Upward Farms is a technology company.
Upward Farms has raised $5.0M across 1 funding round.
Upward Farms has raised $5.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Upward Farms has raised $5.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Upward Farms's investors include CRV, Dell Technologies Capital, Future Ventures, Owl Capital, Streamlined Ventures, Waverley Capital, Bill Tai.
Upward Farms was a vertical farming technology company that integrated aquaponics, microbiome science, and controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) to produce USDA-certified organic microgreens and hybrid striped bass.[1][2][3] Based in Brooklyn, New York, it served regional retailers like Whole Foods Market in the New York City area, addressing food system challenges by enabling local, year-round production of high-value perishables with reduced water, land, and transportation needs.[1][3][5] The company demonstrated early growth through facility expansions and $121.7 million in Series B funding in 2021, but discontinued vertical farming operations in 2023, pivoting to research amid scaling complexities.[1][2]
Upward Farms traces its roots to 2013, when it was founded as Edenworks in New York by Jason Green (CEO), Ben Silverman, and Matt La Rosa.[1][2][3] The founders drew on expertise in aquaponics and ecology to pioneer a symbiotic system where fish waste fertilized microgreens grown in soil mixtures under LED lights, starting with proof-of-concept labs in Brooklyn.[1][3] Pivotal moments included rebranding to Upward Farms in 2020 after operating as Seed & Roe, raising $15-20 million in funding, and announcing a massive 250,000-square-foot Pennsylvania facility in 2021 backed by $121.7 million Series B—though construction stalled, leading to closure in 2023 as biology-limited efficiency proved insurmountable.[1][2][3][5]
Upward Farms stood out in vertical farming through these key innovations:
Upward Farms rode the vertical farming and regenerative agtech wave, capitalizing on demand for local, sustainable produce amid climate volatility, supply chain disruptions, and 90% of U.S. leafy greens coming from the West Coast or imports.[3][5] Its timing aligned with post-2020 investor enthusiasm for CEA, evidenced by major funding, but highlighted market forces like biological limits on scale and efficiency that doomed many peers.[1][2] By advancing microbiome-driven "biological manufacturing," it influenced agtech toward ecosystem-mimicking tech, proving vertical farms' potential for premium organics while exposing profitability hurdles—shifting industry focus to R&D over hype.[1][4]
Post-2023 shutdown, Upward Farms has pivoted from operations to microbiome research, potentially licensing its Ecological Intelligence platform to sustain impact.[1][2] Rising trends like AI-optimized biology, precision fermentation, and hybrid outdoor-indoor farming could revive its tech in resilient food systems, especially as global food security pressures mount. Its story underscores agtech's evolution: from ambitious scale to pragmatic innovation, priming founders' expertise for ecosystem-wide influence in sustainable manufacturing.[1][4] This Brooklyn-born disruptor healed parts of the "broken food system" it targeted, leaving a blueprint for biology-smart ag of tomorrow.[1]
Upward Farms has raised $5.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $5.0M Seed in May 2018.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2018 | $5.0M Seed | CRV, Dell Technologies Capital, Future Ventures, Owl Capital, Streamlined Ventures, Waverley Capital, Bill Tai |