The Boring Billions: Why Santa Cruz Ventures Just Backed Farmblox

Summary

Santa Cruz Works reports that Santa Cruz Ventures, a tri-county fund built around planetary health, has added Farmblox to its portfolio.

Doug Erickson’s article builds the investment case around copper theft. It cites an estimated $5 billion a year in U.S. agricultural theft, and explains how a few hundred dollars of scrap copper can cost a grower $20,000 to $30,000 for a motor rewind, or more than $100,000 for a full pump replacement, plus a lost irrigation cycle.

It traces Farmblox from maple syrup to California: more than 50 customers in 18 months, a $2.5M seed round led by Hyperplane, and a solar-powered monitor that connects the sensors farmers already own and relays data without internet. COP-R-LOCK, built with Porterville Police Chief Bobby Rader, sets off sirens and lights and sends an alert when a wire is cut.

The article adds that Farmblox has extended COP-R-LOCK to water and irrigation districts, moved its headquarters to Santa Cruz and now works with growers representing roughly 10% of California’s irrigated acres. It does not state the size of the investment.