Sabanto raises Series B as Bayer and Yara back lower-cost tractor autonomy

Sabanto has closed an oversubscribed Series B funding round led by Leaps by Bayer, with fertilizer producer Yara joining five other investors in the agricultural robotics company. Sustainable Forward Capital, InnoVenture Iowa, Fulcrum Global Capital and DCVC also participated in the round, whose financial terms were not disclosed.

The company’s Retrofit Autonomy Kit combines cameras, obstacle-detection sensors, satellite navigation and robotics to automate seeding, tillage and other field operations. The system currently supports John Deere 5E, 5M and 6E tractors and Kubota M5 models, allowing farmers to automate existing or lower-cost machinery rather than invest in new autonomous equipment that can cost USD 500,000 or more. One Sabanto customer is operating 25 retrofitted tractors simultaneously, according to the company.

Yara’s participation connects a major fertilizer producer with the machinery systems increasingly determining how crop nutrients are applied. Sabanto recently integrated its autonomous platform with Verdant Robotics’ SharpShooter precision application technology, which is designed to reduce labor and input costs through targeted field applications. The investment strengthens the retrofit model as one of the competing approaches to farm autonomy, emphasizing lower capital requirements and longer operating hours rather than larger, higher-horsepower machinery. citeturn933536search0

Source: AgFunderNews