Nerit’e – Innovation with Impact
With 2021 coming to an end, on every Sunday until the holidays, we want to shed light on stories that inspired us this year as they spark meaningful change in society. The first one is the story of Nerit’e, a young international start-up team and shining example of SocialEntrepreneurship in our RWTHecosystem.
Nerit’e, that is Humberto Martinez Barron, Rodrigo Martínez Barrón y Robles, and Tom Leenders, is on a mission to more precision – in agricultural contexts. The name of start-up, which translates to “torch”, has its origins in a story told by the Matlatzinca People in the Valley of Mexico. According to the story of the Fireflies that Embellish the Trees, the people of the town would celebrate a yearly festival by lighting torches to guide fireflies to the trees to rest, and singing songs until the torches burnt out.
Similarly, the team of Nerit’e wants to light a torch by building tools that help to minimize waste and therefore strive for more sustainability in agriculture. The Mexican-German team has developed a disruptive soil analyzing solution that allows those who are closest to nature, farmers, to gain a detailed understanding of their soil by monitoring its nutrients, and thus prevent overfertilization and pollution.
The idea originated when Humberto and Rodrigo talked to farmers in the surrounding areas of Mexico City. Once the team understood the farmers’ problems, they were keen to develop an affordable technology to bring to farmers around the globe. This year, the team selected Aachen as the perfect place to pursue this idea, advance their technology, and accelerate the start-up process.
With their solution, the young AgTech start-up contributes to a more sustainable future. By providing farmers with a tool that increases efficiency, allows continuous long-term use, reduces fertilizer waste, and minimizes nitrate pollution, the international team takes action on four Sustainable Development Goals (#SDGs) defined by the United Nations: Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), Climate Action (SDG 13), and Life on Land (SDG 15).
We are immensely proud to watch Nerit’e combine deeptech with sustainability, and we are delighted to support the interdisciplinary international team in turning their idea into innovation with impact here in Aachen. Keep pushing boundaries!
