Saga Robotics
Saga Robotics develops and operates the Thorvald autonomous robotic platform, delivering UV-C disease-control and AI yield-prediction services to commercial strawberry and wine-grape growers in the UK, US, and Norway via a pay-per-acre Farming-as-a-Service model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersPaso Robles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Saga Robotics does
Saga Robotics AS, founded in 2016 and headquartered in Oslo, Norway, develops and operates autonomous agricultural robots under the Thorvald platform brand for specialty-crop disease control and crop intelligence. The company delivers services to commercial strawberry and wine-grape growers in the UK and US, with a secondary footprint in Norway. Its core technology combines a lightweight, fully electric autonomous vehicle platform featuring a proprietary Dual-axis Drive (DAD) module with high-intensity UV-C light treatment for fungal disease control (powdery mildew, botrytis, sour rot) and onboard AI cameras that count flowers and fruits (up to 3 million per robot per night) and score ripeness. The next-generation Thorvald 3.0 platform (launched January 2024) operates at 97% uptime, drives in autonomous convoys under a 24/7 operations center, and integrates modular tools including UV-C treatment, runner cutting, predatory-mite spreading, and data capture. In 2025 the company commercialized a yield-prediction data service in partnership with Bitwise Agronomy, generating first commercial data revenue, and in 2026 introduced a vineyard-specific Thorvald model with upgraded suspension and tilt compensation for steep terrain.
Saga Robotics sells exclusively through a Farming-as-a-Service (FaaS) / pay-per-acre Robotics-as-a-Service model rather than selling robots outright: growers pay only for treatment delivered, with zero capital expenditure, maintenance included, and access to green-loan and ESG certification programs. Revenue streams comprise (1) managed UV-C treatment services in UK tabletop strawberry and California wine-grape markets, (2) usage-based pay-per-acre pricing, and (3) a nascent subscription/data-monetization layer via AI yield prediction. The company targets UK strawberry tabletop growers (Kent, South, Scotland hubs), California vineyard operators (organic, regenerative, conventional), and Norwegian horticulture and berry growers, with a customer base of 13-15 leading UK strawberry growers and flagship California vineyards including Bien Nacido, Castoro Cellars, Bonterra Organic Estates, and Willamette Valley Vineyards. Distribution is via direct enterprise field sales augmented by partner channels such as Berry Gardens co-operative, Bitwise Agronomy data-services channel, and the California CORE incentive program, with an 11-50 employee organization operating across Norway, the UK, and the US.
Saga Robotics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Saga Robotics
- Legal name
- Saga Robotics AS
- Website
- https://sagarobotics.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Saga Robotics develops and operates the Thorvald autonomous robotic platform, delivering UV-C disease-control and AI yield-prediction services to commercial strawberry and wine-grape growers in the UK, US, and Norway via a pay-per-acre Farming-as-a-Service model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Saga Robotics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Robotics
- NAICS
- Agricultural Implement Manufacturing (33311), Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333111)
- SIC
- Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Autonomous Spraying & Crop-Care Robots (Targeted application, spot spraying) (AFAAAGAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Farm Robot Fleet Management & Operations Software (Dispatch, monitoring, OTA updates) (AFAAAGAH), Robotics & Autonomous Field Operations (Weeding, Spraying, Harvest Assist, Autonomous Tractors) (AFAGALAJ), Robotic Implements, End-Effectors & Tooling (Grippers, cutters, weeding tools, smart implements) (AFAAAGAI), Agricultural & Field Robotics (HDAAAIAD)
Keywords
Where Saga Robotics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paso Robles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Saga Robotics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Farming-as-a-Service (FaaS) / Robotics-as-a-Service: Thorvald light treatment offered as a managed service: no capital investment or maintenance costs for the farmer. Field mapping, treatment deployment, and maintenance performed by Saga Robotics. Treatment provided as a service to growers with no robot purchase required.
