Saga Robotics raises $11.2M to bring its autonomous farming robot to the market

Saga Robotics has secured $11.2 million in equity funding to accelerate the commercial rollout of its autonomous farming robot Thorvald in the UK and the United States.

The funding round, backed by new and existing investors including Luxembourg-based Praesidium Agri-FoodTech, will support expansion of the company’s operations across soft fruit farms and vineyards. Returning investors included Aker, Nysnø Climate Investments, Blystad, Hatteland, Melesio, Sanden, and MP Pensjon.

Thorvald, which has evolved from prototype to commercial deployment, is now operating more than 150 units worldwide. The robot is designed for tasks such as UV-C disease control, high-precision crop data collection, and yield prediction, offering farmers reduced labor costs and lower chemical use.

In the UK, Thorvald supports 13 leading strawberry growers and treats about 20% of the national market, with a target of exceeding 30% by 2026. The 2025 season also marked the company’s first commercial revenue from its data-driven yield prediction service.

In the United States, the robot is deployed across more than 1,300 acres of vineyards, with expansion plans to triple coverage by 2026. Thorvald is also part of California’s CORE incentive programme, which provides grants to offset the cost of robot sales.

“We’ve proven Thorvald works, now we’re scaling it,” said founder Pål Johan From, who recently moved to California to lead US operations. “This raise gives us the runway to accelerate adoption, improve efficiency in agriculture, and reduce chemical use across two of the world’s most chemically dependent specialty crop markets.”

Saga Robotics CEO Sacha de La Noë added: “With Pål driving expansion in the US and strong traction in the UK, we’re entering a new phase focused on scale and impact. We’re not just gaining ground, we’re accelerating.”

The company said demand for autonomous farming solutions is rising in response to labour shortages, climate pressures, and efforts to cut reliance on pesticides in specialty crops.