Le 15/05/2024
TRIC Robotics talks about its winning FIRA experience
The latest winner of the FIRA USA Start-up Pitch Award talks about his experience this year after winning, and what FIRA has brought him.
The FIRA Team asked Adam Stager, founder of TRIC Robotics to share his experiences, feedbacks and tell us more about this past year post-FIRA.
FIRA | As the current winner, please share with us your feedback!
AS | FIRA is our favorite agtech event of the year. It is the most impressive gathering of hard tech and automation companies, and for me, it is extremely motivating to see the progress that we are all making in the industry. Every year we meet a ton of new people, some of which have become long term friends and mentors. FIRA also does a wonderful job providing a stage where technology companies like ours can gain visibility to new investors and customers.
FIRA | What prompted you to apply for the Call for Pitches in 2023?
AS | In 2023 we really hit the springboard, launching 4 robots on over 100 acres of California strawberries. Not many people had heard of us, so in preparation for our seed round, we decided to submit our application for FIRA’s startup award.
FIRA | What do you expect from FIRA?
AS | At FIRA, you will find the most cutting-edge agricultural innovations on the market. It is where our team goes to learn about new technologies that are being deployed on the farms. FIRA is also an excellent event to build relationships with other founders. In our experience, the agtech community has been very open to giving advice to new founders, and that was especially helpful for us when we were getting started.
FIRA | How did winning the FIRA USA Start-up of 2023 benefit you?
AS | When we came to FIRA 2023, not many people knew about TRIC Robotics. After pitching at the FIRA USA startup competition, so many people connected with us both at the event and afterwards. Farmers and investors who we had never met began emailing us and connecting on LinkedIn. As a team of first-time founders, FIRA gave us credibility, which ultimately helped us raise our seed round in 2024.
FIRA | What does automation in agriculture mean to you?
AS | Automation is the key to unlocking greater efficiencies on the farm. Just as automation greatly improved quality, safety, and the overall economics in manufacturing, we will see a similar transition in farming. We hope that our effort to bring automation to the farm not only improves the economics for farmers, but also helps to bring healthier, more affordable food to everyone.