Agtech is a massive industry aching to be disrupted by robotics. It’s a big category that’s going to require a number of solutions to various problems, though lately it’s been hit by a number of false starts. Abundant Robotics, for instance, went under, only to be resurrected by a new brand currently exploring the equity crowdfunding route. Meanwhile, strawberry-picking Traptic quite literally took itself out of the field, getting snapped up by Bowery for vertical farming applications.
Founded in 2018, East Bay-based Verdant Robotics has raised $21.5 million to date, including an $11.5 million Series A, back in 2019. The firm appears to be casting its net fairly wide, though it’s starting specifically with carrot crops, offering up its system through a RaaS (robotics as a service) model to select farmers.
The model seems to make the most sense for these systems — at least during the early stages. Likely most im …
