Solving Food Insecurity Means Applying Tomorrow’s Technology Today, and Iron Ox is Leading the Way

Every single day, global issues surrounding food insecurity grow more severe. With a rapidly increasing population and much of the world’s farmland already operating at full capacity, now is the time to take action. But the problems at hand are not solely a matter of quantity and accessibility; current events have shown us – in alarming fashion – that even our supply chain is ripe for change.

Here at Iron Ox, we are taking these challenges head-on, and with the exciting news of our recent $20 million Series B funding round, we are one step closer to creating a more food-secure world.

Upward Growth

For the last five years, Iron Ox has worked with one mission in mind: to address food security by developing autonomous greenhouses that grow local, consistent, and delicious food for our communities. With our state-of-the-art robotics, we have reinvented farming for a more sustainable, flexible, and demand-ready future. We successfully opened our second facility in Gilroy, California, established an amazing and impactful partnership with Whole Foods, and have reached thousands of customers.

But we’re ready to do more. With our farms, our tech, and our team, we can make a difference far beyond the greenhouses we have established in California. We are eager to help, and time is of the essence.

With our additional funding and the support of our investors, we are positioned to build on our momentum and expand into communities across the U.S. We will officially go national in 2021, and we are excited to announce new partnerships with mission-aligned brands and distributors in the near future.

Our team has worked with purpose and passion to get us to where we are today. We're excited to bring on even more driven and talented people as we build toward our vision of global food security.

Why Robots?

Innovative and tech-supported farming is not a new concept. Hydroponic systems address water waste, greenhouses enable sustainable year-round growing without arable land, and so forth. But our greenhouse systems allow for something that often goes overlooked in a streamlined process: flexibility.

Many automated systems are set up like manufacturing plants, designed around a single product. Essentially, if you’re growing lettuce, you create a lettuce factory. Think of it like an automobile plant: you can’t start making a whole new product or adjust the system on a dime because that system was built for one specific thing.

That’s where our robots come in. With our unique technology, we can grow all sorts of produce in a smaller space, closer to population centers, using less energy, and less water. At Iron Ox, we can scale our operations because the robots are not optimized for one singular job. We can adjust to demand and get fresh produce to the local community unlike any system before.

Forward, Together

As we continue on this journey, we want to bring you with us. Please check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can learn more about Iron Ox on our website and about this exciting expansion announcement on TechCrunch.

At Iron Ox, we know building the farm of the future requires a variety of backgrounds; from robotics, to plant science, to operations, and more. We’re always looking for exceptional talent. If interested, check out our job board here.