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Last year was the hot yr on record , and it does n’t look like we ’re cooling down anytime soon . Rising temperatures have made husbandry more and more difficult in areas that once had prime agrarian resources that are now severely impacted by heat and drought .
For most farmers who rely on traditional method and want access to in high spirits - tech glasshouse , the pauperization for adaptable , ready - to - employment solutions is paramount . This is where agtech company likeIyris , base in Riyadh , Abu Dhabi and Delaware , come up in . The inauguration , which provide a life line to farmers and help them navigate the challenges of mood change with its agricultural solutions , is foretell a $ 16 million Series A backing round .
Executive chairmanJohn Keppler , in a conversation with TechCrunch , say the financial backing provide Iyris with dry powder to “ proceed to scale and grow a business that solve an incredibly difficult problem of growing fresh produce and increasing crop proceeds in the face of mood alteration and go up temperatures , heats , and droughts . ”
San Francisco - base climate and sustainability fund Ecosystem Integrity Fund ( EIF ) go the unit of ammunition , which also drew participation from Global Ventures ( which adorn in the company ’s $ 10 million seed led by Aramco ’s arm Wa’ed ) , Dubai Future District Fund ( DFDF ) , Kanoo Ventures , Globivest and Bonaventure Capital .
While so much of mood tech coverage has concentrate on expensive , robust engineering that may be fit for specific purposes but are difficult to adopt , Keppler says Iyris point the low - tech and average - technical school world . Fannie Merritt Farmer in this section use protected agricultural method acting like polythene blanket , acrylic , shade nets , and screens to mitigate environmental impacts on large - scale of measurement crop production . These methods include field and tunnels aimed at limiting ecological damage while being more accessible and practical for widespread use , Keppler explained .
Advancing commercial farming in hot climates globally
Iyris arise from innovations developed at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology ( KAUST ) in Saudi Arabia . Co - launch by CEORyan Lefers , an agricultural engineering expert ; Mark Tester , a works scientist ; and Derya Baran in 2018 , the company , formerly Red Sea Farms , initially used its heat - blocking technology to grow and betray tomatoes in the Middle Eastern nation before commercialize the technical school and cut-rate sale to other husbandman .
nickname SecondSky , Iyris ’ flagship tech involves adding an additive to polyethylene manufacturing . The additive blocks near - infrared radiation , significantly reducing heat while allowing photosynthetically active radiation sickness ( the idle plants need for photosynthesis ) to lead through . To paint a characterization , Keppler explained that if you compared standing under a traditional polythene ceiling to one with the additive , you ’d notice a strong temperature conflict due to the linear ’s heat - blocking properties .
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This intend farmers can repress cooling toll , water usage , and electricity pulmonary tuberculosis to manage their agriculture growing conditions on the farm . As such , these Farmer can constitute earlier and extend their growing season , ensue in higher yields and healthier plant ( which apply DOE to grow and comport fruit rather than producing more leaves for transpiration ) . The six - year - old startup claims that its proprietary tech ( including lively works genetics ) reduces energy and water system consumption by up to 90 % .
“ We ’ve seen fruit increase side - by - side run quite dramatically , ” commented Keppler , an investor - twist - executive director - chair . “ In fact , these are some of the only innovations that have occurred in this space for the better part of three to four decade , according to some of our customer , who are some of the large growers in the earthly concern . And so what this does is it makes it easier and more profitable to grow crops in difficult conditions . ”
Starting near to home near KAUST , Iyris burgeon in the UAE , Egypt and Morocco . These regions , where desert USDA is the average , look harsh crop - growing conditions , making them ideal for try out and proving the engineering ’s effectuality . However , as mood alteration intensifies , alike challenge are emerging globally , instigate the adoption of Iyris ’ tech in places like the U.S. , Portugal , Spain , and Mexico . Major fresh produce growers in these areas , Keppler said , are seeking to palliate unexampled climate challenge and borrow proved resolution from harsher clime .
Ensuring food security in the GCC and other arid climes
SecondSky ’s ability to reduce input cost and , most importantly , extend develop seasons attracts these growers from some waterless region , he added . These sodbuster and growers using SecondSky can continue producing when challenger can not , give up them to command high Leontyne Price and earn more money . Keppler claims this results in a vengeance within a twelvemonth of buy SecondSky Cartesian product .
“ So , the way this works is that agriculturalist we serve have regular replacement cycles for product with a distinctive lifetime of three to five years , count on the region and lotion . These replacement cycles/second create a recurring taxation stream for supplier of these materials , ” he explained . “ We deal our merchandise to growers through local distributors and provide our additives to the maker and distributors , who embed them into their product . Though our product is more expensive , the welfare growers substantiate result in a payback within the first class of the crop cycle . ”
The Aramco - bet on clime tech works with two major client groups : expectant - scurf international growers who run farms globally and smaller raiser and Fannie Farmer whom it reaches through fabrication and distribution married person . It ’s sell SecondSky polycarbonate , polythene , nets , and shortly - to - be - launched shade screens to these customer across 11 countries , let in Turkey and the U.K. Some of its clients include Silal , Armando Alvarez Group , and Criado & Lopez .
Keppler argues that there ’s limited competition in the horticulture space at the minute . Companies such as U.S.-based AppHarvest and AeroFarms have gone in and out of bankruptcy in late eld despite raising hundreds of one thousand thousand of dollar bill , signaling how toughoperating a vertical farming business can be . One grounds Iyris remains in business enterprise is that it demonstrated the effectuality of its technology by using it in - house , which ultimately build trust with other growers , the executive chairman observe .
“ There have been legion attempts at large - scale , commercialized innovative agriculture . In some case , those solutions are spot on . However , our dissertation is that providing a fall - in solution to the subsist agriculture substructure using the existing supply chain is often more effective , ” mention Keppler , the ex - chairman and CEO of wood shot producer Enviva . “ This way , Fannie Merritt Farmer do n’t have to deepen their behaviors . They can continue doing what they do substantially — growing their produce in their finical regions . Our goal is to make it a flake well-off for them , extend their grow seasons , and increase their profitableness along the way of life . ”
Iyris , serving a global market of over $ 6 billion in recurring annual sales for greenhouse covers , get in more customers and sold more products ( or made more revenue ) in the first one-fourth of 2024 than it did in the whole of 2023 , according to Keppler . He contribute that the society would look to grow other metrics such as the total hectare covered by SecondSky , regions served ( expanding into countries such as India and China ) , and the square cadence of the product install for its clients .
Update : Earlier edition said John Keppler was Enviva chairperson and chief operating officer until its bankruptcy . However , Keppler pace down in 2022 while Enviva file a chapter 11 failure in 2024 .
