Carbon Robotics
Table of Contents

⚠ Disclaimer: This entry may be incomplete, out of date, or inaccurate. It is AI-maintained on a best-effort basis. Do not rely on it as a sole source — verify claims independently using the sources listed below.

Summary

Carbon Robotics, headquartered in Seattle, builds the LaserWeeder, a tractor-pulled implement that uses AI-guided lasers to kill weeds without herbicide, and the Carbon ATK retrofit kit that makes tractors autonomous. It sells direct to growers rather than through dealers. The company says revenue passed $100M for the fiscal year ended 2026-01-31, that customers in 15 countries use its machines, and that it was named to the CNBC Disruptor 50 list for the third straight year in May 2026. In February 2026 it launched the Large Plant Model (LPM), trained on 150 million labeled plants. In September 2026 it opened its autonomy platform to implement makers through the Carbon Autonomy Ready program, with Great Plains Manufacturing as first member. In October 2026 it cut jobs across departments, citing economic conditions.

Key Facts

  • HQ: Seattle, WA; units built at a manufacturing facility in Eastern Washington (GeekWire, 2025); a Richland, WA refurbishment site was reported in 2023 (Tri-City Business News)
  • CEO: Paul Mikesell, founder and CEO
  • CFO: Kevan Krysler, appointed 2026-03-19 (company release, May 2026)
  • Funding: $157M total including the $70M Series D (October 2024) per GeekWire (February 2025); a September 2026 trade-show page states $177M from investors including BOND and NVIDIA. The difference is unreconciled (see Claim Verification)
  • Employees: 160 (February 2025, GeekWire); a company marketing VP cited 275 people worldwide in October 2026 (GeekWire)
  • Revenue: more than $100M for fiscal year ended 2026-01-31 (company release, 2026-05-19)
  • Customers: in 15 countries, mainly North America, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand (company release)
  • Company-stated cumulative results: more than 40 billion weeds eliminated across more than half a million acres (release, May 2026)
  • Sales model: direct, with global sales and service staff (Mikesell, June 2026, via GeekWire)
  • LaserWeeder G2 (announced 2025-02-10): up to 2x faster than the original; lighter and modular; 6.6–60 ft; 4.7 million high-resolution images per hour on multiple Nvidia GPUs
  • LPM (2026-02-02): 150 million labeled plants; Plant Profiles adapts the model from 2–3 images through the iPad Operator App
  • Carbon ATK (launched 2025-04-02): retrofit autonomy kit, initially for John Deere 6R and 8R tractors, installs in under a day, pay-per-hour pricing
  • Named customers: Bland Farms (Vidalia onions); Columbia Basin Onion LLC (ATK); Skone & Connors (Warden, WA; 2023); Carzalia Farm (2021)

What It Is / How It Works

Cameras and deep learning models classify plants in real time and a laser fires at weed growth points, leaving crops untouched. The LPM is a base model for plant detection; Plant Profiles adapts it to a farmer’s crop in minutes. The company says the learning loop improves performance across the fleet.

Product range. An April 2026 industry blog post reporting on a Mikesell podcast appearance at World Ag Expo (Tulare) lists G2 200/400/600 models for specialty crops and 1200/1800 models for Midwest row crops, the latter rolled out in 2025; the post also describes a laser weeder add-on for the farm-ng Amiga robot shown at Tulare. These details are the author’s account, not direct quotes. A September 2026 trade-show page lists configurations from 2 to 6 m.

Carbon ATK. Combines RTK-GPS, 360-degree cameras, radar safety sensors and remote e-stops over satellite link. Staff at a Remote Operations Control Center can intervene. At launch it was offered to select LaserWeeder customers in key US regions. (The Robot Report)

Carbon Autonomy Ready. Announced around 2026-09-01 per trade coverage; opens the autonomy platform to implement manufacturers, with Great Plains Manufacturing as the first member.

Competition. Herbicide spot-spraying and mechanical weeders compete on cost; the sources reviewed give no comparative pricing.

