Anastasia Volkova

She began her university studies in Kyiv before she went to Poland to obtain a master's degree. Her doctorate was obtained from the University of Sydney in 2018 after she had been in Australia for three years.[1] She founded a company named Flurosat which analyses satellite pictures to provide advice to farmers about their crops. In 2017 her initial bid for funding attracted A1m$. By 2019 the company had raised $8.6m including 3.2m from a group led by Microsoft M12.[2] In 2018 her company bought an Australian company called Production Wise that had ten years experience in the sector.[3]

Volkova whose godparent was a farmer realised that she could use her skills to improve crop yields. Crops that are infected with a disease concentrate their efforts in fighting the disease and this is at the expense of normal development. Volkova's software spots these changes by comparing the satellite pictures of a particular field with a reference set of readings. Her PhD concerned the use of autonomous drones and she was asked how this technology could help rural areas. Her answer to this challenge was a recipe for creating the Flurosat company.[4] Volkova presented her ideas at a TEDx event in Sydney.[5]

Volkova was recognised by MIT Technology Review magazine in its under 35 section.[6] In November 2020, the BBC announced that Volkova was to be included in their 100 women[7] - a list of inspiring women from around the world.[1] Volkova was then living in Australia in 2020 but her company included a Ukrainian development team.