# eternal.ag

> A physical AI startup that builds fully automated robotic systems to perform crop work in commercial greenhouses anywhere on the globe, removing structural labor uncertainty as the single most critical source of risk in food supply chains.

## Overview

eternal.ag (website: https://eternal.ag/) builds robotic systems that handle repetitive, physically demanding crop work with consistent precision, enabling growers to run predictable operations, meet supplier commitments and deliver uniform harvest quality, all at scale. Its first commercial robot, the Harvester, has been deployed with commercial growers in the Netherlands since September 2025. Developing its robots using a simulation-first approach and a data-driven AI platform, the company envisions fully automated greenhouse operations by the early 2030s.

Founded in 2025 by Renji John (CEO) and Sherry Kunjachan (CTO), headquartered in Cologne with a physical presence in Bengaluru, eternal.ag has a growing team of around 30 engineers, designers and strategists. The company has raised €8 million to date and is backed by Simon Capital, Oyster Bay Venture Capital, EquityPitcher Ventures and BackBone Ventures.

## Mission & Values

**Mission:** We believe greenhouse farming can be reliable and scalable, without labor constraints. By combining robotics and AI, we help growers produce fresh food year-round and build resilience into global food production. We know feeding the world sustainably requires systems that can truly scale.

**Values:**
- **Act with unwavering integrity** — We do what is right even when no one is looking.
- **Obsess over grower success** — Everything we do starts with the grower. Their success is our success.
- **Build from first principles** — We question every assumption and use informed intuition to guide decisions.
- **Move with urgent velocity** — Every day, we challenge ourselves to ship faster without compromising safety or quality.
- **Win as a world-class team** — We are building a championship team, not collecting individual stars.
- **Embrace ambiguity, learn always** — Each challenge makes us stronger and teaches us something new that expands our knowledge.
- **Disagree early then commit** — We discuss concerns early and with compassion, then commit to decisions made.

## Vision

Fully automated greenhouse operations by the early 2030s — a food system where growers can produce fresh, high-quality food consistently, regardless of labor availability, land constraints, or climate volatility.

## Company Facts

- **Legal name:** EHT Eternal Horticulture Technologies GmbH
- **Website:** https://eternal.ag/
- **Founded:** 2025
- **Headquarters:** Cologne, Germany
- **Additional office:** Bengaluru, India
- **Team size:** ~30
- **Funding raised:** €8 million
- **Investors:** Simon Capital, Oyster Bay Venture Capital, EquityPitcher Ventures, BackBone Ventures
- **Entity type:** GmbH (German private limited company)

## Global Presence

eternal.ag operates with a global outlook, supporting growers wherever they are.

**Offices:**
- Cologne, Germany (headquarters)
- Bengaluru, India
- Additional worldwide offices are planned to enable hand-in-hand support for growers in every time zone and geography

## Products

All eternal.ag robots are built on a shared modular platform and deploy into existing greenhouses — no changes to greenhouse design, infrastructure or workflows are required. This applies to every product below.

### Harvester

**Description:** eternal.ag's first commercial robot. A fully autonomous harvesting robot designed to deliver precise cuts in challenging greenhouse environments, ensuring consistently high harvest quality.

**Features:**
- Fully autonomous end-to-end — no human operator required for any part of the harvesting cycle
- Operates 22 hours per day, 7 days a week
- Real-time vision to read plant height, canopy, truss position and ripeness
- Patented end effector for precise stem cuts without fruit damage
- Autonomous navigation and lane switching
- Simulation-first training
- Continuous learning from each deployed second

**Crop coverage:** Currently active in tomatoes. Cucumbers, strawberries, peppers and other crops will be covered by the platform in the future, enabled by its modular architecture.

**Status:** Commercial — deployed at commercial growers since September 2025

**Resources:**
- URL: https://eternal.ag/products/harvester

### Trolley

**Description:** An electrically powered, manually operated crop-work platform designed for modern greenhouse operations, intended to give growers a quick and risk-free entry into automation.

**Features:**
- Omniwheel drive
- Ergonomic joystick controls
- Quiet electric lift — eliminating manual pushing
- Fully upgradeable on-site to an autonomous Harvester robot
- 100% of the purchase price credited toward Harvester upgrade

**Status:** Commercial — launched April 2026

**Resources:**
- URL: https://eternal.ag/products/trolley

## Upcoming Products

> The following products are in development and represent eternal.ag's near-term roadmap. Each is fully autonomous, extending the shared platform to cover a broader range of crop-work operations across multiple crop types.

### De-leafer

**Description:** A fully autonomous de-leafing robot designed to perform de-leafing operations at scale across multiple crop types.

