Electric Plant raises $11.2 million to decode plant electrical signals with AI
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On October 21, 2026, TechCrunch reported that startup Electric Plant has trained a large language model called Bombadil that can interpret microvolt-level electrical signals from about 125 plant species, relaying plants' water, nutrient and other needs to growers. The company has completed an $11.2 million seed round led by Onto Ventures and Climactic. Its sensors cost only tens of dollars, far below existing tools priced in the thousands, and only two or three are needed per acre. The company claims the system can boost yields and reduce water use by more than 20%. Currently there is only one report on this event, with no follow-up developments disclosed.
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- TechCrunch · AIPlants can speak using electricity, so this startup built an AI model to decipher their language
Startup Electric Plant has trained a large language model called Bombadil that interprets microvolt-level electrical signals from roughly 125 plant species, relaying plants' water and nutrient needs to growers. The company has raised $11.2 million in seed funding led by Onto Ventures and Climactic. Its sensors cost only tens of dollars—far below existing tools that run into the thousands—and just two or three are needed per acre; the company claims the system can boost yields and cut water use by more than 20%.
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