About Us
Believe it or not, we started
out as an ant farming
company (hence the name
“GreenAnt”)
Weaver ants—pinkish insects with a green-colored
queen—are a mighty species indigenous to
Southeast Asia. These ants feed on other critters
and, as such, can serve as a natural alternative to
chemical pesticides. Our company was born when
our founder had the idea to try to scale this natural
pesticide solution. In January 2022, when we
launched our first pilot program in Thailand with
support from the Thai government, we planned to
work with local farmers to help them cultivate these
ants. We hoped to spur organic agricultural practices
and put an end to the chemicals ravaging the health
of the surrounding community and environment.
Soon after we arrived, however, we realized that we
had misunderstood the problem. Pesticides were
being used not for lack of a natural alternative, but
because of the risk associated with organic
practices. Farmers were structurally shut out from
financial markets and banking systems and unable
to acquire the necessary loans. The result was that
they were unwilling or unable to shift away from the
use of chemicals because they couldn’t afford to
lose their crops.
So we pivoted. It was clear that GreenAnt had to
focus on empowering farmers and tackle this
problem of risk more directly if we were to fulfill our
mission. We turned to satellite monitoring—which
we’d been using to analyze the efficacy of the ants
as pesticide alternatives—realizing that its
expansive capabilities provided a much more
potent, more comprehensive tool to mitigate risk,
sure up farmers’ security, and bolster climate
resilience.
Today, our mission is simple
We’ve come a long way since that first pilot project
in Thailand—we’ve since said goodbye to the ants—
but our core, driving purpose remains fundamentally
the same: To empower people with tools that reduce
loss and harm; to improve access to capital,
especially for vulnerable farmers; and to facilitate
sustainable, climate-informed practices that boost
resilience. We think that this is a critical need in the
fight against global climate change.
We’ve built a game-changing platform that
integrates the massive potential of satellite data
(which, in our opinion, is the new technological
frontier) with Artificial Intelligence to produce
sophisticated, innovative insights that align with our
mission. In addition to supporting farmers and
boosting resilience, Desidera is poised to boost
global agricultural yields by some 17%, to help
anticipate global price and supply chain volatility,
and even to save lives in the event of a natural
disaster.
As we continue to evolve and adapt, our focus
remains steadfast on this mission of ours. Together,
we can forge a path towards a more sustainable and
equitable future, where all of us can thrive and
contribute to a healthier planet.
Interested in joining us on our mission? Learn more
about Desidera here or get started today.
Anya Bégué
COO
Meet the staff
Mario Edoardo Simmaco
Founder & CEO
Luca Maruzzo
Lawyer
Sinan Lahur
Lawyer
Kelly Pickreign
CFO
Didi Chadran
Senior Marketing Strategist
Shubham Bhatt
Lead Systems Architect & Developer
Srilakshmi Gnanasekaran
Developer
Qi Liu
CTO
Award-winning team
After being invited to pitch by LUMO Labs,
GreenAnt was named second runner-up at
Draper’s Silicon Spring Pitch competition,
winning a 12,000 EUR grant and a spot in
the prestigious Draper University Hero
Training Program. This 6-week intensive
accelerator program in Silicon Valley
includes skill-building workshops, lectures,
investor meet-and-greets, a demo day,
and more.
GreenAnt had the honor of being selected
as a finalist for ImpactCity’s The Hague
Innovators ImpactFest, which was held on
November 7th, 2023. On the day of the
event, we were honored again when we
learned we’d been voted as the public’s
favorite finalist, winning the “Audience
Prize.” This award was among several
recent recognitions and accolades that
GreenAnt, our CEO, and our members
have recently received.
Our CEO, Mario Simmaco, won the 2024
pitch competition at Milano Wine Week
alongside two other Italian startups. The
prize? Taking part in an exciting accelerator
program called Wine in Action, where
GreenAnt had the privilege of connecting
with stakeholders across the Italian wine
sector, learning about their agricultural
monitoring needs, and workshopping pilots.
Here he is presenting between wine tastings
at the accelerator’s closing event.