Success Story: TRIC Robotics

Taking Agriculture into the Future with TRIC Robotics

Small Business Featured: TRIC Robotics

Location: Central California | San Luis Obispo County | San Luis Obispo

Business Type: Agriculture Technology

CalOSBA Partner: Cal Poly CIE SBDC

Assistance Received: Technical assistance and funding opportunities

Founder, Adam Stager, and his team were inspired to start TRIC Robotics with the goal of creating a more predictable and sustainable future for agriculture by helping farmers collect data on crop health and reducing chemical use on farms. They had the technical and practical skills to achieve their goal, but they realized they could benefit from some of the available resources for small businesses in California.

That’s when they connected with Cal Poly CIE SBDC, an Accelerate California Inclusive Innovation Hub (IHub). Through the IHub incubator, TRIC Robotics has found a supportive network with the other startups and leaders.

Adam shared that, “the SBDC provided key mentorship and connections that helped us secure funding in 2022. Mentors like Kurt Friedmann helped us refine our messaging and put together an attractive pitch deck before we started connecting with investors, then through competitions and events like Angelcon, we were introduced to amazing founders and investors who provided further support and funding.”

The Cal Poly CIE SBDC provided business planning, access to capital, pitch prep, along with 31 hours of consulting with a focus on Government Contracts/Awards, pitch deck prep and venture capital connections. TRIC Robotics was able to obtain av$650,000 grant from United States Department of Agriculture and a $965,770 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from The National Science Foundation.

To learn more about how data and robotics are playing an increasing role in California’s agricultural future, visit TRIC Robotics online.

Updated: 12/19/2024