A Hamilton-based vertical farming company is in the running for one of the technology industry’s most prestigious awards.
80 Acres Farms, a local high-tech indoor farming startup, has been selected as a finalist for Red Herring’s Top 100 North America award – candidates for which represent the “continent’s brightest and most innovative private ventures.”
It’s the first time the company has been nominated for the designation. The Top 100 list highlights companies and technologies “positioned to grow at an explosive rate,” Red Herring said, based on criteria like disruptive impact, proof of concept, financial performance, market footprint and quality of management.
Previous Top 100 finalists have included Facebook, Google, Skype, Alibaba, SuperCell, Spotify, Twitter and YouTube.
"We are thrilled to be recognized by Red Herring for our world-class technology,” Mike Zelkind, CEO and co-founder of 80 Acres Farms, said in a release.
80 Acres operates eight indoor farms in the U.S. and grows a variety of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs and microgreens indoors year-round, without pesticides, for customers like Kroger, Whole Foods and Sysco, using a combination of LED lighting, artificial intelligence and robotics.
Zelkind has said the company is positioned for rapid domestic and global expansion. 80 Acres, on Oct. 18, seeded its first test crop at its newest $30 million, 70,000-square-foot facility in Hamilton – the nation’s first fully automated indoor farm – and most recently announced another funding round led by British investment bank Barclays earlier this month.
Red Herring, a global media company, has produced the Top 100 list since 1996. The list, the release said, not only serves as a springboard for tech talent, but is a trusted tool for venture capitalists, experts and analysts.
Finalists will present their winning strategies at the Red Herring Top 100 North America conference, which will be held virtually Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The Top 100 winners will be announced after all the presentations at the forum.
