Burro Raises $10.9M to Automate Farm Produce Transport

Burro Secures $10.9 Million in Series A Funding

Our initial encounter with Burro occurred during the 2020 robotics competition, where the agtech firm participated in the pitch event. Formerly known as Augean, the company is experiencing significant growth, as evidenced by its recent announcement of a $10.9 million Series A funding round.

S2G Ventures and Toyota Ventures spearheaded the investment, with additional contributions from F-Prime and ADM Capital. Existing investors, Radicle Growth and ffVC, also participated in this funding cycle.

Autonomous Cart Technology for Crop Transport

Burro’s core product is an autonomous cart designed for the transportation of crops directly from the field. The company employs a system they term “pop-up autonomy,” enabling navigation within a given area without the need for prior mapping or training.

This technology serves to enhance the capabilities of agricultural workers, addressing the current shortage of available labor in the farming sector.

Current Deployment and Future Expansion

Currently, approximately 90 Burro robots are actively deployed in agricultural settings, primarily moving table grapes. The company reports these robots collectively travel between 100 and 300 miles each day, operating six days per week.

The newly acquired funding will be allocated towards scaling up production to meet the demands of both existing and prospective clients. Burro anticipates having over 500 robots operational globally by the end of 2022.

A Collaborative Robotics Approach

“Unlike many autonomy companies in agriculture that initially focus on fully automating complex tasks like tractor operation, weeding, and harvesting, we’ve chosen to begin with collaborative robots that assist workers by handling physically demanding tasks,” explained CEO Charlie Andersen in a press statement.

“This strategy allows for immediate scalability, addressing a widespread challenge in labor-intensive agricultural practices. Furthermore, our platform gathers valuable data and learns from diverse environments, laying the groundwork for expansion into numerous other applications.”

Increased Investment in Agtech Robotics

The agtech robotics sector has experienced heightened investor interest, particularly in the wake of the pandemic and the resulting labor shortages. Burro’s rapid transition from concept to real-world implementation has undoubtedly attracted significant investment.

The company’s swift deployment of its technology for practical testing has been a key factor in securing this funding.