Sami Robotics lands $100K seed at AgSharks, a first for the contest
What's the deal? Sami Robotics raised a $100,000 seed investment from Reservoir VC after taking top honours at the 2026 AgSharks pitch competition. It was one of two winners funded — alongside Soiltech WirelessDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, which received $25,000 from Plug and Play — the first time the contest has backed two startups.
Who's involved? The $100,000 came from Danny Bernstein, managing partner of Reservoir VC and a competition judge. The investment builds on an existing partnership: Western Growers named Sami Robotics its first sponsored startup at Reservoir Farms, giving it access to the group's grower network and John Deere equipment.
What's the endgame? Sami Robotics is building a multifunctional platform for autonomous harvesting and farm data analytics.
"We are honored that it has led to a direct investment from Reservoir," said chief executive officer and co-founder Pascal Labrecque.
Why now? The startups pitched to more than 600 produce farmers and industry leaders at the 100th Western Growers Annual Meeting in Maui, held November 8-11, 2026. First held in 2017, AgSharks connects agtech startups with investors; past funded winners include Burro and Applied Carbon.
The signal: The awards are modest, but they land in a tougher market. Against that backdrop, the contest's cash and grower-network support offer useful early-stage backing, even if small next to the later-stage rounds drawing most of the sector's capital.
Read more: precisionfarmingdealer.com
Image credit: infomatique
