Upside Robotics is reducing fertilizer use and waste in corn crops

Source: TechCrunch

Founding Story

Upside Robotics builds lightweight solar‑powered autonomous robots that deliver right‑sized amounts of fertilizer and nutrients to crops exactly when they’re needed. The company’s software runs on proprietary algorithms that use weather and soil data to determine how much fertilizer each plant requires.

The founders met in 2023 through the Entrepreneur First accelerator, sharing a desire to create an impact‑driven company at the intersection of climate and agriculture. After deciding to focus on reducing fertilizer waste, they bought a camper trailer and lived on the side of a Canadian corn field while developing their prototype.

“We actually bought a camper trailer, and we moved around field to field,” co‑founder and CTO Sam Dugan said. “We stayed on the side of the field every night… We have spent every hour of the day in a corn field at some point in time.”

In just two weeks, Dugan built a remote‑controlled car that they operated manually to collect data and demonstrate the fertilizing system to farmers. The hands‑on approach allowed rapid iteration and deep farmer insights.

Technology

• Solar‑powered autonomous robots that navigate corn rows.
• Proprietary algorithms that combine weather forecasts and soil sensor data to calculate the optimal fertilizer dose for each plant.
• Right‑sized application reduces waste: traditionally only ~30 % of applied fertilizer is taken up by the crop.

Growth and Traction

• 2024 season: Tested the concept on 70 acres.
• 2025 season: Deployed the fourth‑generation robot on 1,200 acres.
• 2026 outlook: Targeting >3,000 acres with 100 % customer retention since launch.
• Impact: Customers have cut fertilizer use by 70 %, saving roughly $150 per acre per season.

Funding

Upside Robotics recently closed a $7.5 million seed round led by Plural, with participation from Garage Capital and the founders of Clearpath Robotics. The capital will fund continued R&D and scale production to meet demand—over 200 farms are currently on the waitlist. The company also plans to expand beyond Canada into the U.S. corn belt.

“People always question if farmers are going to adopt new solutions, and they certainly are, as long as you can provide a clear return on investment,” CEO Jana Tian explained. “In many cases, our farmers actually asked for this solution.”