Hustler Words – Strawberries, a beloved fruit in the United States, unfortunately, are often heavily treated with pesticides. TRIC Robotics, a startup based in San Luis Obispo, California, is aiming to change this by deploying robots armed with UV-C light to combat pests and reduce the reliance on harmful chemicals.
The company’s autonomous robots, which are about the size of tractors, utilize UV-C light, a type of ultraviolet light largely filtered by the Earth’s atmosphere, to eradicate bacteria and disrupt pest populations. These robots can cover up to 100 acres and are equipped with vacuums designed to remove bug residue without damaging the strawberry plants.
Instead of selling the robots directly, TRIC Robotics offers its services to farms on a subscription basis. This approach, while presenting scaling challenges, has proven to be an effective way to gain traction, according to Adam Stager, co-founder and CEO of TRIC.
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"We collaborated closely with farmers to determine the best way to introduce the technology and the most suitable business model," Stager explained. "We discovered that many farmers already pay for pest and disease control as a service, where a company comes in and performs the spraying. We are essentially replacing that with our service model."
Interestingly, TRIC Robotics’ initial focus was not on agriculture. Stager founded the company in 2017, after earning his PhD in robotics, with the intention of developing 3D-printed robots for SWAT teams. However, in 2020, Stager decided to shift the company’s focus to agriculture, believing it would have a greater impact.
"I wanted to ensure that I was making a meaningful contribution to the world," Stager said. "I realized that agriculture offered a significant opportunity to positively impact the lives of many people."
Stager reached out to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to explore potential collaborations and commercialize existing technologies. This led to a connection with a USDA program that pairs entrepreneurs with scientists who have yet to commercialize their work. Through this program, Stager discovered the UV light technology that would become the foundation of TRIC Robotics.
"We loaded two robots that we built in my garage onto my SUV," Stager recounted, referring to his collaboration with co-founder Vishnu Somasundaram. "The USDA helped us connect with two farmers who were willing to give us a small plot of land in 2021. That was the true beginning of our company. We spent eight months traveling across the country, staying in AirBnBs, deploying our two robots, and collecting valuable data with these farmers."
Today, TRIC Robotics, which also includes Ryan Berard as a co-founder, collaborates with four major strawberry producers and has deployed nine robots, with three more on the way.
The company recently secured $5.5 million in seed funding, led by Version One Ventures, with participation from Garage Capital, Todd and Rahul Capital, and Lucas Venture Group, among others.
TRIC Robotics plans to use the funds to expand its fleet of autonomous robots and eventually venture into other types of crops.
"I believe there is a very bright future for agricultural technology," Stager said. "I want people to know that things are moving in a positive direction, and there are many exciting developments on the horizon."
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