US agriculture spray drone service provider raises $6M in funding

Iowa-based agriculture spray drone service provider Rantizo says it has raised more than $6 million in an oversubscribed Series A financing round. The funding was led by Leaps by Bayer and included investors Fulcrum Global Capital and Innova Memphis.

Rantizo currently operates in 30 states across the US and says it will use the funds to expand its nationwide operator network. “Our vision is to build a service network that puts autonomy to work in agriculture, starting with spray drone services,” company CEO Mariah Scott explains.

Before joining Rantizo, Scott was leading telecom heavyweight Verizon’s drone software subsidiary Skyward, which shut down last year.

Scott explains that Rantizo operators currently fly and apply with more than 20% of the Top 50 agriculture retailers. The company uses spray drones to provide timely, local, and precision application services for crops ranging from Arkansas rice to Iowa corn to Oregon hops…