Exclusive: The firm behind the robotic harvester Sprout is winding down operations after failing to secure new funding, as founder warns industry will struggle to face challenges ahead
Robotics firm Muddy Machines is winding down operations after failing to secure its next round of funding.
The firm, which developed its flagship robot harvester Sprout alongside two other models, received £1.5 million in seed funding in 2022, with investors impressed by the company’s vision and speed of technical development.
Founder and CEO Chris Chavasse told FPJ he had been “pushing hard” to close a further funding round this week, but the outcome had not been successful.
Staff and customers have been informed but the sale of any assets, including the IP and robots themselves, is yet to be determined, said Chavasse.
“My summary for the industry would be that these sorts of technologies need support if they are to get off the ground,” he told FPJ. “If growers don’t have the resource to invest, I don’t know how the industry is going to solve some of the challenges it’s facing.”
The news poses questions for an upcoming tech and sustainability session at FPJ’s Festival of Fresh event, where Chavasse had been due to appear, as rising costs and competitive grant schemes means resource for innovation within the sector is increasingly tight.
Founded in 2020 in response to labour concerns in the fresh produce industry, Muddy Machines has since won nearly £2.5m in grant funding from Innovate UK and Defra. The company designed and built three robotic harvesters, including harvester Sprout, picking support robot Squirrel and an asparagus harvester.
