Guardian Agriculture, developer of electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) systems for commercial-scale sustainable farming – and the first and only eVTOL company with FAA approval to operate commercially nationwide — announced a Series A fundraise of $20 million. Led by Fall Line Capital, this round will support expansion of commercial operations across farms nationwide and accelerate the ramp-up of large-scale manufacturing of its SC1 aircraft.

WATCH: Guardian founder and CEO Adam Bercu showcases the SC1 aircraft

"Customers, investors, and regulators recognize that there's no better application of electric, fully-autonomous aircraft than in commercial farming," Guardian Agriculture Founder and CEO Adam Bercu said. "We have taken a practical approach to building and deploying our technology that puts us well ahead of other eVTOL developers. As the first and only eVTOL-maker with FAA approval to operate commercially, this funding will allow us to begin and quickly expand commercial operations – on real farms, with paying customers – sooner as we continue to strengthen our team and ramp up aircraft production."

The Guardian SC1 platform – which already has more than $100 million in customer orders – is the only autonomous, electric, aerial crop protection system designed specifically for large-scale agriculture. Guardian designs and manufactures its system entirely within the U.S., supporting U.S. competitiveness, jobs, and ensuring national security. Guardian Agriculture will begin commercial operations in support of its Wilbur-Ellis customer in California this summer.

"Any farmer buying new machinery today can tell you about reliability problems as complexity has far outpaced quality control," Fall Line Capital Managing Director Clay Mitchell said. "Guardian is the first company to develop unmanned aerial application technology that's made with aviation-grade engineering and manufacturing, which greatly enhances reliability and performance. Even beyond the cost savings and elimination of soil and crop damage, the first thing farmers will notice about Guardian's product is that it works."

Click here for more Industry News.