- Pay-per-acre UV-C treatment pricing: Pay-per-acre model where growers only pay for what they use. Zero CAPEX, no robot purchase required; designed for positive ROI from year one with flexible financing and ESG certification credits.
- AI data services / yield prediction: First commercial revenue recorded in 2025 from yield prediction data tool. Thorvald captures flower/fruit counts via onboard AI; data integrated with Bitwise Agronomy platform to deliver yield forecasts to growers. New subscription/recurring layer added to UV-C treatment base.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Pay-per-acre model for UV-C treatment |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Farming-as-a-Service (FaaS) robotic UV-C treatment |
| Subscription | Annual | Strawberry UV-C data services (2026) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Saga Robotics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Saga Robotics develops and operates the Thorvald autonomous robot platform, a modular, lightweight, fully electric agricultural robot that uses high-intensity UV-C light to control fungal diseases (powdery mildew, botrytis, sour rot) in commercial strawberry and grapevine operations while simultaneously capturing AI-powered crop data. The platform is delivered via a Farming-as-a-Service (FaaS) pay-per-acre model, eliminating capital expenditure for growers and including field mapping, treatment deployment, and maintenance. The current generation Thorvald 3 robots operate autonomously in fleets, with an integrated yield prediction data service powered by integration with Bitwise Agronomy.
Product overview
Saga Robotics offers a single unified platform-plus-modules architecture centered on its autonomous Thorvald robotic platform for specialty crop agriculture. The core Thorvald platform is delivered through crop-specific applications — Thorvald for Strawberries and Thorvald for Grapevine — with the current generation branded as Thorvald 3 / Thorvald 3.0. The platform features a proprietary Dual-axis Drive (DAD) module and integrates modular tools (UV-C treatment, cameras, cutting runners, predatory mite spreading) that can be added over time. Built on top of the hardware, Saga Robotics sells a Thorvald Data Services / yield prediction module (first commercial revenue recorded in 2025) delivered in partnership with Bitwise Agronomy, which fuses robot-collected image/video data with weather and field-sensor data to produce yield forecasts. The company delivers its offering through a Farming-as-a-Service (FaaS) pay-per-acre commercial model rather than selling the robots, providing turnkey autonomous integrated pest management to leading UK strawberry growers and California vineyards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Thorvald: Thorvald is Saga Robotics' flagship autonomous agricultural robot platform used for UV-C disease control, data collection, and integrated pest management in strawberries and grapevines. 'Thorvald' and the Thorvald logo are registered trademarks of Saga Robotics AS.
Products and services
- Thorvald Autonomous Robotic Platform Modular, field-proven autonomous agricultural robot platform that uses UV-C light to control fungal diseases (powdery mildew, botrytis, sour rot) in strawberries and grapevines, replacing chemical fungicides. Lightweight, fully electric, and equipped with onboard cameras and AI to simultaneously deliver treatment and collect farm-wide crop data.
- Thorvald for Strawberries Tabletop strawberry configuration of Thorvald for UK polytunnels. Delivers weekly night-time UV-C treatments to control powdery mildew, achieving 70-100% reduction in pesticide use. Treats approximately 30% of UK's tabletop strawberry market across 15 leading growers and 4 geographic hubs.
- Thorvald for Grapevine Grapevine configuration of Thorvald designed for vineyards, delivering autonomous night-time UV-C treatments to control powdery mildew in California wine grape operations. New vineyard-specific model features upgraded suspension, larger wheels, and automatic tilt compensation for steep/uneven terrain.
- Thorvald 3 (Next-Generation Robot) Next-generation Thorvald robot launched in January 2024. Operates larger areas more efficiently, designed for both scaled production and operation. Equipped with high-intensity UV-C light, cameras for crop prediction, and an expanding array of automated tools (cutting runners, spreading predatory mites, data collection).
