This is the final edition of our meet the founder series, and we’re introducing the sixth company in our cohort – Project Voxel. This startup is helping growers maximise the health of their crops using spectral imaging and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Find out more about the inspiration behind their startup, and their goals during the Geovation Scotland accelerator programme.  

Tell us about your startup – what problem are you solving and why does it matter?  

Project Voxel helps growers detect crop stress before it’s visible to the human eye. Using spectral imaging and AI, we turn raw imagery into actionable insights that support better decision-making. 

The challenge we’re tackling is critical: growers face rising input costs, climate uncertainty and increasing demand to produce more with less. By spotting problems early, we help protect yields, reduce waste and build resilience into global food systems.  

Tell us more about the team at Project Voxel and your background?  

We’re a two–founder team with complementary skills. Maadhav Kothari brings deep technical expertise in data science, imaging and AI. He also has hands-on experience applying imaging to viticulture through work on his family’s vineyard in New Zealand. He drives the technical development of our platform and its application in the agricultural sector.  

Hamish Haddow leads the commercial side of the business. He focuses on strategy, partnerships, fundraising and bringing Project Voxel’s technology to market. With a background in fintech, marketing and scaling startups, he ensures the company is positioned to grow and connect with the right partners and investors. Together, we bridge technical innovation with commercial execution.  

What inspired you to start this company? Was there a personal story behind it?  

The spark came from Maadhav’s direct experience on his family’s vineyard in New Zealand, where unpredictable disease pressure and weather risk can make or break a season. He began experimenting with imaging to detect issues earlier than the human eye could see – with promising results.  

At the same time, Hamish and Maadhav had been exploring the broader potential of imaging technology. Recognising both the commercial opportunity and the urgent global need for sustainable food production, they joined forces. Project Voxel grew from that intersection: technical insight rooted in real farming challenges, combined with the drive to scale a global solution

What are your goals during the accelerator programme?  

At Geovation Scotland, we want to achieve two key things. First, we’re refining and validating our product by working closely with growers and partners to prove that our imagery insights deliver real value in the field. Second, we’re strengthening our commercial model by building partnerships and developing a market entry plan. This will enable us to scale internationally, starting with viticulture and expanding into other high-value crops.  

The Scottish connection is important to us. Geovation Scotland’s expertise in geospatial data, and its links with Registers of Scotland and Ordnance Survey, directly support our mission of turning imagery and mapping into actionable insight. We see Scotland not just as our base, but as a launchpad for scaling technology that can strengthen agriculture and sustainability worldwide.  

What’s been your proudest moment so far as a founder?  

One standout moment was running our first vineyard trial in New Zealand and seeing the results confirm what we hoped: crop stress was detected weeks before symptoms became visible. Hearing a grower say, “I wish I’d had this earlier, it would have saved me real money” was powerful validation that we’re building something that matters.  

Are you currently looking for partners, investors, or talent? How can people support you? 

Yes, we’re looking to connect with growers, agronomy groups and agricultural equipment manufacturers who see value in bringing imaging insights into their operations. We’re also open to conversations with investors who share our vision of building more resilient food systems. If you’re interested in supporting or collaborating, we’d love to hear from you.  

You can learn more at: https://www.projectvoxel.com