Key Takeaways
- Deere & Company announces five companies for its 2026 Startup Collaborator Program
- Program launched in 2019 to strengthen engagement with early-stage technology firms
- Selected startups focus on AI, robotics, sensing, telematics, and digital crop intelligence
- Initiative targets innovations for agriculture, construction, and roadbuilding sectors
- Collaboration aims to accelerate delivery of practical, customer-focused solutions
Deere & Company Expands 2026 Startup Collaborator Cohort
Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) has announced the five companies selected for its 2026 Startup Collaborator Program. Launched in 2019, the program is designed to enhance collaboration with startups developing technologies that can create value for customers in agriculture, construction, and roadbuilding.
Wes Robinson, Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategy at Deere & Company, said: “Through the Startup Collaborator Program, we're working with startups whose technologies address critical challenges across the various industries we serve.”
The program focuses on accelerating innovation in areas such as equipment monitoring, advanced sensing, AI-driven robotics, and digital crop intelligence.
Startups Selected for the 2026 Program
The companies chosen for the 2026 cohort include:
- AIRS ML – Develops edge AI systems that combine sensing and machine learning for real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance of industrial and mobility assets.
- IoTag – Provides a telematics platform that converts machine operating data into performance insights across mixed agricultural and construction fleets.
- resonAg – An Australian agritech company adapting sensing technologies from medical, mining, and energy sectors to deliver soil intelligence for precision agriculture.
- TorqueAGI – Builds AI foundation models designed to power enterprise robotics with real-world reasoning and autonomous capabilities.
- Aerobotics – Uses drone and mobile imagery combined with computer vision and AI to provide yield estimation and operational insights for the fruit industry.
Deere & Company Focuses on Practical Customer Impact
Colton Salyards, Principal of Corporate Development at John Deere, stated: “The startups in our eighth Collaborator cohort bring complementary technologies that span monitoring, sensing, AI, robotics, and data-driven insights.”
Through structured collaboration, Deere & Company aims to explore how these technologies can be integrated into solutions that enhance precision, productivity, and sustainability across its core markets.
The Startup Collaborator Program remains part of Deere & Company’s broader strategy to work with emerging technology providers to accelerate the development and deployment of customer-focused innovations.
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