Norival Bonamichi from Grupo Ourofino invests in agri-technology startup

On the market since 2015, the startup Perfect Flight enables the correct, profitable and sustainable application of agricultural pesticides, through cloud web technology. Founded by partners Kriss Corso and Josué Corso, in São João da Boa Vista (SP), the company follows a continuous path of growth and, to further boost results and services offered, Perfect Flight announces the entry of a new investor , businessman Norival Bonamichi, founding partner of the Ourofino Group.

This month, the businessman signed a contract to purchase 12% of the startup, which totals an initial investment of R$3 million, which could reach R$6 million, upon meeting pre-established goals. The amount will be 100% donated to the development of the company. Norival takes over as President of the Board.

“In a few years, the application of pesticides will be 100% monitored, guaranteeing full traceability, that is, it will be directly linked to monitoring via software. It is a digital revolution that has no return. The investment in Perfect Flight is associated precisely with this scenario, of technological and effective delivery”, states Norival. “The startup changes the way producers apply and manage pesticides, fertilizers and other inputs that require correct handling, due to their danger. Through the tool, it is possible to increase assertiveness and eliminate possible waste and incorrect applications, which can even affect water sources and preservation sites.”

For Kriss Corso, one of the partners and CEO of Perfect Flight, the expectation with this strategic acquisition is to boost the company's growth process. “The arrival of Norival, with all its experience acquired in building a company the size of Ourofino, will certainly accelerate the process of achieving the goals of our Business Plan, with a focus on the global market.”

The investment will allow us to expand services to Latin America, the USA and Europe. Furthermore, the startup will invest in a traceability system for the application of agricultural inputs. “Innovations on the platform and integrations with other strategic Agtechs are already underway. Our idea is to always bring new and functional alternatives to the field”, says Kriss.

It is estimated that for the next harvests, with an increase in cultivated areas, the Brazilian market will have 100 million hectares applied via air. Perfect Flight's commercial model is based on processed hectares and the average price charged for the service is R$2 per hectare. Using the tool reduces flight hours and waste of applied product, as well as increasing the assertiveness of the application, generating better cost-benefit for the producer.

“Investing in a startup that has already processed more than 3 million hectares and accesses the main players in the agricultural, forestry, sugar-energy, citrus and grain and fiber markets, such as Raízen, Tereos, Xinguagri and Uniggel Sementes, allows strategic participation in the thriving market of applying technology in agribusiness”, says Norival. 

Technological evolution

Perfect Flight developed a cloud computing system capable of reading data recorded in the aircraft's GPS files and generating a report with a visual map of the application and information that allows analyzing the quality of the action. It is a tool that allows you to accurately visualize, through maps and indexes, the quality and performance of the application.

“The startup was designed to overcome flaws found in the aerial applications of properties. Then, the software corrects errors, reducing the producer's cost and protecting the environment. Before, we only did a post-application reading, now we also provide pre-application monitoring”, says Kriss. Pre-flight, the pilot selects the area in which he will apply the pesticide and then the software indicates prohibited places within the route, for example, forests or places with bee farms. This way, the aircraft's GPS shows what needs to be done.

Currently, the system also offers an environmental report, which shows the security parameters of restricted areas. The tool's results are proven in numbers. Using Perfect Flight's software, Raízen, a company with a solid presence in the sugar-energy sector, had a significant increase in usage accuracy in the 18'19 harvest compared to the previous 17'18 harvest. The use of technology reached around 90% average effectiveness during the 18/19 harvest, when compared to the previous harvest, which reached more than 65% of the same index. Nitrogen application has the potential to be used on 400 thousand hectares of land.