Connie Bowen, the founding general partner of Farmhand Ventures, was the featured guest on Episode 268 of The Robot Report Podcast, where she discussed the importance of return on investment for agricultural technology developers.
Farmhand Ventures is an impact-first investment firm focused on AgTech. The firm supports strategic programs and innovations intended to make agricultural work more attractive, productive, profitable and resilient, while improving conditions for farmers, farmworkers and rural communities.
Bowen brings direct agricultural experience to her investment perspective. She has planted orchards, harvested hemp and managed farm crews, and has spent the past decade connecting agricultural technology with the operational needs of farms. Before founding Farmhand Ventures, she held positions at The Yield Lab, AgLaunch, Chess Ag Full Harvest Partners and Grape Arbor Ventures.
She has invested in dozens of AgTech startups that align with Farmhand’s mission, including L5 Automation, Scout, New West Genetics and Nutt Bio. Her podcast appearance focused on the need for founders to understand how their products create measurable value in real farming environments, particularly through a clear return on investment.
The episode also included news about a 24.8% increase in North American robot orders during the third quarter of 2026, Agility’s expectation of raising $465 million through a SPAC transaction, and an expanded deployment plan for Agility’s Digit humanoid robots with GXO Logistics.
Bowen’s interview began at 23:40 in the episode, following the weekly robotics news segment.
Sources: The Robot Report.