Last year, AISPRID deployed 30 of its leaf-cutting robots in greenhouses at five major French tomato cooperatives and plans to expand rapidly in the coming years. To support this growth, the company has successfully completed a €10 million Series A financing round. This investment includes €6.2 million in equity financing, supported by, among others, growers themselves.
Leaf cutting robot
Founded in 2020, AISPRID specializes in the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics for complex agricultural and horticultural tasks. "Our product, a patented robot for the autonomous removal of tomato leaves, is currently the most widely used solution in its category worldwide," shares CEO Nicolas Salmon. He explains that this innovation addresses one of the most labor-intensive processes in high-tech greenhouse cultivation, helping growers overcome labor shortages while increasing operational efficiency.
The company's performance in 2024 marked a milestone: 30 units were deployed in five major French tomato cooperatives, representing 70% of the domestic greenhouse tomato market. "We have gone from being a Deep Tech start-up to a structured company, integrating all the services our customers need. This positioning has allowed us to build trust, which is reflected in a strong increase in the number of orders," says Nicolas.
Not only has the market grown, but the product itself has evolved. "By early 2025, significant improvements had already been made. The AISPRID robot's working capacity has more than doubled, allowing it to defoliate at night. In addition, the robot is now fully autonomous in switching rows, eliminating the need for human intervention in this task," he adds.
Nicolas emphasizes that these developments are the result of close collaboration with growers. "Our collaboration with growers is the foundation of our success. Their feedback ensures that our robots solve real challenges, from efficiency improvements to labor cost savings." AISPRID works with Prince de Bretagne, Savéol, Solarenn, Océane and Les Paysans de Rougeline, which together represent 70% of the French tomato acreage. Collaboration with these industry leaders remains central to AISPRID's strategy to scale up production and expand market share.
AISPRID D01
"This round of financing will allow us to accelerate our roadmap and roll out our solution on a much larger scale. We aim to increase our production capacity, scale up our R&D efforts and accelerate our commercialization strategy, particularly in international markets," reveals Nicolas.
Looking ahead, Nicolas comments on AISPRID's ambitions: "Our goal is to deliver a robot that not only meets the needs of growers, but also exceeds their expectations. By improving features such as cutting precision, speed and full autonomy, we are setting a new standard for agricultural and horticultural robots. In 2025, this renewed focus will drive further R&D efforts to optimise the AISPRID robot with improved cutting quality, higher speed and a new version."
To support growth, the company plans to move into a new industrial facility in 2025, designed to handle higher production volumes. AISPRID will also expand its team, currently 30 employees, to meet increasing demand. "This expansion will allow us to meet the strong demand from tomato growers, as evidenced by the many requests for the robot," says Nicolas.
The €10 million Series A round includes €6.2 million of dilution. This fundraising is led by Innovacom (Turenne Groupe) together with the French Tech Seed fund managed by Bpifrance as part of France 2030, business angels (including industry experts such as tomato growers) and historical funds.
Nicolas concludes with a word of thanks: "We would like to thank our long-standing financial partners for their continued support, and we are excited to welcome new major investors who understand the challenges we face."
For more information:
Aisprid
6 Allée Métis
35400 Saint-Malo - France
[email protected]
www.aisprid.com