- Thorvald Data Services (Yield Prediction / Crop Intelligence) AI-driven data service built on top of the Thorvald platform. Robots capture images/video during UV-C treatment, count flowers and fruits, assess ripeness on a 0-7 scale, and feed the data to Bitwise Agronomy's platform for yield forecasting. Also detects and counts grape clusters for vineyard harvest planning.
- Thorvald Farming-as-a-Service (FaaS) Service-based commercial model in which Saga Robotics retains ownership of the robots and provides UV-C treatment, field mapping, and maintenance to growers. No capital investment or maintenance cost for farmers, with a pay-per-acre structure. Each robot can treat up to 1.5 Ha of strawberries per night or 6 Ha per week.
Quantifiable outcome
- 70-100% reduction in pesticide use in grapevine and strawberries
- +12 more outcomes
Companies that use Saga Robotics
Customer profileNamed customers24 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Saga Robotics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability9 records
Feature6 records
Saga Robotics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Atle Eide (Maringto AS)coreJoined the Saga Robotics Board in August 2025 alongside the USD 11.2M round; CEO of Maringto AS. Provides additional industry expertise to the Board.
- Laila Danielsen (Elliptic Labs)coreJoined the Saga Robotics Board in August 2025; CEO of global AI software company Elliptic Labs. Adds deep software/AI leadership.
- Bitwise AgronomyflagshipThree-way collaboration with Chambers Farm focused on commercial-scale data collection and yield forecasting. Thorvald captures detailed video and counts over 3 million fruits/flowers per night, uploading to Bitwise's platform to combine with weather and field sensor data for precise yield predictions. Strategic step in turning Thorvald into an integrated IPM and crop-data solution.
- Chambers Farm (WB Chambers Farms)flagshipLong-time customer and innovation partner for the Thorvald/Bitwise three-way data partnership. Chambers acts as the proving ground for AI-driven strawberry yield prediction, and is one of Saga's most-quoted customer references. In 2026, Saga will deliver data services to Chambers alongside four additional leading customers.
- Dorn Wenninger (Board Chair)flagshipAgriculture veteran with 30+ years at Driscoll's, Chiquita, Walmart US, Walmart Mexico, and UNFI. Joined as Chair of the Board in February 2025 to accelerate UK growth and US-centric expansion. Now serves as the public voice of the Board.
- Robotic Highways project (consortium)coreConsortium project focused on robotics in UK agriculture, in which Saga Robotics and Clock House Farm are both involved. Mentioned in customer quote as a 'real key' to decarbonising in-field operations.
- Nina Bjornstad (Board Director)coreJoined the Saga Robotics Board in June 2024. Brings 20+ years at Amazon, Microsoft, and Google (most recently Country Manager of Google Cloud for UK&I). Also a Board member at Telenor and SAS. Bridges US/UK/Norway footprint.
- Cornell UniversitycoreResearch partner on UV-C light treatment of grapevines for powdery mildew control. Cornell research (David Gadoury) underpins the science behind Thorvald's vineyard UV-C treatments. Quoted on the website: 'This is one of the most effective disease-control breakthroughs we've seen for high-value crops.'
- USDAcoreResearch partner alongside Cornell University and Oregon State University on the UV-C vineyard project with Willamette Valley Vineyards.
- Oregon State UniversitycoreResearch partner on the UV-C vineyard project with Willamette Valley Vineyards, USDA, and Cornell.
Scale indicators22 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Saga Robotics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- FarmWise: US-based agricultural AI and robotics company (acquired by CNH Industrial in 2024) building autonomous weeding and cultivation machines for specialty and row crops. Comparable as a venture-backed specialist in autonomous, computer-vision-guided crop care with an incumbent acquirer.
- Small Robot Company: UK-based agricultural robotics startup building autonomous per-plant weeding and crop-monitoring robots (Tom, Dick, Harry). Comparable as a UK-based specialist ag-robotics peer pursuing non-chemical precision farming.
- Carbon Robotics: US-based agricultural robotics company selling the LaserWeeder, an autonomous robot that uses computer vision and high-power lasers to kill weeds in specialty crops and row crops. Direct competitor in the autonomous, chemical-free specialty-crop treatment category.
