Deere's AI Future: How Startups Are Reshaping Heavy Machinery

MOLINE, IL – February 12, 2026 – Deere & Company is deepening its investment in the future of automated and intelligent machinery, today announcing the five technology startups selected for its 2026 Startup Collaborator Program. Now in its eighth year, the initiative highlights the industrial giant's strategic pivot from a pure manufacturer to a technology-driven solutions provider, leveraging external innovation to accelerate its goals in precision agriculture and construction.

The new cohort focuses on what Deere identifies as critical challenges facing its customers: advanced sensing, data analytics, and automation. The five selected companies—AIRS ML, IoTag, resonAg, TorqueAGI, and Aerobotics—bring a suite of cutting-edge technologies that promise to make farming and construction more productive, efficient, and sustainable.

"Through the Startup Collaborator Program, we're working with startups whose technologies address critical challenges across the various industries we serve," said Wes Robinson, Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategy at Deere & Company. "From real‑time equipment and fleet insights to advanced sensing, AI‑driven robotics, and digital crop intelligence, these collaborations can help us move faster in delivering practical innovations that improve precision, productivity, and sustainability for our customers."

A Strategic Bet on Open Innovation

Since its launch in 2019, the Startup Collaborator Program has become a cornerstone of John Deere's innovation playbook. Rather than relying solely on its substantial in-house research and development, the company employs an open innovation model, partnering with agile, specialized startups to explore and integrate emerging technologies. This approach allows Deere to tap into a global ecosystem of talent and ideas, potentially shortening development cycles and de-risking the adoption of revolutionary tech.

This strategy is crucial in a highly competitive market where rivals like CNH Industrial, AGCO, and Caterpillar are also aggressively pursuing digitalization. The race to build the smartest, most autonomous, and most connected fleet of agricultural and construction equipment is well underway. By fostering these collaborations, Deere aims to maintain its edge, integrating solutions that might otherwise take years to develop internally.

The program functions as a two-way street. The startups gain invaluable access to John Deere's vast market knowledge, engineering expertise, and global customer base. In return, Deere gets a firsthand look at technologies that could be integrated into its machinery and digital platforms, like the John Deere Operations Center, or even become targets for future investment or acquisition.

The Innovators: A Deep Dive into the 2026 Cohort

The five companies in the 2026 cohort represent a diverse but complementary set of technologies poised to impact Deere's core markets. "The startups in our eighth Collaborator cohort bring complementary technologies that span monitoring, sensing, AI, robotics, and data‑driven insights," noted Colton Salyards, Principal of Corporate Development at John Deere.

• AIRS ML: A London-based firm specializing in edge AI. Instead of sending massive amounts of data to the cloud for analysis, AIRS ML builds intelligence directly into devices on the machinery. This enables real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance, allowing a machine to flag a potential failure before it happens, a critical feature for minimizing costly downtime on a remote farm or busy construction site.

• IoTag: This Brazilian company delivers a patented telematics solution designed to optimize performance across mixed fleets—a common scenario in both agriculture and construction where operators use equipment from various manufacturers. Its technology turns raw machine data into actionable insights, helping managers track fuel usage, monitor performance, and boost overall efficiency.

• resonAg: Hailing from Australia, resonAg is an agritech company adapting proven technologies from the medical and mining sectors for precision agriculture. Its advanced soil sensing system uses magnetic resonance—similar to MRI technology—to provide real-time, in-field analysis of soil composition, texture, and, most importantly, plant-available water during seeding. This data can help farmers make precise planting decisions to optimize crop establishment and yield.

• TorqueAGI: Based in Palo Alto, this startup is working on the foundational AI models for the next generation of autonomous robots. Their focus on "physical AI" aims to give robots the ability to perceive, reason, and act in unstructured, real-world environments. For Deere, this technology could power everything from more autonomous tractors and harvesters to robotic systems that perform complex tasks on a construction site.

• Aerobotics: This South African Series B company provides a sophisticated platform for the high-value fruit industry. Using drone and mobile imagery combined with advanced AI, Aerobotics helps growers monitor crop health, identify pests, and accurately forecast yields. For an industry where quality and timing are everything, these precision insights allow growers, packers, and shippers to optimize their operations from the orchard to the market.

Solving Real-World Problems

The technologies these startups bring are not just theoretical; they directly address pressing pain points for modern farmers and construction managers. The agricultural sector faces a persistent labor shortage, mounting pressure to produce more with fewer resources, and the growing impact of climate change. Solutions like resonAg's soil sensors help optimize water and fertilizer use, while Aerobotics' yield forecasting enables better resource planning. TorqueAGI's work in robotics directly tackles the labor gap by advancing automation for complex tasks.

In the construction industry, profit margins are often thin, and operational efficiency is paramount. A single machine failure can bring a multi-million dollar project to a standstill. AIRS ML's predictive maintenance promises to enhance reliability, while IoTag's mixed-fleet telematics gives managers a unified view of their assets, helping to cut costs and improve utilization.

This focus on practical application is key to overcoming the significant barriers to technology adoption in these industries. High costs, complexity, and a lack of clear return on investment have historically slowed the uptake of new digital tools. By collaborating closely with these startups, John Deere can help refine their products to ensure they are user-friendly, integrate seamlessly with existing workflows, and deliver tangible value to the end-user.

These partnerships are a clear signal of where the industry is headed. The future of farming and construction will be defined by data-driven decisions, intelligent automation, and a holistic view of operations. Through its Startup Collaborator Program, John Deere is not just building better tractors and excavators; it is actively architecting the connected, autonomous, and sustainable job sites of tomorrow.