Freya Cultivation Programs, a Kaunas-based AgTech startup, has secured €500k in seed funding to advance its progressive greenhouse cultivation expertise.
The funding spherical, led by Coinvest Capital and BSV Ventures, additionally included investments from Sofigama and Zunami Oy, alongside enterprise angels Paulius Vilemas and Marko Lehtovaara.
This injection of capital will assist Freya in setting up an illustration greenhouse close to Kaunas, aimed toward showcasing its three-dimensional Aeroframe greenhouse crop manufacturing system.
“Rising crops in fog is among the only and environment friendly strategies of cultivation. Whereas this has been recognized for a very long time, widespread adoption has been hindered by the constraints of current expertise. I’m thrilled to unlock the organic potential of crops in a fog surroundings utilizing our patented cultivation expertise,” mentioned founder Dr Gediminas Kudirka.
Based in 2018 by agronomist Dr Gediminas Kudirka, Freya is growing managed surroundings agriculture (CEA) with its flagship Aeroframe expertise. This method develops industrial greenhouse farming by leveraging three-dimensional rising surfaces, successfully doubling the cultivation space and decreasing per-plant prices.
The Aeroframe guarantees yield enhancements of as much as double for crops reminiscent of strawberries, lettuce, herbs, and tomatoes, whereas boosting grower earnings by as much as threefold.
CEO Lukas Bartusevicius commented that the funds raised can be utilised to launch new pilot initiatives aimed toward validating the Aeroframe system. This initiative will allow the corporate to increase its goal market and improve gross sales up €3 million.
Coinvest Capital contributed €250,000 to the funding spherical, underscoring its confidence in Freya’s potential.
Viktorija Trimbel, Director of Coinvest Capital, remarked: “This mission combines parts hardly ever funded by generalist buyers – deep expertise, {hardware}, and agricultural manufacturing – but the Freya crew has efficiently built-in them right into a extremely efficient resolution. I’m assured that our funding will function a catalyst, opening doorways to each regional and world markets, and enabling Lithuanian agri-tech innovators to say their rightful place on this quickly rising and promising sector.”
Freya has efficiently accomplished a number of pilot initiatives utilizing its patented titanium ultrasonic irrigators, which convert nutrient options right into a fantastic mist with optimally sized droplets. The beginning-up’s expertise is at present being employed to domesticate tomatoes in a World Financial institution-funded mission in Djibouti, East Africa, and can be utilised by a biotech firm in South Africa.
The demonstration greenhouse close to Kaunas will play a key position in validating the Aeroframe system whereas attracting curiosity from good farm operators throughout Central and Western Europe, North America, and Japan.
Freya additionally plans to boost the system with superior automation options, together with seeding and harvesting applied sciences.
Freya’s management crew combines experience in agronomy, engineering, and enterprise growth. Led by Lukas Bartusevicius, with co-founder Vilmantas Rastutis driving innovation in ultrasonic misting expertise, and Ignas Andrulevicius managing operations, the crew is attending to work on its bold objectives.