Agrela Ecosystems

Agrela Ecosystems is a St. Louis-based agtech company founded in 2016 by plant scientists from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. The company develops PheNode, a scalable and modular environmental sensor platform designed to provide research-grade data collection. The system is physically reconfigurable for indoor and outdoor use and offers wireless scalability, allowing a single node to command a fleet of sensors covering large areas. It stands out by utilizing an open-platform approach that supports customizable sensor options, API access for data integration with platforms like Grafana, and features for automated data cleaning, which helps users avoid the limitations of traditional, closed remote sensing solutions.

This technology addresses a critical need for flexible, accurate, and field-deployable environmental data across various sectors, including agricultural research, specialty crop production, and smart transportation infrastructure. By providing continuous insights into conditions such as temperature, humidity, rainfall, and soil quality, Agrela enables data-driven decision-making for university researchers, private growers, and state highway departments. The company has gained national traction through partnerships, such as with the nonprofit The Ray to monitor highway roadside environments, and continues to expand its manufacturing and sales operations to support growing demand for its monitoring technology.