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Robot maker · registered

Grain Weevil

Corporate marketagricultureCurated record
grainweevil.com

Nebraska farm-born startup building the Grain Weevil, a small auger-driven robot that swims across stored grain to level piles, break crusts, feed extraction and manage bin condition so farmers never have to enter grain bins - one of farming's deadliest tasks. Founded by Chad Johnson (CEO) and son Ben Johnson with Zane Zents after farmer Zach Hunnicutt asked for a bin-safety robot. As of May 2025 the company had 11 full-time staff and 50 robots in the field with another 100 on the way, raised a $1.6M seed round with heavy farmer participation, and holds NSF SBIR Phase I and II awards toward bin autonomy.

HeadquartersLa Vista, US
Founded2020
Corporate funding$5M
Team11-50
Deployments1
Open roles0
01

Company overview

Identity and operating footprint

Company typeRobot maker
Market segmentCorporate
StageSeed
FoundersChad Johnson (Co-founder & CEO), Ben Johnson (Co-founder & Chief Innovation Officer), Zane Zents (Co-founder)
Regions servedNorth America
Countries deployedNot listed
Service footprintNot listed
Last reviewed2026-07-05
MX

Robot models

Specifications remain vendor-claimed

Machineagriculture

Grain Weevil

  • Auger-propelled robot that levels grain, breaks crusts and manages bins so humans never enter

    Twin-auger locomotion over grain surfaces with remote and increasingly autonomous operation

    Claim source
  • 50 robots in the field with 100 more in production as of May 2025

    Commercial fleet size reported in independent coverage

    Claim source
DP

Deployment log

Announced and cited only

AnnouncedCustomerSiteCountryCountEvidence
2026-04-01Midwest farmers via BinAssist Network (100+ units sold)grain farm storageUS100Announcement
CA

Funding history

Publicly announced rounds

Investors on recordNational Science Foundation
TL

Company timeline

Milestones and announcements

2025-05-1550 robots in the field, 100 more on the way; 11 full-time staffOmaha Magazine
2023-02-15$1.6M seed round closed with farmer investorsMessenger News
SC

Source ledger

4 unique public sources

01
Grain bins are hazardous. Nebraska startup Grain Weevil aims to make them safer through roboticsAgFunder News · retrieved 2026-07-05
02
Grain Weevil CorporationMessenger News · retrieved 2026-07-05
03
The Grain Weevil Robot Takes On One Of Farming's Most Dangerous JobsAgWeb · retrieved 2026-07-05
04
Built for the Bin: How a Tiny Robot is Saving Farmers' LivesOmaha Magazine · retrieved 2026-07-05