By Gerelyn Terzo, Global AgInvesting Media
As autonomous robots gear up to transform sustainable farming, Saga Robotics’ latest capital infusion signals momentum in the agtech and agricultural automation sector. Saga Robotics, a Norwegian developer behind Thorvald, an autonomous platform for grapevines and strawberries, has secured $11.2 million in equity funding to scale its commercial operations in the U.K. and U.S. markets. The latest round, closed in two tranches, coincides with Thorvald’s transition from initial market traction to large-scale commercial adoption of its robotic platform in high-value crop markets.
Saga Robotics operates under the mission that robotics can make an “enormous positive difference to farmers” by shifting routine tasks to machines and freeing up human resources. Led by venture capital backer Praesidium Agri-FoodTech, a fund focused on advancing agricultural innovation, the investor lineup extended to returning investors, including Aker, Nysnø Climate Investments, Blystad, Hatteland, Melesio, Sanden and Norway’s MP Pensjon.
Dorn Wenninger, Board Chair of Saga Robotics, commented, “Our solid commercial performance was an important enabler for us to close this funding round in what is a relatively demanding capital market. The continued backing of existing shareholders who know the company well, along with the addition of new investors such as Praesidium Agri-FoodTech, is testament to the solid foundations of our core business and our pipeline of growth.”
At the heart of Saga Robotics’ success is Thorvald, a modular, autonomous robotic system engineered for precision tasks in soft fruit and grapevine farming. This technology, proven in the field, delivers automated services such as UV-C light-based disease control for powdery mildew, alongside advanced data collection for yield prediction and crop monitoring, all of which help growers improve yields, reduce labor costs, slash chemical inputs and support sustainable farming practices. Saga Robotics has deployed over 150 Thorvald 3.0 units already in the 2025 growing season, demonstrating the platform’s real-world scalability in the agtech and robotics space.
The fresh capital will primarily accelerate Thorvald’s rollout in key markets. These include the U.K. strawberry sector, where it currently treats about 20 percent of the national market across over a dozen growers, with ambitions to surpass 30 percent by 2026. The company is also targeting a tripling of its footprint in U.S. vineyards, which span more than 1,300 acres today. In addition, Saga Robotics is leveraging incentives like California’s CORE program, which incentivizes the industry with grants for robot sales to drive adoption in agricultural markets.
Image courtesy of Saga Robotics on LinkedIn
Alice Laurora, Vice President at Praesidium Agri-FoodTech, one of Saga’s backers, emphasized the platform’s maturity: “The Thorvald robot has moved from a prototype to a fully commercially deployed autonomous solution, already servicing thousands of acres in 2025. We’re investing in Saga Robotics because they have the right team, the right tech, proven technology, and a clear path to scale in high-value, underserved agricultural sectors.”
Saga Robotics Founder Pål Johan From highlighted the strategic shift, commenting, “We’ve proven Thorvald works, now we’re scaling it. This raise gives us the runway to accelerate adoption, improve efficiency in agriculture and reduce chemical use across two of the world’s most chemically dependent specialty crop markets.”
This capital raise represents a feather in the cap of the broader agtech, automation and robotics market, where technologies like Thorvald are poised to drive efficiency and sustainability in global food production.
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