Scythe Robotics, a startup that develops innovative, commercial-grade autonomous solutions for the professional landscaping sector, announced today that it has raised $42 million in Series B funding. Energy Impact Partners led the investment, which also included new investors ArcTern Ventures, Alumni Ventures, and Amazon’s Alexa Fund, as well as participation from current investors True Ventures, Inspired Capital, and others. The money will assist Scythe in meeting the over 7,500 reservations for its all-electric, fully autonomous M.52 mower lodged by commercial landscape enterprises across the country. This round of funding takes the company’s total capital raised to $60.6 million.
Scythe, which was founded in 2018, is revolutionizing the $176 billion US landscaping business, which has been plagued by chronic labor shortages for years and faces an urgent need to convert to more environmentally sustainable operations. Although carbon-sequestering turfgrass covers around 2% of the continental US (40 million acres), each gas-powered mower used to maintain green spaces today emits the same amount of air pollution in just one hour of operation as driving a car 300 miles. Scythe M.52 enables landscape contractors to care for more green spaces in a more sustainable manner, thereby supporting the healthy landscapes that keep communities cool.
The latest model of Scythe M.52 has greater endurance to meet the rigors of landscape operations and additional computer power for even more sophisticated autonomy, with a battery designed to mow all day on a single charge. The mower is equipped with a set of sensors that allow it to function safely in dynamic surroundings by detecting and reacting to the presence of humans, animals, and other possible obstacles. It records property and mower performance data at the same time, which helps landscape firms improve productivity, uncover upsell possibilities, schedule more efficiently, and manage labor expenses.
Further addressing customer needs, Scythe’s innovative pay-as-you-mow pricing model aligns the company with the objectives of landscape contractors to decrease mowing costs and maximize uptime. It also provides a cashflow-friendly switch to electric equipment, which landscape businesses typically have to buy outright at a cost three to four times more than traditional gas-powered mowers. Scythe M.52 units have already been deployed to customer operations in Texas and are currently rolling out to customers in Florida.
Scythe Robotics provides the commercial landscape industry with powerful commercial-grade, all-electric autonomous equipment solutions for more sustainably maintaining outdoor environments. The company’s first commercial mower, Scythe M.52, has the most advanced autonomy technology on the market, bringing greater precision, productivity and scale. Scythe Robotics is headquartered in Longmont, Colorado.