- Aigen: US-based startup developing solar-powered autonomous agricultural robots for weeding using mechanical tools and AI vision. Comparable to Saga as a venture-backed specialist robotics player targeting chemical reduction in row and specialty crops.
- Advanced Farm Technologies: US-based agricultural robotics company developing autonomous strawberry harvest robots (TX Scorpion) for the same California strawberry industry Saga serves. Direct overlap in target customers (CA strawberry growers) and category (autonomous robotics for specialty crops).
- Ecorobotix: Swiss developer of the ARA and AVO autonomous precision spraying/crop-care robots using computer vision to target treatments. Closely comparable to Saga's Thorvald in targeting field-level autonomous treatment with reduced chemical use, though focused on spraying rather than UV-C.
- Naio Technologies: French agricultural robotics company building autonomous weeding and crop-care robots (Oz, Dino, Ted) for specialty crops and vineyards. Directly comparable to Saga as a specialist robotics provider replacing chemical/mechanical field operations with autonomous service models in high-value crops.
- Robotics Plus: New Zealand-based agricultural robotics company developing autonomous kiwifruit pollination and crop-care robots, plus automation for orchard and vineyard operations. Comparable as a specialist robotics provider for high-value specialty crops with similar FaaS-adjacent go-to-market.
Emerging players
- AgXeed: Netherlands-based developer of autonomous agricultural vehicles and implement carriers for arable farming. Comparable as an emerging player in autonomous farm machinery, though focused on tractors and broad-acre field operations rather than Saga's specialty-crop UV-C niche.
Broad incumbents
- Blue River Technology (John Deere): John Deere-owned precision spraying/crop-care platform (See & Spray) using computer vision to target weeds and reduce chemical use across row crops. Comparable as a broad incumbent pursuing AI-driven, reduced-input crop treatment, though focused on large-acreage row crops rather than specialty crops.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Saga Robotics social profiles
Digital presenceSaga Robotics compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Saga Robotics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Saga Robotics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Saga Robotics subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Saga Robotics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors14 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Saga Robotics M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Saga Robotics
What does Saga Robotics do?
Saga Robotics develops and operates the Thorvald autonomous robot platform, a modular, lightweight, fully electric agricultural robot that uses high-intensity UV-C light to control fungal diseases (powdery mildew, botrytis, sour rot) in commercial strawberry and grapevine operations while simultaneously capturing AI-powered crop data. The platform is delivered via a Farming-as-a-Service (FaaS) pay-per-acre model, eliminating capital expenditure for growers and including field mapping, treatment deployment, and maintenance. The current generation Thorvald 3 robots operate autonomously in fleets, with an integrated yield prediction data service powered by integration with Bitwise Agronomy.
Is Saga Robotics a public or private company?
Saga Robotics is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Saga Robotics founded?
Saga Robotics was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Saga Robotics based?
Saga Robotics is headquartered in Paso Robles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Saga Robotics make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Farming-as-a-Service (FaaS) / Robotics-as-a-Service is the primary driver. The others are pay-per-acre UV-C treatment pricing and AI data services / yield prediction.
Who are Saga Robotics's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are FarmWise, Small Robot Company, Carbon Robotics, Aigen, Advanced Farm Technologies, Ecorobotix, Naio Technologies and Robotics Plus. AgXeed is listed as an emerging player. Blue River Technology (John Deere) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Saga Robotics have an API?
No public API is recorded for Saga Robotics.
What industry is Saga Robotics in?
Saga Robotics's product category is Agricultural Robotics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAAAGAE, Autonomous Spraying & Crop-Care Robots (Targeted application, spot spraying), with a secondary code of AFAAAGAH, Farm Robot Fleet Management & Operations Software (Dispatch, monitoring, OTA updates). Its NAICS code is 33311 and its SIC code is 3523.