YC-Backed Four Growers Develops Robots to Address Greenhouse Labor Shortages

From Greenhouse to Venture-Backed Startup

Brandon Contino and co-founder Dan Chi practically lived in a greenhouse for an entire year while developing Four Growers’ produce-harvesting robots. They coded at a small desk tucked in the back corner, even discovering that fertilizer bags can be comfortable beds.

"We actually started just running everything off a laptop, and I would be there in the row coding," Contino, now CEO, told TechCrunch. "Chi would be making changes mechanically. We’d run it then we’d make code changes, we’d redevelop, we’d go back in and run it again. So, it was a very fun time just living at the farm basically."

The Birth of Four Growers

The result of their hard work is Four Growers, which builds robots designed to autonomously harvest plants in greenhouses. The robots are programmed to identify produce at the right level of ripeness — which varies depending on a farmer’s needs — by using multiple stereo cameras to see the crops and help maneuver the robot’s arms around nonripe fruit on the vine.

The tech currently works with tomatoes and will be commercially available to harvest other crops like cucumbers in the near future, Contino said.

A Unique Path

Contino’s path to building agtech robotics wasn’t a fluid one. He entered college interested in neural prosthetics. He later pivoted to water sensors and water scarcity after realizing he didn’t want to end up with a career working on cyborgs, he said.

Water scarcity led him to farms, but after talking to farmers, he realized robotics could help farmers in a bigger way.

"We were actually cold-calling a bunch of different greenhouse farmers. We were really asking them about all their challenges, and we always heard that labor was the number one pain point for them," Contino said.

The Labor Shortage

Having enough labor to harvest crops is crucial because if crops can’t be harvested when they are ready, they rot and result in lost profits for the farm. The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture’s 2024 labor report said the industry is facing a ‘critical shortage’ of workers, and it won’t get better anytime soon.

Focusing on Greenhouses

Contino said they were intentional about focusing on greenhouse farms. Unlike outdoor farms, greenhouses can grow almost all year round, be closer to their end consumer, and are more efficient than outside farms, Contino said.

They also harvest on a much more frequent schedule than outdoor farms, which makes them a good candidate to buy tech.

Launching Robots

Four Growers was launched in [insert year]. The company has since raised $9 million in Series A funding. This brings the total amount of funding raised by Four Growers to $10 million.

The robots developed by Four Growers have been able to harvest millions of pounds of produce, significantly increasing crop yields and reducing labor costs for farmers.

Future Plans

With the latest funding round, Four Growers plans to expand its operations and make its robots more accessible to farmers across the globe.

"We’re excited to take our technology to the next level and help farmers around the world increase their productivity and profitability," Contino said in a statement.

Conclusion

Four Growers is an innovative startup that has developed robots capable of harvesting crops autonomously. With $9 million in Series A funding, the company plans to expand its operations and make its robots more accessible to farmers globally.

By addressing the labor shortage and increasing crop yields, Four Growers has the potential to revolutionize the agriculture industry.