It has been said time and again that the most successful agtech startups in the agriculture industry are those that listen to the growers. For Adam Stager, Founder and CEO of TRIC Robotics, it was a grower who planted the seed and encouraged him to relocate his startup from Delaware to the Central Coast in 2021.

TRIC Robotics got their start by working with the largest strawberry grower in Delaware, where they tested their early prototypes. After the first season, the results were positive and the strawberry grower suggested that the team move to California—where 90% of U.S. strawberries are grown—if they really wanted to succeed in the industry.

“Me and an undergrad student Vishnu, who is now a co-founder at TRIC, threw a couple of garage-built robots on top of our SUV, drove across the country and spent eight months living the startup life,” Stager said. “And that’s what it took. Back then, it was just us and the farmers – we didn’t know any investors to help us get the company going.”

It was a move full of risk, but it’s often those daring risks that can yield the greatest rewards. Today, TRIC Robotics is one of the largest automation companies for strawberries, explained Stager. By using ultraviolet (UV) light, the company’s robots offer an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pesticides, operating with a tractor-sized machine that moves through
the rows.

“We use our specialized UVC lamps, combined with automation, to treat pests as an alternative to chemical pesticides,” Stager said. “Instead of killing the pests directly with light, we prevent them from reproducing, which turns out to be extremely effective at controlling their population.”

Comparing the equipment to a Roomba for the farm, Stager said that their automated tractor named Luna, carries the UV lights, making sure the plants and pests receive the right dose. Too much light can lead to plant damage, while too little light won’t effectively target the pest. The treatment is most efficient when administered overnight since sunlight enables pathogens to recover from the damage caused by UVC.

“Our ideal customer has a lot of pest pressure on their farm because that is where we can quickly show the value of UVC. Due to chemical resistance, the farmers are struggling to keep pests and disease out of the field, and they need an alternative solution,” Stager said. “Our solution is more than just a replacement for chemicals. Since we provide UVC as a nighttime service, it means farmers also have less to manage during the day.”

TRIC Robotics’ leap of faith has proved more than fruitful. Just a few years after moving to the Central Coast, the company claimed the 2023 Start-Up Award at FIRA USA in Salinas, Calif.

“At the time, we were starting to talk with investors about raising a seed round to scale up on commercial farms. I saw this event as a really great opportunity to share what we were doing with the community,” Stager said.

After pitching at the competition, Stager said he was able to connect with growers and investors during and after the event. “It was amazing because we were able to get solid feedback from investors, and the press coverage we needed, which helped us raise our seed round in 2024. FIRA gave us credibility, and it helped us share our story with the community. Many people didn’t know we existed, so it was a nice push,” he said.

Stager plans to focus on scaling the business in the coming years by deploying more robots in the fields, establishing a solid position in the strawberry market and reinvesting profits into research and development. “There are a lot of directions we
can go. I’d like to really listen to what farmers want to see next. Getting to know farmers and listening to their pain points has been our north star at TRIC Robotics and we plan to continue that philosophy into the future,” Stager said.