Nanovel, an Israeli precision agriculture start-up developing autonomous harvesting robots for citrus orchards, has been awarded a €2.5 million grant through the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator programme.
The company is also eligible for up to €4.3 million in equity investment from the EIC, which is intended to serve as an anchor investment for a planned funding round of approximately €8 million. Nanovel said the award reflects the EIC’s assessment of the company’s technology, commercial potential and execution capabilities.
Founded in 2018 by Isaac Mazor, the former founder and CEO of Jordan Valley Semiconductors, Nanovel is developing a platform that combines artificial intelligence, computer vision and patented robotics to automate fruit harvesting in specialty crops.
The latest funding will support development of a commercially ready autonomous robot for harvesting oranges and lemons, with a targeted market launch in 2028. The company estimates the global market opportunity for these crops alone at around $1 billion annually.
The industry’s most difficult robotics problem
Agricultural robotics companies have made significant progress in areas such as autonomous tractors, spraying and weeding. Harvesting fresh fruit, however, remains one of the sector’s most technically challenging frontiers.
Unlike field crops harvested by large machinery, citrus fruit must be individually identified, accessed and picked without causing damage. The difficulty increases further when fruit is obscured by dense foliage and uneven branch structures.
Nanovel believes it has developed a solution to that problem.
Its platform uses computer vision and deep-learning AI to identify fruit hidden within tree canopies before directing a patented “Grip & Trim” robotic mechanism to gently grasp each fruit and sever the stem without bruising or damaging the crop. Multiple robotic arms operate simultaneously to increase harvesting throughput.
If successful, the technology could address one of the biggest barriers to automation in specialty crops: the need to replicate the dexterity and judgement of human pickers under complex field conditions.
Labour shortages continue to drive demand
The commercial opportunity is being driven by labour challenges facing fruit growers worldwide.
According to Nanovel, seasonal harvesting labour accounts for roughly 50% of fresh-fruit production costs, while many growers are struggling to recruit sufficient workers during peak harvest periods.
“Our mission is to ensure global availability for consumers and economic viability for fresh fruit growers by automating the most critical and labor-intensive part of the production process,” said Isaac Mazor, founder and CEO of Nanovel.
To advance towards commercialisation, the company is finalising its multi-arm harvesting platform and expanding operations in Europe, where it plans extensive field trials with growers in Spain and Italy.
Spain could become a proving ground
The next phase of development will be closely watched by the wider robotics sector.
Nanovel has already conducted validation work in California in partnership with the Citrus Research Board and is running trials across orchards in Israel, Europe and the United States.
However, the forthcoming European trials may prove particularly significant. Spain is one of the world’s largest citrus producers and offers a real-world test of whether autonomous harvesting can work reliably and economically at commercial scale.
If the robots can consistently locate and harvest fruit hidden inside dense canopies while maintaining fruit quality and throughput, it would represent a major milestone not just for citrus production but for agricultural robotics more broadly.
While Nanovel’s immediate focus is citrus, the company’s ambitions extend further.
Its roadmap includes adapting the technology for additional crops including mangoes, peaches and nectarines.
