Philadelphia-based autonomous mobility company, Burro, has successfully closed a $24 million Series B funding round. The round was co-led by Catalyst Investors and Translink Capital, with participation from existing investors S2G Ventures, Toyota Ventures, F-Prime Capital, and Cibus Capital LLP. As part of the funding, Brian Rich from Catalyst Investors and Kaz Kikuchi from Translink Capital will join Burro’s Board of Directors.
Burro, which was founded in 2017, is revolutionizing the future of outdoor work with its autonomous technology. Initially, the company developed a mobility platform to help businesses combat rising wages and a shrinking workforce. Today, Burro boasts over 300 robots that serve as harvest assist robots in nurseries and permanent crops. These robots autonomously tow trailers, patrol depot yards, and act as a platform for various technology partners.
While robotics has been widely used indoors, Burro is the first collaborative robotic platform that can safely and reliably operate outdoors alongside human workers. This breakthrough has significantly increased workforce efficiency for Burro’s customers within just one year of investment. With over 75,000 autonomous miles and 300,000 operational hours, Burro’s reliability and scalability have been continuously improved, positioning the company for expansion into new markets and regions.
Charlie Andersen, CEO of Burro, expressed the company’s ambition to break free from the confines of warehouses and factories. He emphasized that very few robotics companies have successfully scaled their operations outdoors in industries like agriculture, nurseries, and construction, where substantial amounts of money are spent on labor each year.
In response to customer demand, Burro plans to expand its commercial, product, and engineering teams this year. The company will also increase its number of dealers and launch new products. One of these new offerings is Burro Grande, a vehicle that can handle larger payloads of up to 1,500 pounds and towing capacities of up to 5,000 pounds. Burro Grande also features the latest Burro Operation System Software, Version 5.0, which utilizes indoor/outdoor Lidar-based localization for seamless autonomous movement.
Burro is experiencing rapid growth in the United States, particularly within the berry and grape farming sectors, as well as nurseries. The company already has successful operations in Australia and New Zealand. With its sights set on the $1.2 trillion US outdoor labor market, Burro aims to address some of the industry’s most pressing challenges through automation.
The successful Series B funding round will provide Burro with the necessary resources to expand its reach, develop new products, and meet the increasing demand for its innovative autonomous solutions. As the company continues to make strides in the outdoor robotics space, it is poised to disrupt the traditional labor-intensive industries and pave the way for a more efficient and productive future of work.