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Paul Mikesell built a startup that was acquired for $2.2B. He worked on AI at Uber and Oculus. But when a farmer told him about some of the problems he was facing, he quit and went all-in on farming. He built a robot that attaches to the back of tractors, uses computer vision to identify weeds and lasers to shoot and kill them. He sells each robot for $1.5M. He's sold nearly 100 so far— & generated nearly $150M in revenue. Whether you're working on a hardware startup or not, you'll want to listen to this episode to see how to do proper customer discovery, how to raise pre-product, and how to get millions of dollars in pre-sales without having to ship. Listen to the full episode here:

🥦 Farm Robotics: Revolutionizing Harvesting 🤖🌾 Meet Farm Robotics, the American startup that's revolutionizing the #agriculture industry with its #robotic systems for harvesting fruits and vegetables. Founded in 2019 and based in San Francisco, California, this company is reshaping the way we gather our crops. 🌟 The Power of Harvester™: Farm Robotics' flagship product is the Harvester™ system. Harvester™ employs artificial intelligence and computer vision to identify ripe fruits and vegetables ready for harvest. The system then collects the produce without causing damage. 💰 Investment Boost: In 2023, Farm Robotics secured a substantial $50 million investment from GV, a prominent investment company. 💰🤝 These funds will accelerate the #development and #commercialization of the Harvester™ system. 🌐 Watch the Video: https://lnkd.in/ecHrrFNC #Agriculture #Technology #Innovation #Automation #FarmRobotics #Harvester #GV #CropHarvesting

🌾💰 The agtech sector gets another significant funding boost. Philadelphia-based agtech firm Burro has successfully closed its Series B funding round, raising $24M. The investment was led by Translink Capital and Catalyst Investors, with participation from existing backers such as S2G Ventures, Toyota Ventures, F-Prime Capital, and Cibus Capital LLP. Notably, Brian Rich of Catalyst Investors and Kaz Kikuchi from Translink Capital will join Burro's board of directors, bringing valuable expertise to the company. Burro has distinguished itself in the robotics sector by focusing on augmenting human labor rather than replacing it. Their fleet of autonomous ground vehicles, currently deployed in specialty crops across multiple continents, performs tasks such as carrying, towing, patrolling, and mowing. With the funding, Burro aims to expand its teams, grow its dealer network, and introduce new products. "We have built a world-class product based upon state-of-the-art autonomous AI technology, and with this funding, we will deliver solutions for real-world problems, distributed worldwide through our network of dealers," said Charlie Andersen, CEO of Burro. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/eyMWX7Sa #ForwardFooding #agtech #agriculture #sustainability #ai #robotics #climateactionnow

🍓🤖 Spiring’s Weekly AgTech Spotlight: Zordi This week, we are excited to feature Zordi, a company founded in 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. Zordi is transforming agriculture with its autonomous modular greenhouse platform. ❓ What does Zordi do? Zordi's platform combines AI, robotics, and machine learning to improve greenhouse farming. Their autonomous greenhouses monitor and optimize growing conditions, ensuring the best yields. The harvested berries, grown in Zordi's own glasshouses, are then sold to retail stores in New York City. 🤖 How Zordi Works Zordi's technology integrates AI-driven monitoring and robotics to manage the growing process. The data gathered is analyzed via a sophisticated dashboard, providing insights that help maintain consistent quality and yield. Their hydroponic greenhouses are managed by autonomous environmental control systems, ensuring high-quality fruits throughout the season. Harvesting robots pick and pack the fruits directly into packages without human or robot contact. 👀 Why watch Zordi? Zordi recently emerged from stealth mode, indicating readiness to scale operations. With $20 million in funding from Alumni Ventures and Khosla Ventures, Zordi is set for growth. 💡 Why are we interested in Zordi? - Innovative Technology: Zordi's autonomous greenhouses and AI-driven approach set a new standard in sustainable agriculture. - Impactful Mission: Commitment to feeding the world with sustainably grown, superb fresh produce. - Early Success: Significant funding and strategic partnerships highlight their potential for continued growth. - Expert Team: Zordi's team includes industry leaders: Gilwoo Lee, Founder & CEO: Expert in Machine Learning & Robotics, PhD in AI & Robotics. Casey Call, Co-founder & Head Grower: 6th generation farmer, former Head Grower at Plenty. Ryan Knopf, CTO: Robotics expert, co-founder & CTO of Root AI. Stay tuned as we continue to follow Zordi and other promising AgTech startups, bringing you the latest updates and insights. 🍓🤖 #SpiringSpotlight #AgTech #Innovation #SustainableFarming #FutureOfFarming #Zordi #SpiringCompany

