iFarm
 iFarm interior | |
| Industry | Vertical farming, hydroponics, circular economy, agricultural technology |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Alexander Lyskovsky, Maxim Chizhov, Konstantin Ulyanov |
| Products | Software, technologies and equipment for vertical farming |
| Website | ifarm |
iFarm (iFarm corp.) is an international company that develops software and hardware for vertical farming and hydroponics.[1][2] Its technologies are used for automatedd pesticide-free growing of salads, strawberries, and microgreens. It's headquartered in Helsinki, Finland with an office in the US.[3][4]
History
[edit]It was founded in 2017 by Alex Lyskovsky,[5] the founder of video game publisher Alawar,[6] and his friends.[7]
In 2018, the company expanded its facilities with a large-scale salad farm and a laboratory for strawberry production.[8]
In 2019, iFarm raised $1 million in a round led by Gagarin Capital.[9][10] The same year, the company moved its headquarters to Helsinki, Finland. It opened 8 laboratories and launched a small point-of-sale herb cultivation module production.[11]
In 2020, the company opened an office in the Netherlands. In July 2020, company became a member of the international Association for Vertical Farming. In August 2020, the company announced the raise of $4 million in seed funding from a group of investors.[12][13][14] In the same year, iFarm partnered with YASAI AG and Logiqs B.V. to launch Zurich's first vertical farm.[15]
In 2021, a partnership with the AlSadarah Group was announced to use iFarm technology in a pilot vertical farm in Al Khor, Qatar.[16][17]
In January 2022, iFarm and French scientific cosmetics company Capsum launched a sustainable vertical farming research project to create innovative cosmetics in France.[18][19]
As of 2022, the company helped clients create farms based on iFarm technology in 14 countries, including Norway, Switzerland, Germany, Andorra, Finland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.[20][21][22]
Technology
[edit]iFarm technology relies on automation, sensors[23] and a proprietary farm management software, Growtune, to monitor and automate crop care, applying computer vision and machine learning and drawing on data on "thousands" of plants collected from a distributed network of farms, per iFarm.[24]
In 2022, firm released fully automated solution, that reduces the overall energy bill compared to traditional type of vertical farms due to a system that automatically "transplants" (refits) the grow space for the plants.[25]
References
[edit]- ^ "Agtech startup iFarm bags $4M to help vertical farms grow more tasty stuff". TechCrunch. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ Burroughs, Callum. "We got an exclusive look at the pitch deck indoor farming startup iFarm used to raise $4 million". Business Insider. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "Automated vertical indoor farming set to sprout". ZDNet. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "Finland-based Startup iFarm and Capsum Launch Sustainable Vertical Farming R&D Project to Create Innovative Cosmetics | AgriTechTomorrow". www.agritechtomorrow.com. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ Cat Ellis (13 February 2019). "How vertical farming tech could bring fresh greens to the world's food deserts". TechRadar. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "¿Qué ha pasado con Akademgorodok, la "aldea académica" creada por la URSS para competir con Silicon Valley?". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "iFarm lets anyone grow greens with the push of a button". Food Tank. 31 October 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "How iFarm Berries technology works". www.hortibiz.com. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "Russia-based iFarm secures $1 million to take its urban farming solutions to the next level". Tech.eu. 12 February 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ Камитдинов, Никита (5 September 2019). "Грядки вверх. Кто и зачем строит вертикальные фермы в российских городах" (in Russian). Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "iFarm Corp – Company Profile and News". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "This European agritech startup lets you grow pesticide-free veggies in your basement; raises €3.4M | Silicon Canals". 20 August 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "Vertical farming software startup iFarm raises $4m". AFN. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ FinSMEs (21 August 2020). "iFarm Raises $4M in Funding". FinSMEs. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ foodnavigator.com (17 February 2021). "'We can focus on quality over transportability': Vertical famers have high hopes for Swiss project". foodnavigator.com. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "iFarm and Al Sadarah Group to Boost Food Security in Qatar Through Vertical Farming". The Spoon. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ foodnavigator.com (31 May 2021). "iFarm talks 'next generation' of vertical farming, Qatar expansion". foodnavigator.com. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "Finland-based Startup iFarm and Capsum Launch Sustainable Vertical Farming R&D Project to Create Innovative Cosmetics | AgriTechTomorrow". www.agritechtomorrow.com. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ urbanagnews (18 January 2022). "Capsum and iFarm Announce Joint R&D Project in France". Urban Ag News. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "iFarm Raises $4M for Its Automated Vertical Farming System". The Spoon. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ Tucker, Charlotte (20 August 2020). "Helsinki-based iFarm raises €3.3 million for its automated indoor farming solutions". EU-Startups. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "iFarm Raises $4 million to automate urban farming with AI and drones". VentureBeat. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "iFarm Raises $4 million to automate urban farming with AI and drones". VentureBeat. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ "Agtech startup iFarm bags $4M to help vertical farms grow more tasty stuff". TechCrunch. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ "We Cannot Reduce Cost of Electricity, So We Learn How to Make Best Use of Energy | AgriTechTomorrow". www.agritechtomorrow.com. Retrieved 3 August 2022.