How UBEES puts pollination at the heart of agricultural performance
Agtech has thrived on the promise of technology-augmented agriculture. Sensors, automation and data platforms have structured a narrative of innovation often driven by supply rather than demand. This cycle is now coming to an end, as a result of capital rationalization, the sector is entering a more demanding phase, where technology only has value if it produces measurable results.
It is in this perspective that UBEES today announces a series A of eight million eurosled by Starquest and Capagro, with the participation of the Belgian fund Nutri. To talk about it we welcome its CEO Louis Delelis-Fanien
A sector still fragmented, but already under tension
Unlike other segments of agricultural tech, connected beekeeping remains a very fragmented market. “It’s still very fragmented, since there are many solutions that are still being tested,” observes Louis Delelis-Fanien. This fragmentation is above all of a sector in reorganization, where uses, economic models and customer expectations continue to become clearer.
Investors, who are more selective, are now arbitrating on the ability of startups to scale up, generate recurring revenue and document their impact. “The decision-making element, clearly, is profitability,” underlines the manager. Impact, while it remains a criterion for certain specialized funds, no longer constitutes in itself a decisive factor.
Making pollination an agronomic lever
Concretely, UBEES develops beekeeping projects for major players in the agri-food industry, with the central objective of improving agricultural yields. “We bring very significant increases in agricultural yield,” explains Louis Delelis-Fanien, referring to gains ranging “from over 10 to 15% to over 40–50%” depending on the crops. Coffee, red fruits, avocados and nuts are among the main sectors concerned.
This approach produces a double effect, on the one hand, it improves the economic performance of farms on the other hand, it strengthens the security of supply chains for brands, particularly in developing countries, where the rural exodus weakens agricultural sectors. “We are able to very significantly increase farmers’ income,” he emphasizes, by combining increased yields and additional income from the hive.
Embedded technology and field organization
The heart of the system is based on connected hives. UBEES equips hives with sensors capable of remotely monitoring the health of colonies. “We use the box with living things, and we put our technology on it,” explains the CEO. The collected data, primarily temperature data, is then analyzed to produce accurate hive health indicators.
This analytical capacity constitutes one of the main barriers to entry. “Our technology is patented. It is the fruit of years of research,” he insists. The challenge is not only technological: it is about deploying robust solutions, maintainable in constrained agricultural environments, and usable by farmers unfamiliar with digital tools.
From this data, UBEES generates operational recommendations: feed the hive, check the queen, anticipate flowering. “We try to ensure that the hives are strong at the time of flowering,” explains Louis Delelis-Fanien. It is this anticipation that makes it possible to optimize pollination and, ultimately, yields.
A model structured around sectors and brands
To achieve scale, UBEES relies on an ecosystem of players made up of farmers, cooperatives, international traders and major agri-food brands. “We work with cooperatives, with traders like Olam, Ecom, ETG or Louis Dreyfus, and with major brands who obtain their supplies from these farmers,” explains the manager.
This organization makes it possible to deploy projects involving hundreds, even thousands of farmers, without multiplying individual points of contact. It also offers a capacity for relative standardization, while taking into account local specificities. “It’s not the same thing to put technology in fields of almond trees as far as the eye can see as in coffee farms in Colombia,” he recalls.
A trajectory shaped by a strategic pivot
Created in 2017 by Arnaud Lacour, UBEES was originally a traditional American beekeeping company. The turning point comes in 2021, when the company moves from a model focused on hive rental to an approach oriented towards major brands. “Why don’t we try to increase the yields of our coffee growers in Colombia? », recalls Louis Delelis-Fanien, evoking the impetus given by Guillaume Le Cunff, then manager at Nestlé.
Since then, brand-related activity has represented around two-thirds of turnover. This repositioning structured the investment thesis with a deep international market, an ability to scale with a limited number of clients and measurable value creation for the entire chain.
A series A to accelerate after a phase of rigor
UBEES today announces a Series A of eight million eurosled by Starquest and Capagro, with the participation of the Belgian fund Nutri. The funds will mainly be used to finance working capital requirements, linked to long payment terms, as well as to support capex investments, with the hives remaining on the company’s balance sheet.
This lifting comes after a tense period. “It was key, it’s what allowed us to survive between 2024 and 2025,” confides the CEO, referring to the financial rigor imposed during these years. The company now intends to accelerate, particularly on the commercial level, by recruiting profiles capable of operating in several geographical areas.
Between economic performance and ecological mission
If sustainability is no longer always a stated priority for certain companies, UBEES has a clear mission. “Our mission is to repopulate the world with bees,” says Louis Delelis-Fanien. For the company, biodiversity is not a soul supplement, but a factor in the stability of agricultural systems. “If you have biodiversity on your farm, you will have strong hives, and therefore more pollination,” he summarizes.
At a time when agtech is entering a phase of natural selection, the journey of UBEES illustrates the movement of a sector which is moving away from technological promises to anchor itself in the real economy. A transition where value is measured less by the innovation displayed than by the results produced on the ground.
