Advanced Farm Technologies

Advanced Farm Technologies is a California-based smart farming startup that offers autonomous robotic technology to farmers using a robotics-as-a-service model. The company’s first robot “TX Robotic Strawberry Harvester” was commercialized in 2019 targeting strawberry farmers. The company reports that it was the first to commercialize robotic strawberry harvesting with some of the leading strawberry growers such as GoodFarms, The Oppenheimer Group (Oppy), and Naturipe. The robots are built with its proprietary technology platform called the “T-6 Platform,” specifically designed for harvesting crops in soil-planted beds.

The robots are designed to work alongside manual harvesters and use AI, machine learning, and gripper technology to automatically sense and pick ripe fruit from in-soil strawberry beds. According to the company, its robots can be used outdoors and can withstand any in-soil conditions to work autonomously for up to 24 hours a day.

Key customers and partnerships

In October 2023, Advanced Farm Technologies has partnered with CNH Industrial, a leading manufacturer of agriculture and industrial equipment and commercial vehicles to accelerate industry and ecosystem innovation by collaborating across R&D and commercialization.

Funding and financials

In September 2021, Advanced Farms raised USD 25 million in a Series B funding round led by Catapult Ventures. The funds are expected to be directed toward developing its fruit picking robotic technology, scaling its team, and expanding to new areas such as apple harvesting. The company has also received funds from global farm equipment manufacturers such as Kubota and Yamaha.