Odd.Bot, a Lelystad startup specialising in autonomous agricultural robots, has secured €2 million in development capital throughout a pre-Collection A funding spherical to be able to develop their sustainable robotic and produce additional iterations to market.
The funding was led by Iconic Ventures, with further contributions from PolKa Capital Administration, regional farmers, personal traders, and Horizon, the event company of Flevoland.
The funding comes at a pivotal time for Odd.Bot, as the primary 16 Maverick weeding robots for 2025 have already offered out, indicating robust market curiosity. CEO Martijn Lukaart acknowledged, “The demand for our weeding robots confirms that we’re responding to an pressing want within the agricultural sector. We have now chosen to intentionally restrict our manufacturing capability in the meanwhile to be able to assure top quality and wonderful service, along with our native companions.”
Based in 2018 by Martijn Lukaart, Odd.Bot has developed the ‘Maverick’ robotic, an autonomous mechanical in-row weeding system designed to interchange guide and chemical weeding strategies. The Maverick operates repeatedly night time and day, figuring out and eradicating weeds in high-density, high-value crops with out using dangerous chemical substances, thereby selling cleaner crops, more healthy soil, and biodiversity preservation.
The corporate originated from a collaboration with the Technical College of Delft and RoboHouse. A scholar staff developed the primary proof of precept for a weeding robotic, demonstrated in January 2019. Odd.Bot acquired preliminary funding from the TMI Proof of Idea Fund Flevoland in Could 2019.
Subsequent milestones embrace the demonstration of the primary proof of idea in 2020, efficiency validation of the ‘Weed Whacker’ by Wageningen College & Analysis in 2021, and testing of the second-generation machine, ‘Quirky’, in 2022. In 2023, the corporate deployed the primary two ‘Weed Whacko’ robots, providing weeding providers to farmers. By 2024, Odd.Bot launched the whole Maverick system, now being offered to OEMs and system integrators.
Odd.Bot has expanded its operations internationally, with gross sales within the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France, exhibiting a rising demand for sustainable agricultural options.
Lukaart famous, “The challenges within the agricultural sector, equivalent to labour shortages and stricter laws on agrochemicals, have led to a rising want for revolutionary applied sciences equivalent to our weeding robots. […] Our robots not solely provide growers a sustainable various, but in addition assist them meet the altering calls for within the sector.”
The Maverick robotic is predicted to enter the market with a value starting from roughly €90,000 to €120,000, relying on the configuration. Every robotic is anticipated to weed about one hectare per day and is initially skilled to work with crops equivalent to carrots, onions, and chicory. The autonomous system navigates based mostly on imaginative and prescient, following crop rows throughout weeding with out the necessity for exterior navigation indicators.
Moreover, Odd.Bot plans to supply the AI vision-controlled weeding parts individually underneath the identify ‘Odd.Bot Weader’, which will be hooked up to straightforward tractors, offering flexibility for farmers preferring to retain their present tools.
Dirk Kronemeijer, accomplice at Iconic Ventures, stated “The collaboration suits seamlessly with Iconic Ventures’ technique, which focuses on supporting entrepreneurs who create groundbreaking options for local weather and sustainability challenges. […] Odd.Bot is an ideal instance of such an revolutionary firm, with its good agricultural robotic that replaces chemical weed management with clever, environmentally pleasant know-how.”
This funding and the upcoming launch of the Maverick goals to deal with urgent challenges equivalent to labour shortages and environmental considerations related to conventional chemical herbicides.
