Hippo Harvest Secures $21M in Funding

Sean Campbell

If you’ve been following the recent hurdles and setbacks being faced within the indoor farming realm of CEA, it has been a rather tumultuous few months as companies like Iron Ox and Bowery Farming reduce their staff, and AppHarvest and Fifth Season file for bankruptcy. The big question: Which companies’ systems will prove the most successful in this continued race of efficiency and sustainability versus profitability? Hippo Harvest is betting heavily on robotics and AI.

Similar to other indoor farming systems implemented by competitors, Hippo Harvest is hoping to grow leafy greens in a more efficient and sustainable manner that uses less land and water than traditional farming. Their secret? They’ve enlisted robots as the source of labor in their farms, using them to deliver water and nutrients, collect data from research plots and transfer mature plants to harvest.

This latest round of $21M in funding will allow the company to expand their greenhouse capabilities and increase the number of products available to consumers. This is further boosted by an announcement that Amazon, an investor of Hippo Harvest, has started offering Hippo Harvest spring mix, gourmet lettuce blends and baby romaine in select San Francisco markets.