch’.
Ireland is alive with a vibrant start-up scene and the entrepreneurs featured are shaping the country’s economic landscape.
