About Robotics Plus
Robotics Plus is a Technology company based in Tauranga (New Zealand) founded in 2013 by Alistair Scarfe and Steven Saunders, and was acquired by Yamaha Motor in February 2025. Robotic machines for horticulture produce handling. It operates in the Technology, Agriculture, and Industrial Goods & Manufacturing sectors. Robotics Plus has raised $10 million across 2 funding rounds from investors including Yamaha and Yamaha Motor Ventures. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Steven Saunders. Its website roboticsplus.co.nz draws about 13 thousand monthly visits. Robotics Plus offers products and services including Unmanned Ground Vehicle, Āporo Fruit Packer, and Log Scaler. Its focus areas include High Tech, Professional Service Robots, Crop Farming and Harvesting. Its legal entity is ROBOTICS PLUS LIMITED.
Company details
Robotics Plus was founded in 2013 in Tauranga, New Zealand, within the robotics sector focused on agriculture. Robotic equipment for handling horticulture produce has been developed, incorporating machine vision and machine learning technologies. An autonomous apple packing system is targeted at apple agribusinesses, while a robotic harvester is used for picking fruits such as kiwis. Additionally, QuadDuster has been created for autonomous kiwi pollination.
- Headquarters Tauranga, New Zealand
- Founders Alistair Scarfe, Steven Saunders
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsTechnologyAgriculture Industrial Goods & Manufacturing
- Email••••••••
- Website roboticsplus.co.nz
- Social LinkedIn X YouTube
- Acquired by Yamaha Motor (Feb 2025)
- Legal Name Robotics Plus Limited
- Total Equity Funding$10M (USD)
in 2 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$8M (USD), Series A
Nov 2018
- InvestorsYamaha
& 1 more
- Acquired byYamaha Motor
(Feb 2025)
Products & Services of Robotics Plus
Robotics Plus offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Unmanned Ground Vehicle, Āporo Fruit Packer, and Log Scaler.
Autonomous vehicle for tree crop tasks in farming
Machine for accurate and reliable fruit packing
Robotic system for safe and precise log scaling
Apps and channels of Robotics Plus
its YouTube channel Robotics Plus has 529 subscribers and 5 videos.
Videos from Robotics Plus
The most watched videos on Robotics Plus's YouTube channel, Robotics Plus (529 subscribers). Click a video to play it here.
More on Robotics Plus.
Funding Insights of Robotics Plus
Robotics Plus has successfully raised a total of $10M across 2 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series A round of $8 million completed in November 2018. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $10M
- Total Rounds 2
- Last Round Series A — $8M
- First Round $2M
(Mar 2018)
- Investors Count 1
All 2 funding rounds of Robotics Plus with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2018 | $8M | Series A | – | – | |
| Mar 2018 | $2M | Seed | – | – |
2 investors in total: 2 institutional.
Investors in Robotics Plus
Robotics Plus has secured backing from 2 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Yamaha and Yamaha Motor Ventures.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yamahamotor.vc | ||||
Motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles, and watercraft are manufactured. | 1955 | yamaha-motor.com | Cypress, United States |
Investor details for Robotics Plus
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of Robotics Plus
23 people are tracked at Robotics Plus (7 in leadership, 16 in team).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Alistair Scarfe | Co-Founder & CTO | Leadership |
Steven Saunders | Co-Founder & CEO | Leadership |
Toni Graham | Head Of Engineering Delivery | Leadership |
Nathan Soich | Chief Commercial Officer | Leadership |
Andrew Dawson | Chief Operating Officer | Leadership |
Penny Rae | Chief People Officer | Leadership |
Geoff McIver | Head Of Software Engineering | Leadership |
Vaughn Pretorius | Senior R&d Engineer | Team |
Victor Lee | Senior Electronics Engineer | Team |
Daniel Stoner | Principal Mechanical Engineer | Team |
Ian Lunam | Devops Tech Lead | Team |
David Tait | Production Manager | Team |
James Preddey | Principal Engineer | Team |
Alexandra Allen | Marketing And Communications Manager | Team |
Will Hamill | Product Manager | Team |
Marc Giovannoni | Senior Software Engineer | Team |
Simon Waterer | Principal Software Engineer | Team |
Ben Reyngoud | Product Manager - Unmanned Ground Vehicles (ugv) | Team |
Kelly O'Connor | People & Culture Operations Manager | Team |
Natalie Donoghue | Talent Acquisition Lead | Team |
3 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for Robotics Plus
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Robotics Plus
4 dated milestones of Robotics Plus across 12 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Robotics Plus is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $2.0M.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series A, of $8.0M.
- Exit Acquired by Yamaha Motor.
Web traffic of Robotics Plus
The website of Robotics Plus (roboticsplus.co.nz) receives about 12.7K visits a month.
- Monthly visits12.7K
▲ 65.3% vs previous month
Unlock complete access to The Company Check
Get unrestricted viewing across everything we track — from companies and brands to investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, financials, and more.
- Unlimited viewing on all profiles Companies, investors, financials, funding, acquisitions & directors
- Full access to every database India & global coverage, advanced filters and rich profile details
- Always-on access from your team account Single premium plan for everything you see on the portal
Related news about Robotics Plus
Complete news archive for Robotics Plus
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
- Full article archive
- Source and publication date
- Older coverage
- Brand-specific news history
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Frequently Asked Questions about Robotics Plus
Robotics Plus was founded in 2013 and raised its 1st funding round 5 years after it was founded.
Robotics Plus is headquartered in Tauranga, New Zealand. It is registered at Tauranga, Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand.
Steven Saunders is the CEO of Robotics Plus, as recorded in our data. They have also founded this company.
Robotics Plus is a funded company, having raised a total of $10M across 2 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Seed of $2M, raised on Mar 2018.
Robotics Plus was founded in 2013 in Tauranga, New Zealand, within the robotics sector focused on agriculture. Robotic equipment for handling horticulture produce has been developed, incorporating machine vision and machine learning technologies. An autonomous apple packing system is targeted at apple agribusinesses, while a robotic harvester is used for picking fruits such as kiwis. Additionally, QuadDuster has been created for autonomous kiwi pollination.
Robotics Plus offers Unmanned Ground Vehicle, Āporo Fruit Packer, and Log Scaler.
Robotics Plus has 2 investors. Key investors include Yamaha, and Yamaha Motor Ventures.
Robotics Plus operates through Robotics Plus Limited.
Yes. Robotics Plus was acquired by Yamaha Motor in February 2025.