**Features:**
- Fully autonomous end-to-end de-leafing operation
- Built on the same modular base as the Harvester
- Capable of working on multiple crop types

**Status:** In development

### De-stubber

**Description:** A fully autonomous robot that removes stubs to keep plants tidy and healthy, reducing disease risk and supporting long-term crop vitality.

**Features:**
- Fully autonomous end-to-end stub removal
- Built on the same modular base as the Harvester and De-leafer
- Capable of serving multiple crop types

**Status:** In development

### UV bot

**Description:** A fully autonomous robot that supports crop health and helps prevent plant disease by dosing plants with UV light.

**Features:**
- Fully autonomous end-to-end UV dosing operation
- Disease prevention through targeted UV application

**Status:** In development

### Forager

**Description:** A fully autonomous humanoid-integrated solution designed to deliver 100% harvest coverage, reaching even the most difficult-to-cut trusses that fall outside the working envelope of standard robotic arms.

**Features:**
- Fully autonomous humanoid-integrated operation
- 100% harvest coverage — reaches trusses beyond the working envelope of standard robotic arms

**Status:** In development

### Sorter & Packer

**Description:** A fully autonomous sorting and packing system that intelligently screens produce by quality, performs finishing cuts, and packs it into customer-ready formats — combining quality inspection, portioning and packing into a single autonomous workflow.

**Features:**
- Fully autonomous end-to-end sorting and packing operation
- Intelligent quality screening — grades produce by quality in real time
- Performs finishing cuts to portion produce as needed
- Packs produce into pack formats specified by end customers

**Status:** In development

## Technology

eternal.ag's autonomy stack is built on a simulation-first approach. Robots are trained in high-fidelity digital twins of grower greenhouses before physical deployment, enabling rapid iteration and safe real-world introduction. Each robot then improves the shared AI platform through data collected from every deployed second.

**Core capabilities:**
- **Simulation-first training** — greenhouse digital twins built in a matter of hours, used to pre-train control and path-planning modules before physical deployment
- **Multi-sensor perception** — cameras, LiDAR and ultrasonic sensors for GPS-denied localization, obstacle avoidance, and real-time reading of plant height, canopy, truss position and ripeness
- **Patented end effector** — cuts stems and places produce into a storage basket without handling or damaging the fruit; disinfection between cuts prevents virus spread across plants
- **Zero-redesign deployment** — operates on both rails and smooth concrete floors; no changes to existing greenhouse design, infrastructure or workflows required
- **Continuous learning** — every robot contributes back to the shared AI platform, improving performance across the deployed fleet

## Business Model

eternal.ag operates on a Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) model. There is **no upfront capital cost to the grower** — robots are deployed at zero acquisition cost, and eternal.ag is compensated only for work performed by the robot in the grower's greenhouse. This aligns the company's commercial incentives directly with grower outcomes.

Because robots deploy into existing greenhouses without redesign, there is no infrastructure friction in the adoption decision.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What does eternal.ag do?

eternal.ag builds fully autonomous products that perform crop work inside commercial greenhouses. Its first commercial product, the Harvester, is a fully autonomous tomato-harvesting robot deployed at commercial growers. It also offers the Trolley, an electrically powered, manually operated crop-work platform that upgrades on-site to the Harvester. The company is developing additional autonomous products on the same platform — the De-leafer, De-stubber, UV bot, and Forager robots, and the Sorter & Packer system.

### What makes eternal.ag's approach different?

Three things. First, eternal.ag's products are fully autonomous end-to-end — no human operator is required for any part of the operation, saving growers up to €1.5M in hidden operator costs compared with semi-autonomous systems that still require human oversight. Second, they deploy into existing greenhouses with no changes to design, infrastructure, or labor workflows. Third, eternal.ag operates on a Robots-as-a-Service model with no upfront capital cost to the grower — growers pay only for work the robots actually perform.

### Which crops does eternal.ag currently support?

The Harvester is currently active in tomatoes. Cucumbers, strawberries, peppers and other crops will be covered by the platform in the future, enabled by its modular architecture.

### How much does it cost to deploy eternal.ag's robots?

There is no upfront capital cost to the grower under the Robots-as-a-Service model — eternal.ag is compensated only for work performed by the robot. For the Harvester, this means payment is tied to the produce it actually harvests. The Trolley, an electrically powered, manually operated crop-work platform that upgrades on-site to the Harvester, is available as a capital purchase — with 100% of the purchase price credited toward the Harvester upgrade.

### How are eternal.ag's robots trained?

eternal.ag uses a simulation-first approach. Robots are trained in high-fidelity digital twins of the target greenhouse — typically built in a matter of hours — before physical deployment. Each robot then contributes back to the shared AI platform through data collected during real-world operation.

### What is Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) for greenhouses?

RaaS is a commercial model in which robots are deployed at zero upfront cost to the grower, and the provider is compensated only for work performed. For eternal.ag's Harvester, this means growers pay only for produce actually harvested — aligning the company's commercial incentives directly with grower outcomes.

