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Upward Farms
Organic indoor aquaponic farms
- 101-200 employees
- B2C
- Retail
- B2B
- Food
- Biology
- Agriculture
- East Williamsburg, NY
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Company mission
To heal the broken food system and reconnect eaters with flavorful and nutritious local food.
120% employee growth in 12 months
Our take
Upward Farms is one of a growing number of high profile “vertical farming” companies. It raises organic greens, and more recently, fish, from its indoor Brooklyn farm.
The reason for the growth of vertical and indoor farming is that it allows a higher yield in a smaller space, and in an environment which can be kept healthier when managed correctly.
One of the key differences at Upward Farms is that it uses aquaponics to grow its produce, using fish and their waste to help plants grow in water while simultaneously purifying the water, an alternative to chemical fertilizer and purifiers. Indeed, it's the use of fish in the ecosystem that has allowed Upward Farms to also enter the fish market.
Having built a good reputation in its native New York and partnered with a number of food outlets including Whole Foods, the company now intends to scale up by building a huge vertical farm in Pennsylvania, and continuing to forge new business partnerships.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Benefits
- Aetna Medical, Aetna and MetLife Dental, and Aetna Vision insurance; FSA/HSA plans; and HIPAA-compliant health advocates. Upward Farms contributes 80-95% of the premium for Medical benefits for employees and their families
- Unlimited paid sick time. For extended illness, we offer short term disability
- Up to 20 days paid time off per year, depending on experience, in addition to paid holidays
- For new parents, an extension of New York State’s paid family leave for up to 18 weeks of fully paid parental leave. This leave is in addition to Disability leave available to pregnant and postpartum mothers
- 401(k)
- Commuter benefits, discounted bike shares, and other perks
- Fresh salad, and lots of it!
Company values
- We are driven by purpose.
- We pioneer farming methods that make people and our planet healthier.
- We are awed by nature’s complexity, celebrate its abundance, and learn from its efficiency.
- We solve problems from first principles with nimble, cross-disciplinary teams.
Funding (last 2 of 3 rounds)
Jul 2020
$15m
LATE VC
Jul 2019
$15m
SEED
Total funding: $35m
Leadership
Jason Green
(CEO)Former VP of Entrepreneurship & Innovation Association at the Polytechnic Institute of New York.
Ben Silverman
(CTO)Prior to co-founding Upward Farms in 2013, was a Designer at Enclos Advanced Technology Studio.
Matthew La Rosa
(Engineering Director)NYU Construction Management & Civil Engineering graduate.