Dogtooth Technologies

About Dogtooth Technologies

Dogtooth Technologies, founded in 2014, is a Cambridge-based agritech company that manufactures and supplies intelligent robotic harvesters for the soft fruit market. The company was established by Dr. Duncan Robertson (CEO), Edward Herbert (COO), and Mat Cook to address agricultural labor shortages by automating the fruit-picking process. Dr. Robertson's background includes a PhD in computer vision and founding an engineering consultancy that worked with clients like Microsoft Research and Samsung.

Dogtooth develops autonomous robots designed to harvest delicate fruits such as strawberries and raspberries. These robots utilize artificial intelligence, advanced computer vision, and machine learning to navigate crop rows, identify ripe fruit, pick them, perform quality control grading, and place them directly into punnets. A key feature is the 360-degree imaging system for each berry to assess mass, ripeness, and defects. The technology is designed to operate in various conditions, including at night and in low temperatures, working alongside human teams to enhance productivity.

The company's business model involves selling these robotic systems to commercial growers and providing a web portal that offers real-time data and analytics. This platform allows farm managers to monitor crop conditions, forecast yield 7-14 days in advance, and remotely adjust harvesting parameters like ripeness settings to optimize yield and minimize waste. Dogtooth has deployed its robots commercially across the UK and Australia.

The company has raised approximately $20.3M in funding over several rounds, with investors including 24Haymarket, Octopus Ventures, LocalGlobe, and the FII Institute. Its Series A round in November 2021 raised a significant portion of its total funding.