The company is focusing on greenhouse farms due to their year-round growth, proximity to consumers, and efficiency. The technology is aimed at addressing the labor shortage in the agriculture industry, with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture predicting a "critical shortage" of workers. Contino stated that the company plans to use the funding to build more robots to meet demand and is looking to expand into outdoor farms in the future.
Key takeaways:
- Four Growers, co-founded by Brandon Contino and Dan Chi, has developed robots that autonomously harvest plants in greenhouses, currently working with tomatoes and soon to be available for other crops like cucumbers.
- The company was founded in 2018 and has since raised a total of $15 million in venture funding, with a recent $9 million Series A round led by Basset Capital and participation from Y Combinator, Ospraie Ag Science, and other existing investors.
- The funding will be used to build more robots to meet the growing demand, as the agriculture industry faces a critical shortage of workers, according to the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture’s 2024 labor report.
- Four Growers is planning to expand its technology beyond just harvesting and into outdoor farms in the coming years, aiming to augment the shrinking labor force rather than replace it.