Modgarden is solving a last-mile problem with a soil based vertical farming appliance (made from ocean plastics) by providing easy access to pure organic greens in urban centers.
Our vision is to shift food control and nourishment from centralized corporations to businesses and urbanites. Failure to act risks a future dominated by big-ag corporations, further endangering the survival of organic farmers and the health of people.
‘WE NEED 12 ORANGES TO OUR GRANDFATHER’S ONE.’
Modern farming practices have led to a loss of food quality, control and purity. Less than 1% of the 911M acres of US farms are certified organic. Food is grown like a commodity w/profit maximization in mind. This decline in food quality has created a nutrient security issue, where essential nutrients in our diet are significantly reduced.
100 years ago food was on the table in hours, not days; traveled in “steps” not miles - Modgarden aims to turn cities into circular and sustainable Agro-Centric communities again, with a food appliance.
- Running a pilot with a 5*Hotel in Austin
- Utility & Design patents granted, trade secrets on our soil recipe,
- 88 pre-paid customers over a 6 day in-person campaign, with 170+ to date,
- Winner Milan Design Week, (out of 543 global products),
- Winner QVC’s - Kitchen electrics competition,
- Awarded Expert Preferred Vendor for a UN sponsored development in Portugal.
We have started a pilot with a major hotel chain in Austin and have placed a prototype in the hotel dining room which is being promoted by the staff as ‘organic greens grown on premises.’
We are working with the head chef to target a volume of greens and fold it into certain foods such as topping microgreens on pizza, adding it to sandwhiches, etc.
Our estimation is that we’ll be really getting going with multiple cycles of microgreen growing and developing a revenue model that is repeatable and scalable.
Four highlights.
1. FINANCING: Thus far we have soft-circles for $250K to 300K towards our milestone of $500k. If you’re interested in jumping on let me know, we’re looking to close this out by SXSW. Note: our valuation cap steps up as interim money goals are reached.
2. PATENT: The USPTO has allowed our utility patent application! This is a massive win, as it positions us to corner the indoor (microbial) soil based vertical farms. We will be filing continuances and will spawn multiple patent applications in as reasonable a way as possible, ie, without detracting from getting to market.
3. PO for 140 units from the UN
We are nearing a purchase order for 140 tinyFarms for climate friendly homes being built in Portugal. Their ultimate charter is to build 6,250 homes, with this being the first installation. This is about a $150K+ order. More to come on this.
4. PRODUCT HARDWARE: After a long manufacturer assessment, a potential partner has emerged out of Asia. They're experienced with an excellent cost structure for the appliance (targeting less than $100 to build and deliver) perfect for our price target of $350 MSRP without compromising beauty. My goal is still to bring manufacturing on-shore.