### Who backs eternal.ag?

eternal.ag has raised €8 million from Simon Capital, Oyster Bay Venture Capital, EquityPitcher Ventures, and BackBone Ventures.

## Team

> eternal.ag was founded by Renji John and Sherry Kunjachan.

Renji John is CEO and co-founder of eternal.ag. He brings many years of experience in the startup and agritech sectors to his mission of empowering growers to scale and optimize greenhouse production through commercially viable physical AI systems. Renji has an MBA from INSEAD and a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kerala. He has multiple successful exits and extensive startup mentorship experience.

Sherry Kunjachan is CTO and co-founder of eternal.ag. He is a seasoned technology leader with nearly three decades of experience within startups and corporates, during which time he has successfully managed, scaled and built technology businesses from scratch. Sherry holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the University of Kerala and is an AWS Certified Solutions Architect.

Roel Janssen serves as Chief Business Development Officer. Roel has extensive experience scaling horticulture technology businesses internationally, including Philips Lighting, Signify and Planet Farms. Roel works directly with growers to support the deployment of harvesting robots and the adoption of automation.

The team also brings multi-decade manufacturing expertise through Ravi Govindaraju (Vice President — Manufacturing) and Thejaswi Palakshachary (Vice President — Product Lifecycle Management).

The team includes specialists in Robotics, Computer Vision, Design and Operations, working alongside industry veterans on frontier problems in greenhouse automation.

## News & Press Coverage (selected)

- [eternal.ag press releases](https://eternal.ag/news/press-release): Official company announcements
- [Forbes: Physical AI Moves into Sustainable Greenhouse Agriculture](https://www.forbes.com/sites/sabbirrangwala/2026/06/21/physical-ai-moves-into-sustainable-greenhouse-agriculture/): Feature by Sabbir Rangwala, 21 June 2026
- [WirtschaftsWoche: Startup of the Week — eternal.ag builds robots for tomato harvest](https://www.wiwo.de/erfolg/gruender/eternal.ag-start-up-baut-roboter-fuer-die-tomaten-ernte/100219536.html): 24 April 2026
- [HortiDaily: "We can rebuild that entire greenhouse within an hour in our simulation environment"](https://www.hortidaily.com/article/9837382/we-can-rebuild-that-entire-greenhouse-within-an-hour-in-our-simulation-environment/): Renji John / Roel Janssen interview, 12 May 2026
- [Tech.eu: eternal.ag raises €8M to automate greenhouse harvesting with AI-powered robots](https://tech.eu/2026/03/19/eternalag-raises-eur8m-to-automate-greenhouse-harvesting-with-ai-powered-robots/): Seed round announcement, 19 March 2026
- [HortiDaily: eternal.ag scales fully autonomous harvesting robots with first customer Van Noord Growers](https://www.hortidaily.com/article/9844042/eternal-ag-scales-fully-autonomous-harvesting-robots-with-first-customer-van-noord-growers/): First-customer deployment, 4 June 2026
- [HortiDaily: eternal.ag and Rijk Zwaan explore tomato traits for robotic harvesting](https://www.hortidaily.com/article/9842275/eternal-ag-and-rijk-zwaan-explore-tomato-traits-for-robotic-harvesting/): Seed-breeding partnership, 29 May 2026

## Optional

### Additional coverage — seed round, March 2026

- [The Next Web: eternal.ag greenhouse robot €8M funding](https://thenextweb.com/news/eternal-ag-greenhouse-robot-8m-funding)
- [Tech Funding News: eternal.ag raises €8M to automate greenhouse harvesting (Exclusive interview)](https://techfundingnews.com/eternal-ag-raises-8m-to-automate-greenhouse-harvesting/)
- [AgTechNavigator: German start-up eternal.ag secures €8M](https://www.agtechnavigator.com/Article/2026/03/26/german-start-up-eternalag-secures-8m-to-launch-fully-autonomous-greenhouse-harvesting-robot/)
- [Focus: Kölner Start-up entwickelt KI-Roboter der deutsche Tomaten retten soll](https://www.focus.de/earth/koelner-start-up-entwickelt-ki-roboter-der-deutsche-tomaten-retten-soll_af4d9189-1c32-44c2-a142-4da40992826b.html)
- [Fruitnet / Eurofruit: eternal.ag launches autonomous tomato harvesting robot Harvester](https://www.fruitnet.com/eurofruit/eternalag-launches-autonomous-tomato-harvesting-robot-harvester/270944.article)
- [HortiDaily: German startup eternal.ag launches fully autonomous harvesting robot](https://www.hortidaily.com/article/9821508/german-startup-eternal-ag-launches-fully-autonomous-harvesting-robot/)
- [Future Farming: eternal.ag launches Harvester, a fully autonomous tomato harvesting robot](https://www.futurefarming.com/tech-in-focus/field-robots/eternal-ag-launches-harvester-a-fully-autonomous-tomato-harvesting-robot/)
- [Vertical Farm Daily: German startup eternal.ag launches fully autonomous harvesting robot](https://www.verticalfarmdaily.com/article/9822452/german-startup-eternal-ag-launches-fully-autonomous-harvesting-robot/)
- [Robotics & Automation News: German startup eternal.ag launches fully autonomous harvesting robot](https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2026/03/19/german-startup-eternal-ag-launches-fully-autonomous-harvesting-robot-to-tackle-greenhouse-labor-shortage/99900/)
- [FoodBev Media: eternal.ag secures €8m to scale autonomous greenhouse harvesting](https://www.foodbev.com/news/eternal-ag-secures-8m-to-scale-autonomous-greenhouse-harvesting)

