George Varvarelis, Augmenta: From a University Project to a $110M Agri-Tech Exit

"Greece has amazing engineers and brilliant minds — all that’s missing is confidence.”

In this episode of Outliers Podcast, George Varvarelis, co-founder of Augmenta, shares how a small team from Greece built one of Europe’s most successful agri-tech companies — leading to a $110 million acquisition by CNH Industrial.

Augmenta’s technology uses AI and computer vision to help farmers apply exactly the right amount of fertilizer or chemicals to each plant, reducing waste and boosting productivity. “There are so many technical difficulties — that’s why no one had done it before,” George says, reflecting on the early years of experimentation and persistence.

Alongside his co-founder Dimitris Evaggelopoulos, he turned a bold idea into reality by leaving behind secure jobs, building hardware from scratch, and convincing investors that deep tech could flourish in Greece. Their work proved that agricultural innovation and advanced software engineering can coexist — and scale globally.

Today, Augmenta’s solutions are used by farmers around the world, symbolizing what’s possible when technology meets determination. George’s story is a powerful reminder that world-class innovation can grow anywhere - even from a small lab in Volos.

🎧 Discover how Augmenta’s founders changed the way we think about farming here and learn more at outliers.gr