Agriculture tech innovator Bonsai Robotics secures $15 Million in Series A

Bonsai Robotics, a prominent player in the agricultural robotics market, has successfully closed a $15 million Series A funding round. This investment marks a significant step forward for the company, which specializes in vision-based autonomous technology designed specifically for agricultural applications.

Founded in 2022 by Tyler Niday and Ugur Oezdemir, Bonsai Robotics combines years of expertise in agricultural technology and robotics. Niday, who previously spearheaded the “See & Spray” technology at Blue River Technology and John Deere, and Oezdemir, who has over a decade of experience in robotics and computer vision, aim to tackle some of agriculture’s most pressing challenges, such as labor shortages, rising operational costs, and environmental sustainability.

The Series A round was led by Bison Ventures, with participation from several other investors, including Cibus Capital, Acre Venture Partners, Congruent Ventures, Fall Line Capital, E14 Fund, SNR, and Serra Ventures. This influx of capital will allow the California-based startup to expand its Visionsteer platform, refine its software solutions, and broaden its partnerships with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and growers.

The company’s co-founder and CEO, Tyler Niday, comments on the new funding round: “Since our seed round of funding, we have made significant progress building our AI model and data set for autonomous orchard management, so this additional funding is a strong validation of the incredible work our team has accomplished and our future growth prospects.”

Bonsai Robotics’ Visionsteer platform offers a robust suite of tools for growers to enhance crop production, reduce costs, and improve farm efficiency across over 40 deployed units in the U.S. and Australia. The platform’s autonomous control, coupled with advanced data analysis and real-time monitoring capabilities, allows orchard managers to make informed decisions that optimize yield and lower costs.