What TRIC Robotics does

TRIC Robotics is a University of Delaware spinout founded in 2019 by Dr. Adam Stager (CEO) and Vishnu Somasundaram, headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California. The company builds autonomous, tractor-scale robots that apply UV-C light and electric bug-vacuum technology to control pests and disease in specialty crops, with a commercial focus on California strawberry farms. Its technology stack centers on two platforms: the Eden platform, a three-wheeled 40+ foot UV treatment robot designed to match conventional spray-rig form factors, and the Luna platform, a modular multi-row system covering 6-8 rows and 50-100 acres with interchangeable UV, bug-vacuum, and camera-based plant-analytics payloads. Both platforms operate fully autonomously, using high-resolution cameras for row tracking and navigation, and deliver bi-weekly treatments managed end-to-end by TRIC. The Luna platform's modular architecture and the Eden platform's scalability represent notable platform engineering choices; the technology is positioned as the sole organic solution for controlling botrytis (gray mold) in strawberries.

The company sells exclusively under a robots-as-a-service (RaaS) subscription model with no upfront farmer investment, pricing the service at parity with conventional chemical pest and disease control. Its go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales targeting mid-market California strawberry growers, with operations currently concentrated in Santa Maria (1,000+ acres, 9 robots deployed) and an explicit expansion plan into Oxnard and Watsonville. A July 2025 seed round of $5.5 million led by Version One Ventures is earmarked for fleet scaling toward 40-50 robots and regional expansion, and a March 2026 residency at the Reservoir Farms agtech incubator in Salinas positions the company alongside John Deere and Western Growers Association for distribution and validation. Customers are mid-market strawberry growers; pilot data reports a 70% reduction in chemical pesticide use and $250 per acre savings in weeding costs.

Name

TRIC Robotics

Legal name

TRIC Robotics Inc.

Website

https://tricrobotics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TRIC Robotics builds autonomous UV-C and bug-vacuum robots that provide chemical-free pest and disease control as a service to California strawberry farmers. The company operates a fleet of robots across 1,000+ acres in Santa Maria and is scaling across additional Central Coast strawberry regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Robotics

NAICS

Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333111), Agricultural Implement Manufacturing (33311)

SIC

Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Robotics & Autonomous Field Operations (Weeding, Spraying, Harvest Assist, Autonomous Tractors) (AFAGALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Autonomous Spraying & Crop-Care Robots (Targeted application, spot spraying) (AFAAAGAE), Autonomous/Robotic Crop Protection Applicators (UGVs, Smart Sprayers) (AFAAADAJ), Agricultural & Field Robotics (HDAAAIAD), Agricultural UAV/UGV Autonomy Platforms (Navigation, mission planning, fleet autonomy) (AFAAAGAF)

Keywords

• Autonomous agricultural robots
• UV-C pest control
• Robots-as-a-service
• Specialty crop automation
• Chemical-free farming

Headquarters

HQ city

Newark

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS): Provides autonomous pest and disease control robots to farmers under a service model with no upfront investment required from farmers. Farmers pay for the service similar to conventional pest and disease control costs. Includes UV light treatment and bug vacuum services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

TRIC Robotics develops and operates autonomous, tractor-scale robots that deliver chemical-free pest and disease control for specialty crop farms using UV-C light and electric bug vacuums. The company sells this capability to farmers as a managed robots-as-a-service offering, covering every acre twice weekly at night with no upfront investment required from the grower.

