SwarmFarm raises $3.2m to grow its open platform for ag robotics
Summary
The startup was founded in 2012 by farmer couple Andrew and Jocie Bate, who also run a dryland crop and beef cattle operation in the remote settlement of Gindie, Queensland. With SwarmConnect, “independent developers can release new farming solutions as apps and attachments on board our robots,” co-founder and CEO Andrew said in a statement. SwarmFarm robots running WEED-IT are able to provide a fully-autonomous, selective weed-spraying solution for management of fallow weeds, which pose a significant challenge for large-scale grain growers. “SwarmFarm is different [from other ag robotics players] in several key ways, but none more important than how advanced they are in deploying real, working products to paying, happy customers,” Tenacious Ventures co-founder Sarah Nolet told AFN. The SwarmConnect ecosystem ensures that the platform will deliver the best possible return for owners through maximum machine utilization.” The startup said it will use the new funding to build out its engineering and technical teams, accelerate production of its robots, and support business growth in Australia and farther afield.