Summit Highlights

There was no shortage of action from the CEA industry at the 2024 Indoor AgTech Innovation Summit. Having relocated to the vibrant agri-food hub of Chicago, the CEA and vertical farming industry came together for two days of essential discussions focused on tackling supply chain resilience for fresh produce, building new partnerships and on-farm expansion plans. 

The summit platform is still active until July 25 to continue networking and rewatch content on demand. Register now for virtual access. 

Enjoy our quick-fire summary of the summit action complete with video highlights, photo gallery and impactful takeaways.

Relive the Action

Audience Testimonials

“I look forward to coming each year because it gives us the opportunity to interact with so many growers and suppliers for indoor farming. It’s a fantastic way to make connections and continue the dialogue of how we can better serve the industry.”

Secretary for Agriculture & Forestry, COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

“I really enjoyed the summit as it enabled me to network with many attendees and make several new contacts that will be valuable for future business.”

Managing Director, ECOTECH CAPITAL

“The summit was an incredible experience, providing a unique platform to connect with visionaries and challenger capitalists, fostering innovative discussions that have significantly benefited our company and the CEA sector.”

Partner, 451 VENTURES

“We’ve definitely had a ton of good base hits and great opportunities and met lots of interesting people.”

Owner, ATOCIDE

 

“Indoor AgTech offered valuable insights and networking opportunities directly relevant to our strategy of investing in leading sustainable food companies.”

Founding Partner, POWER SUSTAINABLE LIOS

Highlights From The Stage

NAVIGATING MARKET CORRECTIONS:

Paul Sellew, Founder & CEO, LITTLE LEAF FARMS: “Make mistakes at a small scale that you can fix, iterate and improve. From there, establish unit economics and then expand. Too much capital early on in a company’s development is a very bad thing as companies will not have the experience to spend it in the right places.”

REDEFINING FOOD SECURITY:

Kashif Shamsi, Group CEO, MAWARID: “When it comes to food security, we need to bring all of the elements into play to establish a real food security solution. The solutions have to allow for a consistent, reliable and year-round supply of food that is easy to transport and has a reduced environmental impact.”

NON-DILUTIVE FUNDING:

Deborah Koh, Director, SINGAPORE FOOD AGENCY: “We can overcome the huge challenge of CapEx infrastructure by creating synergies between governments and industries with shared utilities, infrastructure, processing and logistics.”

 

SOFT FRUIT IN CEA:

Tom Spaulding, VP, Berry Commercialization, PAIRWISE: “Traditional breeding is not going away, but advanced breeding techniques will augment what we can do with traditional breeding to bring in new products that new consumers desire that will eventually improve those economics.”

SECURING INVESTMENT TO SCALE CEA START-UPS:

Johanna Waterous, Senior Advisor, Sustainable Food Group, COFRA: “We have to start acting like a mature industry and understand the importance of cash flow to provide returns to capital providers. On the investor side, our expectations on the quantum of returns have come down. I don’t see that the expectations of investees have come down enough yet.”

 

EXPLORING MUSHROOMS:

Amir Karian, General Manager, MONTEREY MUSHROOMS: “The industry has essentially scientifically engineered a mushroom seed. Innovation happening on the genetic side, we’re always looking at how to improve yield, flavor profile, density, the weight (given they’re sold by the pound). The crocks of how to build IP around genetics, breeding the better mushroom.”

Summit Ecosystem

Here are just some of the growers, retailers, seed companies, investors, policymakers, start-ups and tech providers who met up in Chicago and online at the summit. Our ecosystem keeps growing! Who could you meet next time?

See You Next Time!

After such a fantastic edition, we’re already excited to see how we can grow the industry in 2024. Save the date now, and keep in touch with Partnerships Manager, Sophie Brady, if you’re interested in taking an active role as a summit partner, speaker or start-up showcase in Mexico, Singapore, and Dubai.