Waterloo-based AgTech company Upside Robotics has secured USD $7.5 million in seed funding to accelerate the growth of its AI-powered agricultural robotics platform.
Co-founded in 2024 by Waterloo Engineering alum Sam Dugan (BASc ’22, mechatronics engineering) and Jana Tian, Upside Robotics is transforming agriculture through sustainable automation. The company’s lightweight, autonomous robots apply fertilizer precisely where crops need it, enabling farmers to remotely monitor fields, track crop health and deliver nutrients efficiently — without stepping foot on the soil.
The seed round was led by Plural, with participation from Garage Capital, Entrepreneurs First and the founders of Clearpath Robotics, bringing Upside Robotics’ total funding to more than USD $11 million. The investment will support product development, field expansion and deeper collaboration with farmers and agricultural companies across Canada adapting to climate and cost pressures.
“Trust in robotics is earned in the field, not the lab,” Dugan said. “We built the system side by side with farmers, season by season.” That hands-on approach has resulted in more than 10,000 autonomous kilometres driven and over 100,000 litres of fertilizer applied across more than 1,300 acres.
In demonstration fields, compact robots glide between crop rows, delivering nutrients directly to root zones. This targeted method reduces waste, lowers input costs and promotes healthier soils — key advantages as producers seek to balance profitability with environmental stewardship.
Upside Robotics is part of Velocity, the University of Waterloo’s flagship incubator. Since 2008, Velocity has supported more than 500 startups, collectively generating over $40 billion in enterprise value through mentorship, funding and access to Canada’s largest tech corridor.
For Dugan, the new funding marks the beginning of a broader vision: aligning farm profitability with climate goals through precision agriculture. With fresh capital and growing field validation, Upside Robotics is building the future of farming—one autonomous kilometre at a time.
Go to $7.5 million seed funding helps Upside Robotics plant the seeds for success for the full story.