- Advanced Farm Technologies announced it has $7.5 million in funding led by Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley
Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley (“YMVSV”) — the strategic business development and investment arm of Yamaha Motor — announced it led a Series A funding round in Advanced Farm Technologies (AFT). AFT is a developer of robotic farming equipment which includes the T-6 robotic strawberry harvester.
“We are excited and humbled to have Yamaha, a leader of global innovation and technology, support our mission of building a diversified farm equipment company centered around automation,” said Advanced Farm Technologies CEO Marc Grossman. “With this investment, we can expand our lead in robotic strawberry harvesting and continue to innovate in other areas.”
By leveraging the $100 million Yamaha Motor Exploratory Fund, the AFT investment reflects YMVSV’s focus on technological solutions that meet global food supply chain challenges.
“Finding and supporting technology teams working to solve the challenges inherent in harvesting and delivering fresh food to the dynamic market of today and tomorrow is an area of investment interest for Yamaha Motor,” added Yamaha Motor Ventures CEO and Managing Director George Kellerman.
The total Series A funding round had closed at $7.5 million. And Kubota Corporation, Catapult Ventures, and Impact Venture Capital also joined the round.
“We see tremendous potential in Advanced Farm Technologies’ robotic harvesting solution as a means of helping to meet the growing global market demand for fresh fruits and vegetables. We look forward to working closely with the team to support the expansion of their enterprise,” explained Yamaha Motor Ventures partner Nolan Paul.
