California-based Orchard Robotics has raised US$22 million in an oversubscribed Series A funding round to support its expansion, the company announced. The new round brings its total capital raised to more than US$25 million.

Orchard Robotics was founded in 2022 by Charlie Wu, a former Cornell student and Thiel fellow, with the aim of providing farmers with more precise insights into their crops through precision agriculture technology. Wu noted that only a fraction of crops are inspected manually, yet those samples are used to make “multi-million dollar decisions” related to labor, crop inputs, and management. “Solving farming is a data problem, and data is the bedrock of every farming decision. But the lack of precise, actionable data is the bottleneck,” he said.

The company has developed a system that mounts cameras onto tractors, using AI to analyze fruit images and assess plant health. Its platform also includes farm management and record-keeping software for storing and organizing collected data. Orchard Robotics works with leading apple and grape farms in the U.S., along with producers of blueberries, cherries, almonds, pistachios, citrus, and strawberries.

© Orchard Robotics

The Series A round was led by Quiet Capital and Shine Capital, with participation from General Catalyst and others. Michael Bloch, partner at Quiet Capital and new member of Orchard’s board, said farmers are often forced to make critical decisions “based on imprecise data.” He added that Orchard Robotics is “providing the ground truth this massive industry has desperately needed, turning guesswork into data-driven precision. We believe they will become an essential partner for every modern farm.”

Orchard Robotics said it will use the new capital to double its team size and open an office in San Francisco to support growth.

The ag robotics sector has recently seen increased investment activity. TRIC Robotics, Saga Robotics, and 4AG all announced funding rounds, while San Jose-based Bonsai Robotics acquired farm-ng, a developer of lightweight multipurpose equipment for specialty crops. John Deere recently acquired GUSS Automation.

Source: AFN






Publication date:

Thu 4 Sep 2025