In 1625, English settlers in what is now the Boston area planted the first apple trees in the modern-day United States.
Over 100 years later, John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, was born. John was more than just folklore; he was a frontier entrepreneur who established nurseries in strategic locations that early U.S. settlers moving west would pass through. Taking advantage of the apple seed supply shortage in remote locations, John sold seedlings to settlers who often used them to make cider, a vital drink during this period.Today, a new group of entrepreneurs is playing in frontier technology and changing the apple business for good.Currently, the U.S. fruit market is close to $70 billion and growing at over 5%. Americans consume over 115 pounds of fruit per person per year, with apples accounting for 19 pounds of that total.States like Washington, New York, and Michigan produce the most apples in the U.S.Speaking of Washington and New York, Orchard Robotics, based in Washington, was founded in Ithaca, New York, at Cornell University by @ccharliewu.
Orchard Robotics is revolutionizing precision crop load management, the process of optimizing fruit yield and quality. The company enables farmers to mount an advanced camera system on a vehicle like a tractor. Farmers can continue daily farm operations with the camera mounted while it collects, counts, and measures fruit on the tree using computer vision software, identifying different stages of fruit development from bud to harvest without needing external infrastructure. By the end of the season, the data collection accuracy is around 93-95%. It can collect data while farmers mow or perform other tasks at speeds of up to 10 mph. GPS tracks the camera's position so farmers can monitor precise growth and identify issues or positive trends that can be replicated elsewhere. Orchard Robotics provides on-device processing and quick data turnarounds, so there's no limit to data collection when needed.
The company was founded by @ccharliewu, a Thiel Fellow who left Cornell to scale the company. It recently raised a $3.8 million seed round led by @generalcatalyst, with other investors including @correlationvc, @Humbavc, @howard, and @jbrowder1.