Sami Robotics takes top honors at AgSharks 2026 and secures a $100,000 investment commitment from Reservoir VC

Sami Robotics took top honors at the 2026 AgSharks® pitch competition, presented by Western Growers and Plug and Play in Maui, Hawaii, during the 100th Western Growers Annual Meeting. Four finalists pitched in front of more than 600 fresh produce growers and industry leaders.

On stage, Danny Bernstein, Managing Partner of Reservoir VC and one of the three judges, committed to invest $100,000 in Sami Robotics' upcoming funding round. It is the first time in AgSharks history that two startups received funding at the same competition.

The Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology (WGCIT) is also extending its sponsorship of Sami Robotics' residency at Reservoir Farms for three more years. Sami Robotics was the first startup selected for a WGCIT-sponsored residency, in July 2026. The extension gives our team long-term access to commercially grown acreage in Salinas, to partner equipment, and to the Western Growers network of growers.

"AgSharks was an exceptional experience, and we are honored that it led Reservoir to commit to our next funding round," said Pascal Labrecque, CEO and Co-Founder of Sami Robotics. "Together with three more years of support from Western Growers, it gives our team a robust foundation to keep pushing SAMI further: sharpening its performance and adding new applications, all alongside the growers who will use it."

Sami Robotics is developing a multifunctional robotic platform for labor-intensive field tasks, with an initial focus on autonomous harvesting.