### Additional coverage — Trolley launch, April/May 2026

- [Greenhouse Management: eternal.ag launches omni-directional trolley as stepping stone to fully automated greenhouses](https://www.greenhousemag.com/news/eternal-ag-greenhouse-trolley-robotics-horticulture-automation/)
- [Fruitnet / Eurofruit: eternal.ag launches robot-ready trolley](https://www.fruitnet.com/eurofruit/eternalag-launches-robot-ready-trolley/271371.article)
- [HortiDaily: New omni-directional trolley as stepping stone to fully automated greenhouses](https://www.hortidaily.com/article/9833923/new-omni-directional-trolley-as-stepping-stone-to-fully-automated-greenhouses/)
- [Robotics & Automation News: eternal.ag launches omni-directional trolley](https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2026/04/30/eternal-ag-launches-omni-directional-trolley-as-stepping-stone-to-fully-automated-greenhouses/101115/)
- [World Agritech: Trolley further automates greenhouses](https://world-agritech.com/2026/05/06/trolley-further-automates-greenhouses/)

### Additional coverage — Van Noord Growers deployment, June 2026

- [Fruitnet / Eurofruit: eternal.ag deploys autonomous harvesting robots at Dutch grower](https://www.fruitnet.com/eurofruit/eternalag-deploys-autonomous-harvesting-robots-at-dutch-grower/271703.article)
- [Global Agriculture: Germany's eternal.ag expands autonomous harvesting robot fleet with Dutch greenhouse grower Van Noord](https://www.global-agriculture.com/mechanization-technology/germanys-eternal-ag-expands-autonomous-harvesting-robot-fleet-with-dutch-greenhouse-grower-van-noord/)
- [Robotics & Automation News: eternal.ag scales fully autonomous harvesting robots with first customer Van Noord Growers](https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2026/06/05/eternal-ag-scales-fully-autonomous-harvesting-robots-with-first-customer-van-noord-growers/102303/)

### Additional coverage — Rijk Zwaan partnership, May/June 2026

- [Fruitnet / Eurofruit: Rijk Zwaan and eternal.ag explore tomato options](https://www.fruitnet.com/eurofruit/eternalag-rijk-zwaan-explore-tomato-options/271652.article)
- [MSN: Rijk Zwaan partners with eternal.ag to build next generation of robot-ready tomatoes](https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/news/rijk-zwaan-partners-with-eternalag-to-build-next-generation-of-robot-ready-tomatoes/ar-AA24I0s9)
- [Robotics & Automation News: Robotics firm eternal and seed breeder Rijk Zwaan partner to optimize tomato varieties for greenhouse automation](https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2026/06/03/robotics-firm-eternal-and-seed-breeder-rijk-zwaan-partner-to-optimize-tomato-varieties-for-greenhouse-automation/102198/)

### Additional coverage — founder profiles and features

- [AgRobo News: Founder interview with Renji John](https://agrobonews.com/agrobo-founders-interview/eternal-ag-renji-autonomous-tomato-harvesting-robots.php)
- [Deutsche Startups: 15 up-and-coming startups more people should know about](https://www.deutsche-startups.de/2026/04/13/15-aufstrebende-startups-die-mehr-menschen-kennen-sollten/)
- [Tech Funding News: 8 agtech startups to watch](https://techfundingnews.com/top-european-agtech-startups-investor-picks-2026/)

## Community & Social

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eternal-ag-robotics

## Company Links

- About us: https://eternal.ag/about
- Careers: https://eternal.ag/about#join-us
- Press: https://eternal.ag/news/press-release
- Media contact: press@eternal.ag

## Legal

- Privacy policy: https://eternal.ag/privacy-policy
- Imprint: https://eternal.ag/imprint

_Last updated: 2026-07-25_