Scythe Robotics: Reinventing the Way We Care for the Outdoors with Electric Autonomy

The commercial landscaping industry is a giant resting in plain sight. Each year, Americans spend approximately $170B caring for the outdoor settings around us. But the category has grappled with two significant issues over the last decade: First, painful labor shortages have necessitated a transition to more efficient operations in order to meet customer demands. Second, the category – and all of the supply chains that support it – have been built upon a physical infrastructure that is holding back a green future. About 2% of the continental United States (over 40 million acres) is covered with turf-grass. Each gas-powered mower used to maintain these spaces today produces the same amount of air pollution in one hour of operation as driving a car 300 miles.

Enter Scythe Robotics . Founded in 2018 by Jack Morrison , Isaac Roberts , and Davis Foster , Scythe is transforming the industry with commercial-grade, all-electric, autonomous equipment. Since launching in June 2021 with their first product – their M.52 mower – Scythe has seen overwhelming interest from the largest landscaping business in the United States, amassing 7,500 reservations. With a battery that can mow all day on a single charge, the latest generation of Scythe machines represent the first modern solution to stand up to the demands of outdoor operations.?

The electrification of commercial landscaping represents an enormous decarbonization opportunity. Beyond this, we believe that Scythe’s team – which is made up of world class engineers and roboticists – will continue to leverage landscaping’s unique training ground to build one of the most advanced non-road autonomy assets in the world.

In 2020, Inspired Capital led Scythe’s $13m Series A round – largely based on excitement that the above might be possible. Today, we are thrilled to recognize the team’s progress towards these goals and congratulate Scythe on their $42m Series B financing led by our friends at Energy Impact Partners . We’re also excited to welcome ArcTern Ventures , Alumni Ventures , and Amazon’s Alexa Fund to the round.

Scythe is hiring across the board: more here!