Upside Robotics is reducing fertilizer use and waste in corn crops

From Camper to Cornfields: How Upside Robotics Is Revolutionizing Fertilizer Use with Solar-Powered Bots

In the heart of Canada’s agricultural belt, a bold startup is rewriting the rules of farming—one solar-powered robot at a time. Waterloo, Ontario-based Upside Robotics is on a mission to tackle one of agriculture’s most pressing problems: fertilizer waste. With a $7.5 million seed round in the bank and a waitlist of over 200 farms, this young company is proving that innovation and sustainability can go hand in hand.

The story of Upside Robotics begins with two unlikely co-founders: Jana Tian and Sam Dugan. Tian, a chemical engineer with a background at Unilever, and Dugan, a robotics prodigy who started building bots at age 10, met at the Entrepreneurs First accelerator in 2023. United by a shared vision to create an impact-driven company focused on climate and agriculture, they quickly zeroed in on a problem that was both urgent and overlooked: the staggering inefficiency of fertilizer use.

“Traditionally, only 30% of the total fertilizer applied to crops is actually taken up by the plants,” Tian explains. “The rest is wasted, leaching into waterways or evaporating into the atmosphere.” This not only harms the environment but also costs farmers millions in unnecessary expenses. Tian and Dugan saw an opportunity to change that—and they weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.

In 2024, the duo founded Upside Robotics and hit the fields—literally. Armed with a remote-controlled robot built by Dugan in just two weeks, they packed up a camper trailer and spent months living on the side of Canadian cornfields. “We stayed on the side of the field every night, and we would be walking, sometimes around the clock,” Dugan recalls. “We have spent every hour of the day in a corn field at some point in time.”

This hands-on approach wasn’t just about testing their technology—it was about understanding the farmers they aimed to serve. By manually applying fertilizer alongside their early prototypes, Tian and Dugan gained invaluable insights into the challenges farmers face. “Some of our farmers said that we spent probably more time than they did in a lifetime in their fields,” Tian says. “That allowed us to iterate super fast, not just on the hardware side, but by learning directly from the people who would use our technology.”

Their hard work paid off. In 2024, Upside Robotics covered 70 acres of cornfields. By 2025, that number had skyrocketed to 1,200 acres, with a 100% customer retention rate. Farmers using Upside’s robots have reported cutting fertilizer use by 70%, saving an average of $150 per acre per season. The secret? Upside’s lightweight, solar-powered autonomous robots deliver precisely the right amount of fertilizer and nutrients to crops exactly when they need it, using proprietary algorithms that analyze weather and soil data.

But Upside’s impact goes beyond the bottom line. By reducing fertilizer waste, the company is helping farmers minimize their environmental footprint, preventing harmful runoff and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. “People always question if farmers are going to adopt new solutions,” Tian says. “But they certainly are, as long as you can provide them with a clear return on investment and a clear reason why this technology was built.”

Now, with a fresh $7.5 million in funding led by Plural and participation from Garage Capital and the founders of Clearpath Robotics, Upside is gearing up for its most ambitious season yet. The company plans to serve over 3,000 acres in 2026 and is eyeing expansion into the U.S. corn belt. But with more than 200 farms on their waitlist, scaling up won’t be easy.

For Tian and Dugan, the journey from camper to cornfields has been anything but conventional. But it’s a testament to the power of grit, innovation, and a willingness to get your hands dirty. As Upside Robotics continues to grow, one thing is clear: the future of farming is here—and it’s solar-powered.

Tags: #AgTech #Robotics #Sustainability #ClimateTech #FarmingInnovation #SolarPower #FertilizerEfficiency #WaterlooTech #StartupSuccess #GreenAgriculture #PrecisionFarming #TechForGood #FutureOfFarming #EnvironmentalImpact #AgriTechRevolution

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• “Two founders, one camper, and a mission to revolutionize agriculture—one robot at a time.”

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