Jorge Heraud
About Jorge Heraud
Jorge Heraud is a Peruvian-born engineer. He moved to the US to study electrical engineering at Stanford and also has a Stanford GSB degree (2011). Before founding a company he worked at Trimble Navigation, where he was a business unit director and director of engineering.
Heraud co-founded Blue River Technology and was its CEO. The company built See & Spray, a computer vision system that treats crops plant by plant. Its backers included Khosla Ventures, Data Collective, Innovation Endeavors, Pontifax, Syngenta Ventures and Monsanto Growth Ventures. John Deere acquired Blue River in 2017 for $305 million.
After the acquisition he spent about seven years at Deere, most recently as VP of automation and autonomy. He left Deere to return to startups. He is now founder and CEO of TerraBlaster, which measures soil at high resolution so farmers apply inputs only where needed. Crunchbase also lists him as chairman of Dogtooth and a board member at GPR.
Crunchbase lists two personal investments for Heraud: Polybee (seed) and RootWave (venture round). Nordic9 dates the RootWave investment to 2025. Both are recent, and he has no long public angel history. Most of his public record is as an operator.
Polybee is his AI round on the Lounge deals desk. In February 2026 the Singapore company raised a $4.3M seed round led by Paspalis Capital and elev8 VC, with SEEDS Capital. Press coverage names Heraud among the strategic angels. Polybee uses camera-equipped drones to produce AI-based yield forecasts in greenhouses, and the drones can also pollinate crops. The company says it has commercial contracts in Australia, the US and the UK.
The public record points to agriculture technology, robotics and applied AI, where Heraud has operating experience. Both known investments are in agtech. One is a seed round and the other a venture round. Polybee is based in Singapore and RootWave in the UK, so he has backed companies outside the US. He has not published a check size or a list of criteria, and none is stated here.
- Polybee: Singapore drone company for greenhouse pollination and AI yield forecasting. Heraud joined its $4.3M seed round in February 2026.
- RootWave: UK company working on weed management without herbicides. Crunchbase lists a venture round investment by Heraud, which Nordic9 dates to 2025.
- linkedin.com/in/jorge-heraud
- crunchbase.com/person/jorge-heraud
- agfundernews.com/returning-to-his-startup-roots-former-john-deere-vp-j
- agfundernews.com/breaking-exclusive-john-deere-acquires-see-spray-robo
- agfundernews.com/blue-river-technology-raises-17m-to-build-4th-gen-rob
- hortidaily.com/article/9809478/polybee-raises-4-3m-to-automate-yield-f
- app.dealroom.co/news/feed/polybee-raises-4-3m-for-drone-based-yield-fo
- nordic9.com/companies/jorge-heraud
Investing activity
Jorge Heraud appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $4M. The most recent is Polybee (Seed, $4.3M, Feb 2026).
Jorge Heraud most often invests alongside Paspalis, Elev8.VC and Seeds Capital, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Jorge Heraud
Who is Jorge Heraud?
He is a co-founder and former CEO of Blue River Technology, which John Deere acquired in 2017. He later served as a VP at Deere and is now founder and CEO of TerraBlaster.
Does Jorge Heraud invest in AI startups?
Yes. He took part in Polybee's $4.3M seed round in February 2026. Polybee builds drones that produce AI-based yield forecasts.
What is Jorge Heraud's check size?
He has not published one. Crunchbase and press coverage do not give his check amounts.
What sectors does Jorge Heraud back?
His two known investments, Polybee and RootWave, are both in agriculture technology. His own experience is in robotics, machine vision and autonomy.
Should I pitch Jorge Heraud if I am not in agtech?
His public investments are all in agtech, so a non-agtech pitch has no visible precedent. Robotics and applied AI for physical industries fit his background best.
How can founders contact Jorge Heraud?
He is on LinkedIn, and a warm introduction from a shared contact is the likeliest route. We found no personal website or X account for him.
Is Jorge Heraud an angel investor?
Yes. Jorge Heraud invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Jorge Heraud invested in?
Jorge Heraud's AI investments include Polybee. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Jorge Heraud invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Jorge Heraud has invested at Seed, with a median round of $4M.
Who does Jorge Heraud co-invest with?
Jorge Heraud's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Paspalis (1 deal), Elev8.VC (1 deal) and Seeds Capital (1 deal).