Dutch-based SAIA Agrobotics raises €10M to bring greenhouse robots to market

Netherlands-based SAIA Agrobotics has secured €10M in funding to advance its greenhouse automation technology and prepare for market entry.

Netherlands-based SAIA Agrobotics, a developer of robotics for greenhouse growing, has raised €10M in a Series A funding round to enter the market as early as next year.

The round was led by Check24 Impact with participation from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund. Existing investors Navus Ventures and Oost NL also participated in the round.

Wout Morrenhof, investment manager at Oost NL, says, “SAIA is a good example of a startup that has developed from Wageningen University & Research and has an innovative solution for a major social challenge. Digitisation and robotisation are needed to produce sufficient healthy and sustainable food now and in the future.”

“SAIA has developed strongly over the past two years and is ready for the further commercialisation of its product, which is why we, as Oost NL, are investing again in the company.”

Svetoslava Georgieva, Chair of the EIC Fund Board, adds, “The EIC Fund is happy to back SAIA’s potential to revolutionise sustainable food production through digitisation and automation, aligning with their strategies to support innovative agrotechnology. They aim to reduce total greenhouse labour by 50 per cent while increasing yields by 20 per cent.”

With this funding round, SAIA Agrobotics brings its total funds raised to more than €20M. The round follows six years of technology development that has resulted in multiple international patents.

The latest investment follows earlier funding stages, including a pre-seed round from SHIFT Invest, Innovation Industries, and Oost NL, and a seed round led by Navus Ventures and Oost NL.

Autonomous indoor farming

Founded in 2017 by Dr. Ruud Barth, Bart van Tuijl and Bas Froon, SAIA Agrobotics is developing robotic systems designed to automate greenhouse food production. 

The company aims to address challenges in global food supply, where demand for fresh and sustainably produced crops is projected to rise between 30 and 50 per cent in the coming decades.

Dutch greenhouse horticulture plays a central role in producing crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. According to Rabobank, global demand for new high-tech greenhouse projects is expected to reach 5,000 hectares per year. However, limited labour availability and rising costs continue to restrict production capacity, driving the need for greater automation.

SAIA Agrobotics proposes a production approach in which the plant moves to the robot, rather than the robot entering the greenhouse. This method allows the robot full access to each plant for harvesting and maintenance while the crops remain in an optimal growing environment.

Through this approach, SAIA Agrobotics works toward creating a “Food Factory of the Future” — a system where robotics, data, and artificial intelligence enable an autonomous greenhouse capable of continuous production.

Founder Dr. Barth says, “At SAIA, we recently completed the world’s first automated greenhouse, where plants go to the robot once a week for scanning and harvesting. We aim for a 20 per cent increase in yields with a 50 per cent total greenhouse labour reduction. This is a  huge step forward in providing a local, resilient and sustainable food supply.” 

Ruud Barth noted that earlier this year, the first customer, Growers United, deployed initial parts of the system at its facilities and is using SAIA technology on-site.

What do the investors have to say?

Georg Heusgen, director at Check24, says, ”The SAIA growing systems allow harvesting 52 weeks a year, guaranteeing therefore higher annual yields per square meter.”

“The SAIA harvesting system applies what we all know from industry to the greenhouse sector. The product comes to the robot and not vice versa. There, under a standardised environment, robots can deleaf and harvest with an  accuracy of over 99 per cent, guaranteeing better product quality and the promised labour cost savings.”

Jaap Zijlstra, Director at Navus Ventures, adds, “SAIA Agrobotics has developed innovative concepts and technology in the field of plants, automation, and logistics, creating a new approach to greenhouse growing, with the potential to take a major step in efficient and sustainable food  production.”

“This investment, therefore, fits perfectly with Navus’ strategy, and we look forward to helping the team further on its way with our background, experience, and network.”