Firm’s electrical weed control is suitable for a range of horticultural and other crops
UK-based electrical weed control pioneer RootWave has raised $15 million to scale its sustainable, chemical-free solution for eliminating weeds using electricity.
The Series B funding round was led by Clay Capital, a specialist food and agriculture venture fund, with participation from Agri Investment Fund, as well as vineyard-focused Xinomavro Ventures, Naruhisa Nakagawa, founder and CIO of Caygan Capital, Jorge Heraud, former CEO and co-founder of Blue River Technology, and returning investors V-Bio Ventures, Rabo Ventures and PYMWYMIC.
The round includes $3mn in debt facilities provided by Innovate UK as part of the UK’s Future Economy initiative.
RootWave manufactures tractor-mounted implements using its patented high-frequency electricity that it said has achieved up to 99 per cent kill rates in a single pass during independent field trials.
Compatible with conventional, regenerative and organic farming systems, the technology helps farmers protect yields and profits while safeguarding human health and the environment, according to the company.
It is suitable for a wide range of crops from tree, bush and vine crops, to row crops including vegetables, broad-acre, and cereals.
RootWave has commercial sales in the UK and has also secured international manufacturing and distribution agreements, including a partnership with leading mechanical weeding company Garford Farm Machinery.
The company is also actively conducting trials with several other agrimachinery manufacturers to expand distribution across Europe, with plans to enter the US market thereafter.
With the new funding, RootWave said it is set to accelerate both regional and international rollout, drive forward its mission to replace chemical herbicides use worldwide, and “become the new standard for sustainable weed control”.
Chief executive Andrew Diprose said: “This fundraising allows RootWave to accelerate its growth. We are grateful for the support from our customers, partners, and employees, and look forward to working with the new investors. Together, we will grow RootWave to become the dominant global player in weed control.”