Notable Developments

  • 2026-10-19 (confirmed): Layoffs across several departments in the US and abroad; number not disclosed; the company cited cost realignment amid broader economic conditions. (GeekWire)
  • 2026-10-06 to 10-08: Exhibited at Fruit Attraction, Madrid (stand 5E13). (IFEMA)
  • ~2026-09-01: Carbon Autonomy Ready program launched with Great Plains Manufacturing. (The AI Insider)
  • 2026-06-09: Mikesell showed a LaserWeeder optical scanner at a Deep Tech Week Seattle event and said Carbon had connected Claude to an oscilloscope to generate firmware that was “proving out what we needed.” (GeekWire)
  • 2026-05-19: Named to the CNBC Disruptor 50 list for the third consecutive year (2024, 2025, 2026); company reported revenue above $100M. (Business Wire)
  • 2026-03-19: Kevan Krysler appointed CFO.
  • 2026-02-02: Large Plant Model launched, with demos at Fruit Logistica and World Ag Expo. (Business Wire)
  • 2025-04-02: Carbon AutoTractor (ATK) launched. (The Robot Report)
  • 2025-02-10: LaserWeeder G2 line announced. (GeekWire)
  • 2024-10: $70M Series D. (GeekWire)
  • 2024-05: Investment from Nvidia’s NVentures. (GeekWire)

Customers, Partners and Media

Customers

  • Columbia Basin Onion LLC: early Carbon ATK user. Farm manager Brandon Munn said the kit lets the farm run more hours and makes night shifts safer. (The Robot Report)
  • Skone & Connors (Warden, WA): co-owner Bruce Swindler bought a LaserWeeder jointly with a neighbor and used it on a 167-acre onion field, deciding spraying was unnecessary there; about eight units were in Eastern Washington at the time. (Tri-City Business News, 2023-06-14)
  • Bland Farms: named in the LPM release.
  • Carzalia Farm: grower James Johnson called it “one of the most innovative and valuable technologies that I’ve seen as a farmer” (Good News Network, 2021; older mention).

Partners and investors

  • Nvidia: NVentures invested in 2024; the company runs its models on Nvidia GPUs. An industry blog post states Nvidia holds a board seat, which is not confirmed by a primary source here.
  • BOND: named as an investor on the Fruit Attraction page.
  • Great Plains Manufacturing: first Carbon Autonomy Ready member.
  • farm-ng: an Amiga-based laser weeder add-on was shown at Tulare 2026, per the April 2026 blog post.

Media appearances

  • Podcast, reported April 2026: Mikesell said sales exceeded $100M in 2025. The same post estimated 2025 specialty-crop automation sales of about $310M, a figure the author derived from startup feedback; the post names no author or organization.
  • Deep Tech Week Seattle, 2026-06-09: product demo and AI-tooling remarks (GeekWire).
  • Other coverage not read in full: a YouTube interview on physical AI in farming, a PMF Show episode, AgFunder News and Farm Equipment pieces.

Key People

Paul Mikesell — Founder and CEO

  • LinkedIn: not found
  • Role: quoted as Founder and CEO in the February 2026 release (Business Wire) and at the June 2026 Seattle event.
  • Prior ventures (author-reported, April 2026 blog post): Isilon, sold to EMC in 2010 for about $2.5B, and Clustrix. Not confirmed from a primary source here.

Kevan Krysler — Chief Financial Officer

  • Role: appointed CFO, announced 2026-03-19 (company release, May 2026).
  • LinkedIn: not found

People — Last Reviewed: 2026-10-26

Supply Chain Position

Carbon Robotics is a platform OEM in agricultural robotics. Nvidia GPUs run the vision models. Laser and other component suppliers were not disclosed in the sources reviewed. Equipment is sold direct, with the Autonomy Ready program extending the platform to third-party implement makers.

Claim Verification

Claim: Weed kill rates comparable to herbicides

Status: Unverified

Supporting sources:

  • None re-checked in this review. A September 2026 trade-show page claims weed-control cost cuts of “up to 80%”, a marketing figure with no method given.

Summary: Company-stated performance is not independently confirmed here.

Claim: Revenue above $100M

Status: Partially verified

Supporting sources:

  • Company release of 2026-05-19 (fiscal year ended 2026-01-31)
  • Mikesell’s reported podcast remark of over $100M in 2025 (April 2026 blog post, secondhand)

Summary: Consistent across company statements; no audited figures.

Claim: Total funding

Status: Discrepancy

Supporting sources:

  • $157M including the $70M Series D (GeekWire, February 2025)
  • $177M (Fruit Attraction page, September 2026)
  • “Well over $150M” (April 2026 blog post)

Summary: A later round may account for the gap; none was confirmed.

Claim: Weeds eliminated

Status: Company-stated

Summary: The May 2026 release says over 40 billion; the September 2026 trade-show page says over 35 billion. The figures likely reflect different dates; neither is independently verified.

Sources

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