Vertical Harvest Farms

Here's one more reason to be thankful this week! CEAg World's "Looking to 2025 and Beyond" December 2024 Insights is now LIVE on CEAgWorld.com. Special thanks to Paul Sellew, Little Leaf Farms founder and CEO; Viraj Puri, co-founder and CEO of Gotham Greens; Eddy Badrina, CEO of Eden Green Technology; and Arik Griffin, Director of Farm Systems and Technology at Vertical Harvest Farms for sharing their perspectives with me for this edition. You'll find their insights on industry challenges and opportunities, along with their expectations (and hopes) for the industry and their companies. All that and much, much more HERE: https://lnkd.in/gbjqVwBR #CEA #controlledenvironmentagriculture #greenhousegrown #verticalfarming #indoorfarming #indoorag #leadership

Vertical Harvest Farms will receive $500,000 from the Finance Authority of Maine to help finalize the construction of the company's nearly complete production facility in Westbrook. https://ow.ly/Artz50Uaaj2

Happy Veterans Day! To all military men, women, and families… It’s an honor to have served alongside you.

Maine Technology Institute celebrated 25 years of innovation and impact last night. They’ve deployed over $372 million, funded and supported more than 4,000 projects, and have unlocked $2.2 Billion in private sector co-investment. MTI is a huge asset to our state, and Startup Maine is a recipient of their support. Fun to hear from many success stories: MedRhythms, Inc., Springworks Farm, Defendify, HighByte, Kinotek, Hüga, Tanbark Molded Fiber Products, The Roux Institute at Northeastern University, Tooties Tempeh, Prapela, Marin Skincare, STARC Systems Inc., COMPOTECH, INC., Vertical Harvest Farms and so many others. cc: Heather Finnemore Johnson and Maine Department of Economic and Community Development 🎉

🎃 A great week and not yet Friday. Delightful to meet Nona Yehia who spoke at Maine Technology Institute's 25th birthday bash. 🎉 CEO of Vertical Harvest Farms, she's launching vertical farming in #Maine, bringing local infrastructure at a scale bigger than their founding site & test lab in WY. Joined by Bryna Gootkind owner of LB Kitchen, we had a private tour of this amazing urban hydroponic facility. Nona, accomplished architect, has a love for fresh, healthy #food and commitment to inclusive workforce hiring - with a North ⭐ of Helping Communities Thrive. Exciting to see 🌿 State of the art advanced manufacturing technology 🌿 Social enterprise in an growing urban environment 🌿 Hiring and empowering those having a #disability 🌿 It's about locally sourced healthy foods for local consumption 🌿 Focus on #nutrientdense and quality foods such as #microgreens THANK YOU Nona and co-founder Caroline Croft Estay & all those having a hand in supporting, funding, and cheering on this innovation. USDA Rural Development Finance Authority of Maine #MTI Waterside Commercial Finance, Inc. USDA Nuveen Green Capital #Westbrook #foodishealth #nutrition #foodismedicine #foodasmedicine #innovation #publicprivatepartnerships #nutritionliteracy #culinarymedicine

The past few years have been a challenging journey. We entered the bond market just as the Fed began raising rates and the flow of capital began to slow— a hard reality check for anyone looking to fund innovation. But #persistence has been our guiding star. 🌟 For 18 months, we navigated USDA-backed loan programs amid the turmoil of the Silicon Valley and First Republic bank crises, Congress’s brinkmanship over the debt ceiling, and countless "WTF?!" moments. We managed to secure our construction #financing for our first to scale farm in Maine through sheer grit, yet the journey isn’t over.  We still need additional operating capital, and we're watching the market, hoping funders return to the table as interest rates finally begin to ease. The thaw can’t come soon enough… 💪 So, what have we learned in CEA? Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) isn’t exactly the fundraising hot spot right now. Unfortunately, a few bad actors in the sector have made it harder for everyone by mishandling investor capital, which has cast a shadow over the entire industry. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the core truths that inspired this mission remain as powerful as ever: 🌍 The world is warming, and large-scale #ClimateAdaptation is not a distant need—it’s happening now. 🌊#Water stress is intensifying, driven largely by traditional agriculture, and CEA offers a pathway to mitigate this impact. 🍎#Food accessibility, availability, and affordability are more vulnerable than ever to supply chain disruptions. Bringing food production closer to consumption points through tech innovation is crucial for resilient regional food systems. 🥬We need more nutritious food that genuinely tastes amazing to inspire #healthier eating and well-being. These truths are fundamental to why we do what we do. Popular or not, we remain committed to these principles, confident they represent not just a #SustainableBusiness model but a vision for a more resilient and equitable food system.

#Impact requires #capital— there’s no way around it. But what we often overlook is that profitable growth doesn’t always have to follow the classic "hockey stick"  🏒 model or fit neatly into the traditional venture capital rubric. Too often, while fundraising, impact may be acknowledged, but it tends to be relegated to the bottom of the priority list. Within the SOCAP Global community, the conversation is different… At SOCAP Global, impact holds equal weight with every other metric.  These are my people!  The ones who understand that:  “Value” can be measured in many ways. That balance sheets should reflect not just profits, but the health of our communities. 📈⚖️❤️🩹 True connection and #community have often become casualties in the pursuit of business growth. And in many ways, the technology meant to bring us closer has instead accelerated disparity and isolation. So, the questions then become:  Why do we use technology? And for what purpose? What drives innovation in our companies? In controlled environment agriculture (#CEA), Vertical Harvest Farms is set apart by building a brand that genuinely means something— 🙋to you,  👪your family,  🏘️your neighborhood, and  🏙️your city. This is how we create an enduring business and #socialenterprise rooted not just in profit, but in meaningful connection and community impact.

If you're in the Bay Area next week, please join us for a conversation at SOCAP Global with Dimitri Kanevsky, renowned Research Scientist at Google DeepMind and Darren Webb, CEO of Mindset – "Uplifting Human Potential through Disability Design" on Monday, October 28th at 3pm PT in the Classroom at the Contemporary Jewish Museum. Regina "Gina" Kline Charlotte Magee, PhD Margaret Knowles Nathaniel Arzu Trina G. Michelle Arevalo-Carpenter Amanda Lee Tim Freundlich Jan Piercy Jodi Pederson Erica Cole Sadriye Gorece Ranga Jayaraman Michael Bien Brittney Riley Gavini https://lnkd.in/duBA3Ejb