Electric Plant raises $11.2M to commercialize AI model that interprets plant electrical signals
Electric Plant raised $11.2M in October 2026 to commercialize Bombadil, an AI model trained for three years to interpret signals from about 125 plant species. Wireless sensors relay readings to the cloud, giving growers real-time guidance on watering and fertilizer.
A startup called Electric Plant has built an AI model designed to interpret the electrical signals that flow through plants, giving growers real-time insight into what their crops need. The company announced an $11.2 million seed round in October 2026 to bring its sensors and model to market.
The round was led by Onto Ventures and Climactic, with participation from Ponderosa, Endeavor Catalyst, Ludlow, Michigan Rise, The Fund, Schox VC, and Dug Song.
Electric Plant was co-founded by Justin Mast, who serves as CEO, and Lee von Kraus, a neuroscientist with prior experience working with DARPA. The two spent three years collecting data to train their large language model, called Bombadil, which can interpret electrical signals across approximately 125 plant species — ranging from tomatoes and ferns to redwoods and dahlias.
The system works through small sensors, roughly the size of an iPhone folded lengthwise, that attach to a plant via stainless steel screws. The screws must penetrate the cambium — the layer of living tissue just beneath the bark — to detect microvolt-level electrical changes. Data is transmitted wirelessly to a base station, then processed by Bombadil in the cloud. Results are sent back to growers, who can use them to adjust watering or fertilizer schedules. Mast said only a couple of sensors per acre are needed for accurate readings.
Existing tools such as soil probes, handheld spectroscopes, and satellite imagery can lag behind a plant’s real-time needs, Mast said. Electric Plant’s sensors are also significantly cheaper — “tens of dollars,” compared to the thousands of dollars traditional equipment typically costs. Mast claims the system can boost yields while reducing water use by 20% or more.
The company has not disclosed its initial customers, but the technology could find applications in agriculture and forestry. Mast described Bombadil as “the most diverse model ever created on biological electrical signals.”