CropVoice™ by InnerPlant Named in Fast Company’s 2026 Innovation by Design Awards

InnerPlant, the company that converts invisible biological reactions inside crops to visible data, today announced that Fast Company has named its CropVoice™ as an Honorable Mention in the 2026 Innovation by Design Awards in the Artificial Intelligence Design category.

Fast Company recognized CropVoice™ for its design approach that puts biology before hardware: rather than adding sensors to the field, InnerPlant engineered the crop itself to signal infection. InnerSoy™ soybeans emit a fluorescent optical signal when their immune systems detect a fungal pathogen, which then creates a plant-generated alert captured by sensors, validated through an AI and computer vision pipeline, laboratory analysis, and on-the-ground agronomic expertise, and delivered to farmers via SMS or the John Deere Operations Center weeks before visible symptoms appear. In 2025, the system processed approximately 94,000 plant images; in 2026, that figure scales to an estimated 7.3 million. The result is a seamless, scalable design: farmers plant the seed, and the field becomes an intelligent network.

“Design in agriculture has historically meant adding more sensors, more hardware, more complexity. CropVoice was designed around the opposite idea: what if we could remove all of that and let the plant do the work?” said Shely Aronov, CEO and co-founder of InnerPlant. “The AI that powers our platform is only as good as the data it trains on, and no data source is more accurate than the plant’s own immune response. Fast Company’s recognition of how we’ve brought biology and AI together validates our belief that this approach can fundamentally change what’s possible.”

Now in its 15th year, the Innovation by Design Awards celebrate designers and businesses addressing today’s most urgent challenges while anticipating tomorrow’s problems. The program is one of the most prestigious design competitions in the industry, spotlighting work that exemplifies originality, beauty, sustainability, user insight, cultural significance, and measurable business impact.

Honorees were selected by a panel of top designers, business executives from leading organizations, and Fast Company editors. The recognition marks the second Fast Company honor for InnerPlant in 2026, following the company’s Honorable Mention in the World Changing Ideas Awards earlier this year.

“The Innovation by Design Awards have always recognized the ideas that challenge convention and show what’s possible when design is treated as a strategic force, not an afterthought. Congratulations to this year’s honorees, who demonstrate how thoughtful design can solve meaningful problems and create new possibilities for people and businesses,” said Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company.

To see the complete list, go to fastcompany.com/innovation-by-design/list, and read about the winners in the Fall issue of Fast Company magazine on newsstands September 22, 2026.

About InnerPlant
InnerPlant converts invisible biological reactions inside crops to visible data. The Company’s technology enables the earliest detection of pathogens and other stresses in key crops, making farming more efficient, sustainable, and resilient. By tapping into plants’ immune systems, InnerPlant engineers crops that emit optical signals detectable from as far away as space when under attack by pathogens, pests, or other stressors. InnerPlant’s first commercial product, CropVoice, was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2024. The company is backed by
leading industry and venture partners, including John Deere, Systemiq Capital, and an alliance of North American farmers via Coutts Agro. For more information, visit innerplant.com

About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow business publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.

Media Contact:
John Heid Crackle PR 404-421-8857 innerplant@cracklepr.com

###

Contact Information

John Heid

PR Contact

Crackle PR

(1) 404-421-8857

innerplant@cracklepr.com