Orchard Robotics, a startup pioneering AI-powered vision technology for precision agriculture, has raised $22 million in a Series A funding round to scale its solutions for fruit and vegetable farms. The company, founded by 25-year-old Thiel Fellow and former Cornell University student Eliana Jones, aims to address a critical pain point in farming: labor shortages and inefficiencies in crop monitoring, harvesting, and quality control—all of which drive up costs and reduce yields for growers worldwide.

The funding round was led by Founders Fund, with participation from existing investors including Y Combinator and Bessemer Venture Partners. The $22 million injection will support Orchard Robotics’ expansion into new crop categories (beyond its current focus on apples, berries, and tomatoes), the hiring of 40 new engineers and agronomists, and the deployment of its AI-powered robots across 50 additional U.S. farms by the end of 2026.

The Vision Behind Orchard Robotics

Jones launched Orchard Robotics in 2023 after dropping out of Cornell’s agricultural engineering program— a decision she made after winning a Thiel Fellowship, which awards $100,000 to young entrepreneurs to pursue innovative projects instead of traditional higher education. Her inspiration stemmed from firsthand experience: while working on her family’s apple orchard in upstate New York, she witnessed how manual crop inspection (done by workers walking rows to check for ripeness, pests, or disease) was time-consuming, error-prone, and increasingly hard to staff amid a national farm labor shortage.

Orchard Robotics’ flagship product, the Orchard Vision System, combines autonomous ground robots with high-resolution cameras and machine learning algorithms to solve this problem. The robots navigate farm rows using GPS and computer vision, capturing real-time data on every piece of fruit—including size, color (a key indicator of ripeness), and signs of damage or infestation. This data is processed instantly in the cloud, where AI generates actionable insights for farmers: which rows are ready for harvest, which plants need pest control, and how to optimize picking schedules to minimize waste.

Unlike generic agricultural robots, which often struggle with the variability of outdoor farming (e.g., changing weather, uneven terrain, or unique crop shapes), Orchard’s AI is trained specifically on fruit and vegetable crops. The system can distinguish between a ripe strawberry and an unripe one with 98% accuracy, according to internal tests—far better than the 85% average accuracy of human inspectors, who also tire easily during long shifts.

Why Investors Are Betting on Farm AI

The funding comes at a time when the agricultural tech (agtech) sector is gaining momentum, driven by the urgent need to feed a growing global population (projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050) with fewer resources. Labor shortages are particularly acute: the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that farm employers face a 20% shortfall in seasonal workers each year, forcing many growers to leave crops unharvested—resulting in $3 billion in annual losses.

“Orchard Robotics is solving a problem that’s only getting worse for farmers,” said Founders Fund partner Keith Rabois, who led the Series A round. “Their vision AI doesn’t just replace labor—it makes farms more efficient and profitable by turning guesswork into data-driven decisions. Eliana’s combination of agricultural roots and technical expertise makes her the perfect leader to scale this solution.”

Early adopters have reported significant results. A berry farm in Oregon that deployed Orchard’s robots last year reduced harvest waste by 30% (by targeting only ripe berries) and cut labor costs by 25%, according to a case study shared by the company. A California tomato grower used the system to identify a pest infestation early, preventing a 40% crop loss that would have occurred with manual inspection.

The Road Ahead for Orchard Robotics

With the new funding, Orchard Robotics plans to expand its technology to three new crops: citrus, grapes, and leafy greens—all of which face similar labor and monitoring challenges. The company also aims to integrate its AI with farm management software, allowing growers to link crop data with irrigation, fertilization, and sales tools for end-to-end optimization.

Jones, who remains the company’s CEO, emphasized that the goal is to empower farmers, not replace them. “Our robots are tools that let farmers focus on what they do best—growing food—while we handle the tedious, data-heavy work,” she said. “Farming is one of the oldest professions, but it’s also one of the most in need of innovation. We’re building technology that honors that legacy while preparing farms for the future.”

The agtech sector is expected to grow to $45 billion by 2030, per Grand View Research, and Orchard Robotics is positioning itself as a leader in the precision farming subset. For investors, the startup represents a rare blend of real-world impact and scalable technology—addressing a pressing global need while offering a clear path to profitability.

As Jones puts it: “Every farm that uses our robots is a step toward a more sustainable, efficient food system. This funding isn’t just for Orchard—it’s for the farmers who keep the world fed.”