GoKawiilElectric Plant raises $11.2M to build AI that reads plants' electrical signals
Electric Plant, co-founded by Justin Mast and neuroscientist Lee von Kraus, has closed an $11.2 million seed round led by Onto Ventures and Climactic. The startup has spent three years gathering data to train a large language model called Bombadil that interprets electrical signals in plant stems to tell growers what their plants need, such as water, light, or nutrients.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The funding suggests investors see potential in moving beyond existing tools like soil probes and satellite imagery, which Mast says cannot capture what's happening inside a plant. If the technology works as described, it could give farmers and growers far more precise, real-time insight into crop conditions, though the company's stated ambition of enabling people to eventually 'speak' to plants remains an early, unproven goal.
- Electric Plant raised $11.2 million in seed funding led by Onto Ventures and Climactic.
- The company built an AI model, Bombadil, to decode electrical signals from plants.
- Founders say the tool could eventually let people communicate with plants, though for now it focuses on listening.
Pulse Grow Soil Moisture Sensor — If decoding plant electrical signals fascinates you, a smart plant sensor is a great entry point into monitoring what your own plants are experiencing. It tracks moisture, light, and environmental conditions so you can respond to your plant's needs, echoing the same spirit as Electric Plant's mission to listen to what plants are telling us.
See Pulse Grow Soil Moisture Sensor on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: techcrunch.com — Tim De Chant, 2026-10-20
Published there as: “Plants can speak using electricity, so this startup built an AI model to decipher their language”
Read the original report → The summary and analysis above are GoKawiil's own, written from reporting by the source above. Facts and quotes belong to the original publisher.