TerraRad receives investment from Old Tom Capital in the USA

(CONNECT) TerraRad has announced that Old Tom Capital from the American city of Denver in the state of Colorado has invested in the Zurich-based start-up. "Their recognition of our intention to change water management not only in golf is proof of the performance of our technology," says a TerraRad press release. "Through this partnership, we are able to offer golf course superintendents even greater added value, reduce water consumption and promote sustainability across a wide range of industries."

TerraRad is a Zurich-based spin-off of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research founded in 2020. As Old Tom Capital explains in a separate press release, the management team of "industry experts with a proven track record" contributed to this investment decision. Secondly, TerraRad's technology is convincing.

At its heart is the portable L-band radiometer called PoLRa. PoLRa is based on the same passive remote sensing techniques used by the European Space Agency's (ESA) Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite and NASA 's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite. The products also include the turfRad sensor, which provides precise data on soil moisture in the area of the grass roots, as well as associated software packages.

According to Old Tom Capital, the fact that this technology had already enabled first-class playing surfaces during the 2024 season of the PGA Golf Tour also contributed to the investment decision. TerraRad's growth strategy in additional sectors such as agriculture was also convincing, as was the possibility of saving up to 30 percent water across all sectors. ce/mm