October 24, 2023

photo credit: Zordi

By Lynda Kiernan-Stone, Global AgInvesting Media

Boston-based agtech startup Zordi has emerged from stealth with a $20 million investment from Kohsla Ventures for the development of autonomous greenhouses that grow premium fresh produce using AI and robotics.

The company was founded by MIT alumnus Gilwoo Lee, who is an expert in machine learning and robotics, and former head grower at Plenty, Casey Call, who brings generations of farming experience to the venture. 

The team was soon expanded with the addition of Ryan Knopf, a third founder and CTO of Root AI, and Hwan Choi, an expert in modular construction. 

Following a year of successful research and development carried out in Western New York, Zordi announced it is launching its second cost-efficient, autonomous greenhouse located in New Jersey, only two and a half hours outside of New York City. 

Zordi explained that its approach is rooted in the integration of its AutoGrow system, or what it refers to as the “brain”, and advanced robots, or what it calls the “hands and eyes” of its system, which leverages naturally lit greenhouse designs that have been in production for decades. 

The intersection of greenhouse production of fresh produce and technology represents a critical and rapidly evolving field within agriculture. Technology plays a pivotal role in transforming traditional greenhouse farming into highly efficient, data-driven, and environmentally sustainable systems.

These advancements are crucial in addressing food security challenges, reducing the environmental impact of agriculture, and meeting the growing demand for fresh produce in an increasingly urbanized world.

“Greenhouse farming is one of the most sustainable and climate-resistant ways to grow fresh produce, but it demands significant labor,” said Gilwoo Lee, founder and CEO, Zordi. “Our solution marries robotics and AI, addressing this challenge head-on.”

AutoGrow equips operations managers with the real-time insights needed and daily workflows for optimal crop care including pest control, pruning, and harvesting – all activities that are seamlessly carried out by Zordi’s robots, making Zordi’s greenhouses a clean, harmonized system that is scalable and replicable. 

“Today’s greenhouse operations require intensive labor, expertise to direct complex crop care decisions, and large initial capital investments, making them extremely difficult to scale,” said Lee.

“At Zordi, we envision hyper-scalable future greenhouses which require 80 percent [less] labor to operate, make key crop care decisions autonomously, and can be built in under three months at an order of magnitude lower cost.”

The company’s flagship product is an ultra-sweet strawberry that Zordi explained carries a strong aroma that has garnered positive responses from retail partners in both New York and New Jersey and can be produced on a year-round basis – an important factor particular to the region, which saw a very short strawberry season this year due to drought. 

“We’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback on our strawberry quality,” said Lee. “Expect to see more of our offerings this fall.”

~ Lynda Kiernan-Stone is editor in chief with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and  Agtech Intel News, as well as HighQuest Group’s Unconventional Ag. She can be reached at lkiernan-stone@globalaginvesting.com.

*The content put forth by Global AgInvesting News and its parent company HighQuest Partners is intended to be used and must be used for informational purposes only. All information or other material herein is not to be construed as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. Global AgInvesting and HighQuest Partners are not a fiduciary in any manner, and the reader assumes the sole responsibility of evaluating the merits and risks associated with the use of any information or other content on this site.