Electric Plant has secured $11.2 million in a seed funding round. The investment was led by Onto Ventures and Climactic, with participation from Ponderosa, Endeavor Catalyst, Ludlow, Michigan Rise, The Fund, Schox VC, and Dug Song.
The startup developed an AI model named Bombadil, which interprets electrical signals from plants. The model was trained over three years and currently supports approximately 125 different plant species, ranging from tomatoes to redwoods.
The company produces sensors roughly the size of a folded iPhone that attach to plants using stainless steel screws. These sensors detect microvolt changes in plant tissue and transmit data to a base station via a low-power wireless network.
According to the company, the system requires only a few sensors per acre. By analyzing plant needs in the cloud, the technology aims to optimize watering and fertilizer schedules, potentially reducing water consumption by 20% or more.
