New lead investor Sozo Ventures is joined by existing investors Anthos Capital, Fuse Venture Capital, Ignition Partners, Liquid2 and Voyager Capital
Leading provider of AI-powered robotics, Carbon Robotics, has announced that it has closed a $30 million Series C financing round with existing investors Anthos Capital, Fuse Venture Capital, Ignition Partners, Liquid2, and Voyager Capital as well as new lead investor Sozo Ventures. The money will be used to open up new sales territories in North America, streamline and expand production, create new software and hardware products, and enter foreign markets. With this most recent round of funding, Carbon Robotics has received $67 million in total funding.
According to Rob Freelen, managing director of Sozo Ventures, “Carbon Robotics‘ elegant use of AI, computer vision, robotics, and lasers is the only solution that enables farmers to reduce their most expensive line item – weed control – without harming plants or the soil.” “The team’s rapid pace of innovation to bring ground-breaking products to market, boosting farmers’ profitability across conventional, organic, and no-till practises, particularly impresses me.”
The LaserWeederTM locates weeds and kills them with precision. With millimeter-level accuracy and without affecting nearby crops or uprooting the soil, the implement’s 30 powerful CO2 lasers use thermal energy to destroy the weed’s meristem.
Paul Mikesell, CEO and founder of Carbon Robotics, stated that this financing round “further supports our mission to provide cost-effective and efficient precision ag-tech tools to growers.” Herbicides and other conventional weeding techniques, such as hand weeding, are pricy, risky, and detrimental to the health of the soil. All of these issues are specifically addressed by the LaserWeeder.
More than 500 million weeds have been successfully eliminated by Carbon Robotics’ LaserWeeders across 40 different crops to date. This year, farms in 17 U.S. states, three Canadian provinces, and more will receive the LaserWeederTM. The first LaserThinning capability for the industry was recently added by Carbon Robotics to the LaserWeeder, focusing on areas where vegetable crops are purposefully overseeded and then thinned for optimum crop spacing, growth, and yield.
Rob Freelen from Sozo Ventures and Erik Benson from Voyager Capital will join the Carbon Robotics board of directors as part of the Series C funding.
ABOUT CARBON ROBOTICS
By creating cutting-edge agriculture tools, Carbon Robotics, a pioneer in AI-powered robotics, helps farmers run their businesses more effectively. The company’s LaserWeeder is the first and only commercial laserweeding robot, combining high-end artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning, robotics, computer vision, and lasers to deliver highly precise weed control. The LaserWeeder has allowed growers to cut their weed control expenses by up to 80%. In 2023, LaserWeeders will operate in three Canadian provinces as well as 17 U.S. states. Visit https://carbonrobotics.com/ for more details.
