Tortuga AgTech
"Robots for the world's hardest harvests"
Autonomous strawberry and soft-fruit harvesting robots deployed via RaaS model for commercial greenhouse and field growers.
Tortuga AgTech is a Denver, Colorado-based agricultural robotics company founded in 2016 by Eric Adamson and Tim Brackbill. The company develops autonomous harvesting robots purpose-built for high-value, labor-intensive crops such as strawberries, with the platform designed to extend to tomatoes and table grapes. Tortuga emerged from stealth after extensive R&D conducted directly with commercial growers to ensure real-world reliability and economic viability.
The company's core technology combines computer vision, machine learning, and precision end-effectors to identify and gently pick ripe fruit without damaging the crop. Robots navigate autonomously through greenhouse rows and outdoor field configurations, operating in the challenging and variable light and spatial conditions typical of commercial growing environments.
Tortuga commercializes its technology through a Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) business model, charging growers per kilogram of produce harvested rather than requiring large upfront capital expenditures. This model aligns Tortuga's incentives with grower outcomes and reduces adoption barriers. By 2024 the company had deployed what it described as the world's largest commercial fleet of harvesting robots, with over 150 units in the field.
The company has raised approximately $49 million in total funding across multiple rounds, including a $2.4 million seed round in 2017 led by Root Ventures and Susa Ventures, a $5 million round from Spero Ventures in 2019, and a $20 million Series A led by Lewis & Clark AgriFood. The funding has supported fleet expansion, software development, and engineering headcount growth in Colorado.
Tortuga's robotic system directly addresses the structural labor shortage facing the fresh produce industry in the United States and globally, where handpicking remains the dominant harvesting method. By automating the most time-sensitive and cost-intensive step of the growing cycle, Tortuga enables growers to scale production without proportionally increasing labor costs.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
Contact Tortuga AgTech
WEBSITE
https://www.tortugaagtech.com/HEADQUARTERS
United States
Company Facts
Founded
2016
Primary Role
Manufacturer
Company Size
-
Primary Region
North America
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
-
Funding Total
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