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WeedBot develops autonomous robotic systems employing high-precision laser technology for agricultural weed control. Its core product, Lumina, integrates advanced camera vision and artificial intelligence to differentiate crops from weeds, eradicating unwanted plants with targeted lasers. This precise, efficient method enhances sustainable weed management and farm productivity.
The company emerged from recognizing the significant challenges weeds present to organic vegetable growers. This insight prompted founders to pursue innovative, non-chemical weeding solutions. They leveraged laser technology and AI to create precise robotic systems, directly addressing agricultural inefficiencies.
WeedBot serves organic vegetable growers, offering sustainable, effective weed management. Its technology enables cultivators to reduce reliance on manual labor and chemical herbicides. The company envisions its intelligent robotic systems contributing significantly to eco-friendly farming practices, ultimately improving crop health and global yields.
WeedBot has raised $470K across 1 funding round.
WeedBot has raised $470K in total across 1 funding round.
WeedBot has raised $470K in total across 1 funding round.
WeedBot's investors include Nordic Eye, Overkill Ventures, Spintop Ventures.
WeedBot has raised $470K across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $470K Seed in May 2023.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2023 | $470K Seed | — | Nordic EYE, Overkill Ventures, Spintop Ventures | Announced |
WeedBot is an agtech startup founded in 2020 in Riga, Latvia, that develops high-precision laser weeding machines for organic farming. The company builds autonomous systems using AI-powered cameras to detect weeds between crop seedlings and eliminate them with directed laser beams at millimeter precision, replacing chemical herbicides and manual labor.[1][2][3] It primarily serves organic vegetable growers and other agricultural producers facing labor shortages and sustainability demands, solving the problem of inefficient, strenuous hand-weeding while reducing costs and enabling pesticide-free production.[1][3][5] Early funding includes €280K in 2023, with backing from accelerators like Accelerace and Ventures Thrive, signaling growth in the deeptech ag space.[1][3]
WeedBot emerged from Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, where CEO Janis Jasko—experienced in plant life sciences—met co-founders Aldis Pecka (CTO in mechatronics, with a master's in IT) and Andrejs Kostromins (CTO in software, with engineering roles in private and public sectors).[3] The idea addressed the rising demand for organic farming amid declining pesticide use and farm worker shortages, where manual weeding involves grueling labor like workers pulling weeds face-down on trailers.[3] Pivotal early traction came swiftly: within 18 months of founding in 2020, the team raised investments, built a full-scale laser weeding prototype, and demonstrated AI-driven precision targeting.[4] Investments followed in 2022 via Accelerace, with further €280K in 2023 from Ventures Thrive.[1][3]
WeedBot stands out in agtech through these key strengths:
WeedBot rides the global shift to organic, pesticide-free agriculture, targeting a $30B herbicide market disrupted by environmental regulations, consumer demand for sustainable food, and labor shortages as organic production scales.[3][4] Timing is ideal: organic farming grows amid pesticide bans and climate goals, but weeds steal crop nutrition without efficient alternatives—WeedBot fills this gap with deeptech AI/laser innovation from Europe's agtech hubs like Latvia.[1][2][3] It influences the ecosystem by accelerating Ventures Thrive and Accelerace-backed deeptech, enabling cheaper organic produce, boosting farm productivity/safety, and exemplifying how AI robotics tackles food security in a worker-scarce world.[2][3]
WeedBot is poised to scale with seed funding momentum (€280K in 2023) and prototype success, likely pursuing larger rounds to deploy fleets across European organic farms and expand to row crops.[1][3] Trends like AI ag autonomy, EU green deals, and herbicide phase-outs will propel it, potentially capturing share in a booming precision weeding market as labor costs rise and sustainability mandates tighten.[3][4] Its influence may evolve from niche organic solver to broad ag platform, humanizing founders' university origins into a herbicide-disrupting force—watch for commercial pilots and global pilots by 2026.[2][3]