The Future of Agriculture Has Arrived in South America: Unifrutti Group Introduces Groundbreaking Fruit-Picking Robots, Revolutionizing Harvesting in Chile Through Partnership with Tevel In a first-ever collaboration, the face of the fruit industry in Chile is being revolutionized as A.I.-driven robots pick apples in Linares. This remarkable endeavor is the result of a partnership between Tevel, an Israeli robotics startup, and Unifrutti, offering a glimpse into the future of the agriculture industry. Tevel's autonomous harvesting system was deployed in Unifrutti Chile’s apple orchards from March to May, harvesting several varieties of apples and picking the highest-quality fruit with unparalleled efficiency. Video Source: Tevel  . . . #Robots #Engineering #Manufacturing #Research #Automation #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Technology #Tech #Robotics #innovation #development

👏 Turning agriculture pesticide-free & labor-efficient with ECOTERRABOT! 👏 AI is changing many areas of our society. One visionary who is integrating AI into agriculture is Durga Prasad Babu Nasika, founder of ECOTERRABOT. He completed our ideation program and successfully developed his idea. 🚀 The startup’s purpose is to build intelligent robots to help with agricultural tasks, especially with weeding. One benefit of these AI driven robots is that it’s possible to proceed pesticide free and reduce labour intensive tasks. The AI.STARTUP.HUB Hamburg is proud of this performance! 💡 How about you? Turn your AI-driven idea into reality by joining our Summer Batch 2024! 👉 Check out if our Ideation or Accelerator Program is the right choice for you and apply by February 18: https://lnkd.in/eWB9Zy46 #AIStartupHub #AIInnovation #StartupElevation #TechJourney #AIExcellence #IdeationProgram #AcceleratorProgram #StartupJourney #StartupSupport #StartupFunding #StartupStory #StartupHamburg #SuccessStory #StartupSuccess

🌽 Save the date for #AgTechConnect 2024! Join AgTech enthusiasts from across the country on July 17 for a day packed with the latest in #agtech, networking, and insights from industry leaders. 🤖 See AgTech Startups’ robots in action, hear from AGCO Ventures, and more. Don’t miss this chance to shape the future of farming. Details & register ➡️ agtechconnect.co

Agtonomy, a pioneer in AI-driven automation for agriculture and land maintenance, has secured $32.8M in Series A funding. Led by Autotech Ventures, the investment will accelerate Agtonomy's growth and expansion into autonomous industrial equipment. 'Agtonomy's innovative approach aligns with our mission to revolutionize mobility and automation across various sectors, starting with off-road autonomy,' said Alexei Andreev of Autotech Ventures. 'Their unique business model positions them to lead the transformation to autonomous fleet management.' The funding will allow Agtonomy to scale its technical team, expand its paid pilot program for permanent crops by 500%, and develop solutions for other industrial markets seeking automation. 'The impact Autotech has already had on our business is expansive,' said Tim Bucher, CEO and Co-Founder of Agtonomy. 'We could not have had a better lead investor in this round.' Agtonomy's diverse Board of Directors includes Sterling Anderson, co-founder of Aurora, a leading autonomous vehicle company. 'Agriculture is a vast and essential element of the human experience. Autonomy can make it better,' Anderson said. With a mission to address labor scarcity, climate change, and shrinking profit margins, Agtonomy partners with equipment manufacturers to embed its AI technology into tractors and implements, creating a remote-operated ecosystem for sustainable agriculture. #agtech #autonomy #artificialintelligence Agtonomy

The event series will connect entrepreneurs with investors and showcase advances in AI, robotics and agribusinesses. #NewsismyBusiness

Big shoutout to our customer Bonsai Robotics for being named AgTech Breakthrough's Precision Agriculture Solution of the Year! 👏 Your relentless innovation is driving the future of agriculture, and we’re beyond proud to see you recognized for it. For those who want to dive deeper into how Bonsai Robotics is revolutionizing the field, check out the blog post here: https://lnkd.in/gdGpNfZv #AgTech #Agriculture #AgricultureIndustry #Robotics #ComputerVision #FifityOne