
4AG Robotics Raises $40 Million Series B to Accelerate Global Adoption of Autonomous Mushroom Harvesting
The funding positions 4AG to meet surging global demand for its robotic harvesting platform, already in use across Canada, Ireland, and Australia, with new deployments soon to be underway in the Netherlands and the United States.
"This funding helps us leap from a start-up proving our product works to a scale-up manufacturer trying to keep pace with demand," said Sean O'Connor, CEO of 4AG Robotics. "In just two and a half years, we've gone from asking farms to trial our technology to having deposits for over 40 additional robots. As one of the first companies to fully automate the human hand in produce harvesting, we're ushering in a new era for mushroom farming."
4AG's system uses AI-powered computer vision, precision suction grippers, and advanced motion control to autonomously harvest, trim, and pack mushrooms 24/7—without manual labor. Designed to retrofit into existing Dutch-rack infrastructure, the robots enable consistent quality, reduced labour costs, and real-time operational data for growers.
"What sets us apart is we are not just a theoretical robotics project that works in a controlled lab environment—it's the real world experience and the systems thinking that is critical to working with the complexity of real farm environments, and being able to deliver commercially successful automation into those environments" said Chris Payne, COO of 4AG Robotics.
The investment marks Astanor's entry as a major partner to 4AG Robotics.
"We believe that, of all the agricultural sectors, mushrooms are the most poised for robotic solutions—and we believe that 4AG is not only the clear global leader today, but also has the potential, thanks to AI advances and their rich image data, to drive up yields and reduce inputs across the industry. 4AG could be at the forefront of the transformation of agriculture through AI and robotics," said Harry Briggs, Partner at Astanor Ventures.
Cibus Capital, a leading agri-food tech investor based in the UK, also joined the round to support 4AG's continued expansion into Europe and beyond.
"We are very excited to partner with 4AG, the global leader in agricultural harvesting robotics. Mushroom farming presents an enormous opportunity to utilise robotics and AI to drive labour optimisation together with higher yields and improved quality," said Archie Burgess, Investment Director at Cibus Capital. "The impressive 4AG team has already developed a fleet of robots that pick up to 1 million mushrooms per week. We look forward to supporting them in accelerating this trajectory."
The global mushroom sector—expected to surpass $70 billion by 2030—continues to face labour shortages and margin pressure. In western markets, harvesting accounts for up to 50% of production costs. These challenges are amplified by the constant need of harvesting, with mushrooms doubling in size every 24 hours, and farms needing to harvest their crops everyday of the year. 4AG's plug-and-play robotic fleet offers growers a path to long-term competitiveness without reconfiguring their entire operation.
"We're not just building robots—we're building a new operating system for the mushroom industry," said Michelle Lim, VP of Growth at 4AG Robotics. "Growers want tech that works out of the box, delivers ROI in under three years, and scales globally. That's what we've built. And this funding gives us the fuel to move even faster."
With this capital, 4AG Robotics will:
Expand its manufacturing footprint in Salmon Arm, BC
Grow its field service and customer success teams
Accelerate development of next-gen features like punnet packing, disease detection, and AI-driven yield optimization
About Astanor
Astanor is a leading impact investor transforming the agrifood sector, "from soil to gut" by backing ambitious entrepreneurs building scalable solutions for a regenerative, climate-positive future. Learn more at https://astanor.com/
About Cibus Capital
Cibus Capital is a London-based sustainable food and agriculture investment firm advising over USD 1 billion. Founded in 2016, the Cibus funds invest in companies transforming the food and agriculture value chain towards commercial viability, sustainability and resilience. Learn more at https://www.cibusfund.com/
About 4AG Robotics
4AG Robotics builds fully autonomous harvesting systems that replace manual labour in commercial mushroom farms. Its AI-powered robots pick, trim, and pack mushrooms directly from existing infrastructure—around the clock, with precision and consistency. Founded in Salmon Arm, British Columbia, 4AG is active across five countries and backed by leading global investors. Learn more at http://www.4ag.ai.

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