Electric Plant raises $11.2 million for plant signal AI

Electric Plant, a startup co-founded by Justin Mast and neuroscientist Lee von Kraus, has secured $11.2 million in seed funding to develop Bombadil, a large language model designed to interpret plant signals.

The Bombadil model analyzes electrical signals passing through plant stems to identify specific needs such as water, nutrients, or light. Having been trained on data from over 125 plant species, the technology aims to provide growers and farmers with more precise, real-time insights into a plant's internal state than current tools like soil sensors or satellite imagery can offer.

The company's foundation was inspired by research involving motorized bases that moved plants toward light sources in response to detected electrical signals. Electric Plant intends to expand the model's capabilities beyond its current species count to further revolutionize agricultural and horticultural management.