June 26, 2023

By Lynda Kiernan-Stone, Global AgInvesting Media

Fall Line Capital has led a $20 million Series A for Massachusetts-based Guardian Agriculture, the first and only developer of electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) systems for commercial-scale farming to gain FAA clearance to operate nationwide. 

Founded in 2017, Guardian has assembled a world-class team of specialists in engineering, autonomy, and manufacturing that formerly held executive positions with Apple, BAE, Sikorsky, Adobe, Tesla, and Uber, and today has offices in Massachusetts and California. 

“Customers, investors, and regulators recognize that there’s no better application of electric, fully-autonomous aircraft than in commercial farming,” said Adam Bercu, founder and CEO, Guardian Agriculture. 

The use of drones in crop protection brings several advantages, such as improved efficiency, reduced labor costs, and targeted application of pesticides.

The company’s Guardian SC1 platform is the only autonomous, electric, aerial crop protection system specifically designed for large-scale agriculture. Building upon the knowledge gained through launching its first prototype – Beta – which had a 50-gallon payload and seven-foot propellers, and its second prototype – Eva – which was the first ideation to go through field trials, the company built its third-generation system and first production unit, with FAA certification flights taking place in late 2020. 

“We have taken a practical approach to building and deploying our technology that puts us well ahead of other eVTOL developers,” said Bercu. 

The company noted that unlike other unmanned autonomous systems, Guardian designs and manufactures its system entirely within the U.S. – supporting competitiveness, creating jobs, and ensuring national security.

With more than $100 million in customer orders already on the books, Guardian explained that the capital gained through this round will be used to support the expansion of its commercial operations across farms nationwide, and to accelerate the ramp-up of large-scale manufacturing of its SC1 drones. 

“As the first and only eVTOL-maker with FAA approval to operate commercially, this funding will allow us to begin and quickly expand commercial operations – on real farms, with paying customers – sooner as we continue to strengthen our team and ramp up aircraft production.” 

Clay Mitchel, managing director with Fall Line Capital, commented, “Any farmer buying new machinery today can tell you about reliability problems as complexity has far outpaced quality control.”

“Guardian is the first company to develop unmanned aerial application technology that’s made with aviation-grade engineering and manufacturing, which greatly enhances reliability and performance. Even beyond the cost savings and elimination of soil and crop damage, the first thing farmers will notice about Guardian’s product is that it works.”

~ 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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