Farming robot Thorvald is shifting into top gear, as creator Saga Robotics secures £8.4 million to drive large-scale rollouts in UK fields and US vineyards.
The agri-tech innovator has raised the amount in equity funding to accelerate the commercial rollout of its autonomous farming platform, Thorvald.
The robot has moved from a prototype to a fully commercially deployed autonomous solution, already servicing thousands of acres in 2025.
Capable of everything from UV-C disease control to high-precision crop data collection, it provides automated services that help growers increase yields, cut labour costs, and reduce chemical inputs.
In the UK, Thorvald currently supports 13 leading strawberry growers, treating around 20% of the national market, with an aim to surpass 30% by 2026.
The 2025 season also saw the company’s first commercial revenue from its yield prediction data tool.
In the US, the autonomous robot is already in use across more than 1,300 acres of vineyards, with plans to triple that by 2026.
Thorvald is now part of California’s CORE incentive programme, offering significant grants towards robot sales.
Worldwide, more than 150 Thorvald 3.0 units are operating in the 2025 growing season, according to Saga Robotics.
“We’ve proven Thorvald works, now we’re scaling it,” said founder Pål Johan From, who recently relocated to California to lead US operations.
“This raise gives us the runway to accelerate adoption, improve efficiency in agriculture, and reduce chemical use across two of the world’s most chemically dependent specialty crop markets.”
Across the UK, agri-tech robots like Thorvald are increasingly being adopted to tackle labour shortages, improve crop health, and reduce reliance on chemical inputs.
Large soft fruit producers and vineyard operators have already begun integrating autonomous units into everyday operations, with government and industry groups encouraging the shift as part of wider sustainability goals.
In the US, states such as California and Washington are seeing rapid adoption of agri-tech solutions, as growers seek to boost efficiency while navigating water restrictions, labour constraints, and increasingly unpredictable climate conditions.
Saga Robotics CEO, Sacha de La Noë said of the latest round of funding: “When I joined Saga, the potential was clear, and this level of investor interest confirms it.
"With Pål driving expansion in the US and strong traction in the UK, we’re entering a new phase focused on scale and impact. We’re not just gaining ground, we’re accelerating.”
The funding round drew support from both new and existing investors, including Luxembourg-based venture capital fund Praesidium Agri-FoodTech, which focuses on scalable agricultural technologies.
Returning backers included Aker, Nysnø Climate Investments, Blystad, Hatteland, Melesio, Sanden, and MP Pensjon.
