Eternal.ag Secures €8M to Advance AI-Powered Greenhouse Robots

Eternal.ag, a startup focused on artificial intelligence-driven automation for greenhouses, has secured €8 million in funding. The round was led by Simon Capital, with participation from Oyster Bay Venture Capital, EquityPitcher Ventures, and Backbone Ventures.

Eternal.ag is developing fully autonomous robots that harvest crops in greenhouses without human operators. The company’s core technology enables robots to handle harvesting tasks that are traditionally labour-intensive and physically demanding. As greenhouses become increasingly essential for ensuring the year-round supply of fresh fruit and vegetables, the sector is confronted with a significant decline in available workforce. In Europe, greenhouse labour availability has fallen by as much as 30% since 2010, a trend expected to continue and further challenge growers’ ability to maintain operations.

By automating crop harvesting, Eternal.ag’s robots offer greenhouse operators a solution to persistent labour shortages and operational uncertainty. The technology enables reliable, high-frequency harvesting and is envisioned as a key component of a future where greenhouses may function with little or no manual intervention by 2040.

The company’s first commercial product, Harvester, is designed specifically for tomato greenhouses. Operating autonomously for up to 22 hours per day, the Harvester robot uses an AI-powered system to monitor produce quality and cut precision. The platform is modular, allowing for expansion into additional robotic functions to support other aspects of greenhouse management over time.

Renji John, CEO and co-founder of Eternal.ag, noted the challenge of deploying robots in real-world agricultural environments: “Autonomous robots only work if they can handle real-world variability between plants, layouts, and daily operations.” Eternal.ag employs a simulation-based approach for development, enabling the training, testing and improvement of robot performance in virtual greenhouse environments. The system learns continuously from the data gathered during physical operation and updates its algorithms to increase efficiency and adaptability.

Niklas Leske, Principal at Simon Capital, highlighted broader challenges facing the agriculture sector, including climate change and rising food demand. He emphasised that robotics represents a future-proof solution for the greenhouse industry, mitigating risks posed by labour shortages and supporting the sustainability of food supply chains.

Eternal.ag was founded by Renji John and Sherry Kunjachan and has grown to a team of 26 employees across Europe and India, with headquarters in Cologne and an office in Bengaluru. The newly raised capital will be used primarily for product development, expanding commercial deployment throughout Europe, and extending the solution to new crop types.

tech.eu