Odd.Bot, a Lelystad startup specialising in autonomous agricultural robots, has secured €2 million in development capital throughout a pre-Sequence A funding spherical as a way to develop their sustainable robotic and convey additional iterations to market.
The funding was led by Iconic Ventures, with extra contributions from PolKa Capital Administration, regional farmers, non-public 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 bought out, indicating sturdy 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 now have chosen to intentionally restrict our manufacturing capability in the meanwhile as a way to assure prime 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 the usage of 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 pupil workforce 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 embody 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 companies to farmers. By 2024, Odd.Bot launched the whole Maverick system, now being bought to OEMs and system integrators.
Odd.Bot has expanded its operations internationally, with gross sales within the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France, displaying a rising demand for sustainable agricultural options.
Lukaart famous, “The challenges within the agricultural sector, akin to labour shortages and stricter rules on agrochemicals, have led to a rising want for modern applied sciences akin to our weeding robots. […] Our robots not solely provide growers a sustainable different, but in addition assist them meet the altering calls for within the sector.”
The Maverick robotic is predicted to enter the market with a worth 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 educated to work with crops akin 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 below the identify ‘Odd.Bot Weader’, which may be hooked up to plain tractors, offering flexibility for farmers preferring to retain their current tools.
Dirk Kronemeijer, associate at Iconic Ventures, mentioned “The collaboration matches 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 modern firm, with its good agricultural robotic that replaces chemical weed management with clever, environmentally pleasant expertise.”
This funding and the upcoming launch of the Maverick goals to deal with urgent challenges akin to labour shortages and environmental issues related to conventional chemical herbicides.