February 15, 2023

By Lynda Kiernan-Stone, Global AgInvesting Media

Queensland-based SwarmFarm Robotics has secured A$12 million (US$8.3 million) in Series A funding to accelerate its SwarmBot platform and its breakthrough operating system network SwarmConnect. 

This round was led by Emmertech, an agtech fund from Canada-based Conexus Venture Capital, and included new investors Tribe Global Ventures and Access Capital, along with participation from existing investors Tenacious Ventures, and GrainInnovate, the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) venture capital fund managed by Artesian. 

“We are thrilled to be joining Andrew, Jocie, and the whole SwarmFarm team as they pioneer the future of autonomous agriculture,” said Sean O’Connor, managing director, Emmertech. “The key trait that drove our eagerness to lead this round was the farmer-centric approach this team is built around and the truly exceptional results their robots have achieved.”

Founded in 2015 on the Bate’s family farm in rural Queensland, SwarmFarm Robotics is a pioneer in the development of intelligent robotics in Australian agriculture through Integrated Autonomy – an entirely new approach to on-farm autonomy. 

Putting the farmer’s needs first, this system creates a technology ecosystem that helps save time, resources, and energy in the production of crops without applying excessive amounts of chemicals or acquiring larger and larger equipment. 

“There is enormous demand for autonomy in agriculture, but today, most solutions unlock minimal potential,” said Andrew Bate, CEO, SwarmFarm. “The current equipment providers believe that farmers just want to be plucked from the cab or replaced by robotic arms. We believe that farmers want more. They want a technology ecosystem built to address the issues in their locality, a farm-centric system that leaves the lowest possible footprint on their fields, helping them do more with less. They want Integrated Autonomy, so that’s what we’re building.”

The goal through this new approach to on-farm autonomy is to unlock the full potential of driverless technology by providing speciality robotics solutions with an open platform, which can be developed further. 

The team’s vision for the future was one where developers could create specialized tools that could be attached to swarms of small, nimble, autonomous robots resulting in new farming practices via the collaboration between farmers and technologists. This led to the launch of the SwarmConnect platform. 

“We envision a future where the most promising minds in technology are encouraged to turn toward solving the challenges faced by modern agriculture,” Bate continued. “We also believe in a future where there is no longer such a severe distinction between farmers and technologists, but rather a new breed of farmer-technologists. This funding helps us to move toward that future by meeting more of the global demand for our product and facilitating the growth of our SwarmConnect network of developers.”

Today, SwarmFarm Robotics serves customers across Australia covering 1.3 million commercial acres, and has logged 64,000 hours of operation, reducing pesticide inputs by an estimated 780 tons through the use of automated robots. 

Sean O’Connor, managing director of Emmertech, commented, “We met with several farmers who were putting upwards of 3,000 hours a year on their SwarmBot, often leaving them out in the fields for over 24 hours at a time. We believe there’s a future where SwarmBots can be found on farms across North America and worldwide.”

Sarah Nolet, co-founder and managing partner, Tenacious Ventures, added, “It is critical that we put tools into our farmers’ hands that help them do more with less. This is key to a climate resilient, profitable future for agriculture.”

“With their background in farming, the team at SwarmFarm has been able to see around some of the corners on the road to autonomy and anticipate the needs of the growers they serve. We look forward to continuing to work with them as they unlock more productivity and sustainability in agriculture through their unique approach to Integrated Autonomy.”

~ Lynda Kiernan-Stone is editor in chief with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and  Agtech Intel News, as well as HighQuest Group’s Unconventional Ag. She can be reached at lkiernan-stone@globalaginvesting.com.

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