Upside Robotics develops lightweight, solar-powered robots that autonomously dispense right-sized doses of fertilizer and nutrients to corn plants using proprietary algorithms that analyze soil and weather data. By targeting one of the most fertilizer-intensive crops, the system cuts fertilizer usage by 70%, saving growers about $150 per acre per season. After testing on 70 acres in 2024, the company scaled to 1,200 acres in 2025 and is preparing to serve more than 3,000 acres in the 2026 season while maintaining 100% customer retention. Over 200 farms have joined its waitlist, indicating strong market demand. Founded in 2024 by Jana Tian and Sam Dugan in Waterloo, Ontario, the team gained deep field knowledge by living in a camper beside customers' cornfields and iterating through four robot generations. Upside intends to expand beyond Canada into the U.S. corn belt. The newly secured capital will fund further R&D and production to meet rising demand.

Total raised

$8M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Feb 2026