Technology major Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has announced a partnership with a U.S. based biotech company Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON) in a bid to invest in Brazilian agricultural technology startups.
Partnership in Details
Monsanto is reportedly expected to join forces with a Brazilian investment fund with a corpus of 300 million reais ($92 million). The fund will be managed by Microsoft. The objective of the partnership would be to evaluate feasible innovative ideas for new digital tools that could be applied to augment agricultural production in the country.
An initial funding of up to 1.5 million reais ($459,000) would be granted to selected ideas for facilitating early development. On the other hand, the project owners can choose to either pay back the investment after three years or convert the money into equity.
We note that, QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) is also interested in the partnership and is reportedly investing in the fund.
Smarter Agriculture
Today technology has given us the means to change the dynamics of the agricultural sector and tackle issues that were earlier thought to be inevitable. Increased accuracy in weather prediction along with timely availability of production and crop data has transformed the way agriculture is practiced in developed countries.
Given the huge scope for research and development in the agricultural sector, such partnerships are likely to gather momentum in the coming years, thereby backing new startups in this particular segment.
Another Stock to Consider
Investors looking to buy stocks in the broader technology space can take a look at Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS) , which is currently in a favorable position.
QUALCOMM INC (QCOM): Free Stock Analysis Report
MICROSOFT CORP (MSFT): Free Stock Analysis Report
CITRIX SYS INC (CTXS): Free Stock Analysis Report
MONSANTO CO-NEW (MON): Free Stock Analysis Report
Original post