British agricultural robotics company Dogtooth Technologies has secured more than £14 million in new funding to accelerate the commercial rollout of its artificial intelligence-powered fruit-picking robots, aiming to help farmers address growing labour shortages and rising operating costs.
The investment package combines equity financing from 24 Haymarket, EMV Capital and ACF Investors, along with grants from Innovate UK and a venture leasing facility provided by Kineo Finance. The company said the funding will support wider deployment of its robotic harvesting systems in the UK and international markets, while also advancing its technology platform.
The investment comes as horticultural producers continue to face difficulties recruiting seasonal workers. Labour shortages and increasing wage costs have become major concerns for fruit and vegetable growers, prompting the UK government to extend its Seasonal Worker visa scheme for another five years while committing £110 million to agricultural technology projects.
Dogtooth Technologies has developed autonomous harvesting robots that use artificial intelligence, computer vision and precision robotics to identify ripe fruit and harvest delicate crops without damaging them. The systems are designed to operate in commercial farming environments where speed, consistency and accuracy are essential.
The company has already begun deploying its technology on working farms, including a recent delivery of robotic harvesting systems to Dyson Farming.
Chief Executive Duncan Robertson said the latest funding marks an important step for both the company and the wider adoption of robotics in agriculture.
He said robotic harvesting has moved beyond the experimental stage, with commercial growers increasingly turning to automation as labour shortages continue to affect agricultural production. Robertson added that advances in artificial intelligence, robotics and customer demand have created favorable conditions for wider adoption of autonomous harvesting technology.
The investment also reflects growing interest in so-called embodied AI, which applies artificial intelligence to machines capable of interacting with the physical world. While generative AI has dominated recent technology investment, robotics is attracting increasing attention from investors seeking practical industrial applications.
Market analysts believe agricultural robotics could become one of the fastest-growing segments of embodied AI as farmers seek ways to improve productivity and reduce dependence on seasonal labour.
Investors backing Dogtooth said the company has demonstrated that robotic harvesting can now perform reliably under real-world commercial conditions.
Paul Tselentis, managing director at 24 Haymarket, said Dogtooth has established itself as a leader in agricultural robotics through years of technical development and commercial execution. He said the company’s ability to harvest delicate crops consistently had overcome one of the industry’s biggest technical challenges.
ACF Investors, an early supporter of the company, also reaffirmed its backing. Managing partner Tim Mills said Dogtooth’s technology addresses one of agriculture’s most pressing workforce challenges while offering strong commercial potential as automation becomes increasingly important across the sector.
With the latest funding secured, Dogtooth plans to expand its commercial operations and bring its robotic harvesting systems to more farms worldwide, helping growers improve efficiency while reducing reliance on an increasingly scarce seasonal workforce.
