New Zealand horticultural robotics startup Agovor, has raised A$3 million in a pre-Seed funding.
The round has been led by Australian agriculture-focused VC Tenacious Ventures with co-investment from the Hort Innovation Investment Fund, managed by Artesian, and a Kiwi investor via Invest New Zealand’s Active Investor Plus scheme.
Agovor combines an electric, autonomous eTractor with a range of smart towed attachments, including mowers and sprayers. The small, lightweight tractor-and-trailer units can operate for up to 10 hours continuously, including narrow rows and all weather conditions and is designed for vineyards, orchards and berry farms.
Richard Beaumont, who cofounded Agovor with Simon Carroll in 2022, said the idea began as a way to solve problems at their own nursery.
“We had the same problems as everyone else – labour constrained, while trying to reduce costs – but there were too many barriers for adoption of new solutions,” he said.
“We built something that worked for us, and it’s been encouraging to see our first customers across New Zealand and Australia finding the same value, whether they’re working in berry tunnel houses, orchards or vineyards.
Beaumont said their focus following the raise is threefold: “continuing to improve the eTractor itself; expanding the range of towable implements so growers can carry out multiple tasks by simply switching trailers; and helping customers get the most out of these machines on their farms, every minute of the day and night.”
Autonomous tractors
The Agovor Portal lets users deploy, monitor and control a single eTractor or an entire fleet.
Hort Innovation production and sustainability GM Anthony Kachenko said growers are saying Agovor’s technology is delivering real‑world savings.
“Early adopters are already seeing upward of $30,000 in annual savings, alongside a 90% reduction in water use and a 12.5% reduction in chemical inputs,” he said
“These machines may be small, but they’re mighty when it comes to opening doors for horticulture growers — boosting efficiency, lowering input costs and making on‑farm automation more accessible across the sector.”
Agovor CEO Mike Riley said they’ll use the funds to expand the R&D, manufacturing, sales and service teams immediately, with sales and technical field support roles in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and New Zealand; and other technician roles in Sydney.
“Listening and learning from feedback from existing customers has been instrumental in shaping the development of the product,” he said.
“Our existing users are already asking for additional attachments to fulfil a range of needs they have. We’ll now be able to aggressively pursue those product line expansion opportunities while building a sales and service network.”
