Yanmar Ventures, a business partner of F&A Next, has announced a strategic investment in Zordi, a pioneering US-based AgTech startup. This investment aims to fast-track the development of cutting edge, AI-driven robotic solutions designed to enhance the economic viability of greenhouse farming while promoting the production of high-quality, sustainable produce.
Zordi is redefining autonomous greenhouse farming by integrating low-cost, modular greenhouses with cutting-edge robotics and advanced software. This combination dramatically reduces labor requirements by up to 80% and significantly boosts crop yields. Currently, Zordi’s proprietary strawberry varieties are available in select grocery stores across the United States. Zordi’s impact goes far beyond retail. The startup collaborates with greenhouse farmers by providing commercially-validated plant varieties, robotics, software, and operational support. Through regional distribution channels, the company aids in the commercialization of partner farms’ produce ensuring a seamless farm-to-market transition.
Advancing Automation in Greenhouse Farming
The agricultural sector faces mounting challenges, including rising input costs and less-than-ideal unit economics for produce cultivation. Furthermore, many controlled environment agriculture (CEA) initiatives struggle with capital expenditure (CapEx) intensity, making profitability a major hurdle. Zordi is poised to redefine these constraints with its cost-effective, modular greenhouse solutions powered by smart automation.
Zordi’s suite of robotics includes scouting and harvesting robots, each playing a crucial role in optimizing greenhouse operations. Scouting robots continuously monitor crops for signs of disease, pest infestations, and nutrient deficiencies. The data collected is processed through a sophisticated AI system that diagnoses issues and formulates actionable remediation plans, which are then executed by either robotics or greenhouse operators. Meanwhile, Zordi’s advanced harvesting robots meticulously pick, sort, and pack fruit on-site, ensuring efficiency and reducing post-harvest losses.
This investment comes as part of a new effort by Zordi to harness the emerging power of imitation learning, reinforcement learning, and large-scale Robotics Foundation Models to build robotics platforms that can compete with humans in both their ability learn new tasks as well as execute crop care and harvesting tasks with speed and accuracy.
Building a Sustainable and Resilient Food System
With the global population on the rise and arable land in limited supply, the demand for sustainable food production has never been more pressing. Compounding this challenge, labor shortages in the agricultural sector further threaten food security. Addressing these issues requires a fundamental shift in farming methodologies.
Yanmar Ventures is committed to driving this transformation by investing in cutting-edge deeptech startups that offer groundbreaking solutions. By supporting companies like Zordi, Yanmar Ventures fosters innovations that increase productivity, reduce environmental impact, and enhance economic efficiency. With a vision of a future where everyone has access to fresh, high-quality food, Yanmar Ventures leverages its extensive resources and global network to propel startups toward success.
Connect with Yanmar Ventures at F&A Next
Interested in exploring opportunities for collaboration or learning more about Yanmar Ventures? Meet Ana Ward and Sebastiaan Masselink from the Yanmar Ventures team at F&A Next. They are eager to connect with innovative startups, industry leaders, and fellow investors.
About Yanmar
A pioneer in diesel engine technology, Yanmar is a global innovator in a wide range of industrial equipment, from small and large engines, agricultural machinery and facilities, construction equipment, energy systems, marine, to machine tools, and components. On land, at sea, and in the city, Yanmar provides advances solutions to the challenges customers face, towards realizing “A Sustainable Future”. Yanmar Ventures is committed to investing into leading deep tech startups, leveraging Yanmar’s resources & network to accelerate their growth and to enrich people’s lives for all our tomorrows.
About Zordi
Zordi is a US-based AgTech startup dedicated to revolutionizing greenhouse farming through autonomous solutions. By integrating AI-driven robotics with modular greenhouse systems, Zordi is making high-yield, sustainable farming accessible and economically viable.