Product overview

TRIC Robotics offers a robots-as-a-service platform for chemical-free pest and disease control in specialty crops, primarily strawberries. The portfolio centers on two robot platforms: the Eden Platform (UV-only treatment with 7+ row coverage and enhanced farm security cameras) and the Luna Platform (multi-payload capable, supporting UV treatment, bug vacuum, and plant analytics over 50-100 acres). Both platforms provide fully autonomous farm-scale operations with data analytics, delivered under a service model requiring no upfront farmer investment. The Eden and Luna systems share common autonomous navigation, dosing controllers, and vacuum sensing capabilities, while differentiated by payload flexibility and coverage capacity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Eden Platform Tractor-scale autonomous UV light application robot with a 40+ foot span and three-wheeled design matching conventional spray rig form factor. Features automated boom height and wing adjustments for precise dosing in uneven rows, plus high-resolution cameras for navigation, row tracking, and farm security. Deployed as a managed service on strawberry farms.
• Luna Platform Multi-row autonomous robot platform covering six rows with a 50-100 acre treatment range. Modular payload system supports UV treatment booms, bug vacuums, and cameras for real-time plant analytics. Includes remote start and monitoring capabilities for cooperative fleet management across larger farms.
• Ultraviolet Light Treatment Service Chemical-free pest and disease control service using UV light, effective against mites, mildew, and mold. Delivered via robot-mounted booms on Eden and Luna platforms as a managed bi-weekly service. Positioned as the sole organic solution for controlling botrytis (gray mold) in strawberries.
• Bug Vacuum Service Six-row electric bug vacuum service offering double the effectiveness of conventional pest control methods. Powered entirely by electricity for sustainable agriculture. Bookable as a standalone managed service for strawberry farmers.
• Data Driven Analytics Service Bi-weekly pest and disease treatment data collection providing crop management insights and optimized agricultural practice recommendations. Delivered alongside TRIC's autonomous robot service for strawberry farmers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% reduction in chemical pesticide use
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Reservoir FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026TRIC Robotics is a resident startup at the 40-acre Reservoir Farms agtech incubator in Salinas, California. The facility provides on-farm ROI validation for agricultural robots under real farming conditions. TRIC collaborates with other agtech startups on go-to-market and technology deployment strategies.
• Western Growers AssociationsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026Strategic partner of Reservoir Farms where TRIC Robotics is a resident startup. Western Growers Association supports agtech adoption among specialty crop growers.
• John DeeresupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026Strategic partner of Reservoir Farms where TRIC Robotics is a resident startup. John Deere's involvement in the agtech incubator signals potential collaboration on agricultural automation.
• Tanimura & AntlesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026Owner of the land leased for Reservoir Farms agtech incubator facility in Salinas, California. The 40-acre innovation hub and testing farm is located on their property.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Aigen: Aigen builds solar-powered, autonomous agricultural robots for weeding in specialty crops. It is the most directly comparable autonomous-field-robotics-as-a-service company to TRIC, with a similar venture-backed go-to-market and non-chemical weed/pest control focus.
• Carbon Robotics: Carbon Robotics produces the LaserWeeder, an autonomous tractor-pulled robot using high-powered lasers for chemical-free weeding in specialty crops. It competes with TRIC in the non-chemical autonomous weed/pest control category for specialty crop farmers.
• FarmWise: FarmWise develops AI-powered autonomous weeding robots for specialty row crops, particularly in California. It is a direct peer competing for the same specialty-crop RaaS customer with autonomous mechanical weed/pest control.
• Verdant Robotics: Verdant Robotics builds precision agriculture robots targeting specialty crops with computer-vision-guided spraying and weeding. It overlaps with TRIC on the autonomous specialty-crop pest-control service model in California.
• Naio Technologies: Naio Technologies manufactures autonomous weeding and hoeing robots (Oz, Dino, Ted) for specialty crops and vineyards. It is a direct peer in autonomous mechanical weed/pest control for specialty crop farming.
• Small Robot Company: Small Robot Company builds a fleet of small autonomous precision farming robots (Tom, Dick, Harry) for weeding, mapping, and planting in UK row crops. It is a direct peer in autonomous per-plant field robotics-as-a-service.
• Bluewhite (formerly Blue White Robotics): Bluewhite retrofits tractors and other farm vehicles with autonomous navigation and fleet management software for specialty and row crop operations. It overlaps with TRIC on autonomous tractor-scale field robotics delivered as a managed service.

Emerging players

• Monarch Tractor: Monarch Tractor builds autonomous, electric smart tractors with optional implements for specialty crop and vineyard operations. While focused on tractor platform rather than UV-C pest control, it overlaps with TRIC on autonomous tractor-scale specialty crop automation.
• Garford (Robocrop): Garford produces Robocrop precision inter-row weeding and spraying equipment using computer vision for specialty and row crops. It competes in the same precision in-row crop-care robotics category as TRIC, though primarily as tractor-mounted equipment rather than a fully autonomous robot.

Broad incumbents

• John Deere: John Deere is the dominant broad incumbent in agricultural equipment and has been investing heavily in autonomy and specialty crop automation through its See & Spray and partnership with Reservoir Farms. It is both a potential partner and the dominant incumbent TRIC could either complement or compete against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tric_robotics
• Facebookfacebook.com/tricrobotics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tric-robotics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors13 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TRIC Robotics