Western Growers Association
11/10/2026 | News release | Archived content
Two Startups Receive Funding for the First Time in AgSharks History at 2026 Pitch Competition
MAUI, HAWAII (Nov. 10, 2026) - For the first time in AgSharks® history, two agricultural technology startups have received funding through the competition, marking an expanded investment in the next generation of agricultural innovation. Western Growers and Plug and Play announced Sami Robotics and Soiltech Wireless as the 2026 AgSharks® winners, recognizing their technologies and providing financial backing, subsidies and valuable industry resources to support their growth.
Sami Robotics took top honors, earning a $100,000 investment from Danny Bernstein, Managing Partner of Reservoir VC and one of the competition's judges. Reservoir's investment builds on an existing partnership between Sami Robotics and Western Growers, which named Sami Robotics as its first sponsored startup at Reservoir Farms. The sponsorship provides Sami Robotics with access to Western Growers' extensive network of growers and industry leaders, along with John Deere's advanced agricultural technology and equipment.
Sami Robotics is developing a multifunctional robotics platform designed to support agricultural operations through autonomous harvesting and advanced data analytics.
"Our participation in AgSharks has been an exceptional experience, and we are honored that it has led to a direct investment from Reservoir. We are delighted to welcome them as partners in Sami Robotics' next chapter," said Pascal Labrecque, CEO and Co-Founder of Sami Robotics.
Soiltech Wireless was also selected for funding, receiving a $25,000 check from Plug and Play after being selected by judge Matthew Claxton, Partner and Global Head of Sustainability at Plug and Play. Soiltech Wireless provides growers with real-time field data to make confident decisions, reduce risk and get more value from every acre.
"It's an honor to welcome Plug and Play Tech Center as an investor. Their global network of corporate partners and the hands-on support they give their startups are unmatched. For Soiltech, this is a true full-circle moment: we went through a Plug and Play accelerator in 2021, and the connections and guidance from that program helped shape the company we are today. We're excited to build on that foundation together as we scale our platform for growers and agribusinesses," said Jason Peterson, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Soiltech Wireless.
The competition featured four startups developing innovative technologies to address some of agriculture's most pressing challenges. In addition to Sami Robotics and Soiltech Wireless, the other two finalists were:
- BioScout, an Australian startup developing an AI-powered early warning system that alerts farmers to fungal pathogens.
- Phiex Technologies, a company developing interactive packaging for safety and shelf-life extension in food, healthcare and defense.
Phiex Technologies was the Audience Choice Winner, as determined by votes from those in attendance.
The startups pitched their innovations in front of an audience of more than 600 fresh produce farmers and industry leaders during the 100th Western Growers Annual Meeting, held in Maui Nov. 8-11, 2026.
The competition was hosted by Neill Callis, General Manager of Turlock Fruit Company. Judges included Bernstein; Matthew Claxton, Partner and Global Head of Sustainability at Plug and Play; and Nick Schroer, Partner at Trailhead Capital.
First held in 2017, AgSharks® connects agricultural technology startups with investors and industry leaders to help accelerate the development and adoption of innovative solutions. Past winners to receive funding include Hazel Technologies, Burro, Nutjobs and Applied Carbon.
For more information, please contact:
Michelle Rivera
(949) 302-7600
[email protected]
About Western Growers:
Founded in 1926, Western Growers represents local and regional family farmers growing fresh produce in California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. Western Growers' members and their workers provide over half the nation's fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, including half of America's fresh organic produce. Connect and learn more about Western Growers on X and Facebook.
About Plug and Play:
Plug and Play is the leading innovation platform, connecting startups, corporations, venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we're present in 60+ locations across 25+ industries. We offer corporate innovation programs, helping our partners in every stage of their innovation journey, from education to execution. We also run startup acceleration programs and have built an in-house VC where we've invested in hundreds of successful companies, including Dropbox, Guardant Health, Honey, Lending Club, N26, PayPal and Rappi. For more information, visit Plug and Play.
Western Growers Association published this content on November 10, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on November 12, 2026 at 08:10 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]