GreenState

GreenState AG, incorporated in Winterthur, Switzerland in February 2021, operates as a comprehensive modular and vertical farming enterprise. The company was founded by Arsenije Grgur, who serves as the Chairman and CEO, leveraging over a decade of experience in investment management and digital transformation. His background includes a Bachelor's in Business Management, an MBA in International Management from SBS Swiss Business School, and a certification in Digital Transformation from Harvard Business School. The firm was established with the objective of developing technological solutions to address key challenges in traditional agriculture, such as high upfront capital, significant operational costs, and logistical inefficiencies.

GreenState's business model is structured around three core pillars: direct retail sales of produce, sales of proprietary hardware and software, and franchising and partnership models. The company generates revenue by selling fresh, locally-grown herbs and greens, such as basil, mint, and wasabi-rucola, to major Swiss retailers like Manor and Coop. A significant milestone was the acquisition of Yasai AG, an ETH-spinoff, which positioned GreenState as the largest vertical farming company in Switzerland and expanded its retail presence. The company also markets its modular vertical farming systems and a proprietary cloud-based SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) software to other entities, enabling them to enter the indoor farming sector. This system allows for remote management and monitoring of farming operations via web and mobile applications.

The company's core offering is an integrated hardware and software platform that digitizes agricultural knowledge into "digital recipes." Its modular vertical farms, designed to be scalable and deployable globally, can be powered by solar panels to enhance sustainability. The accompanying SCADA software collects real-time data on plant growth, which is then analyzed using AI and machine learning to optimize growing conditions and resource consumption. This technology aims to empower individuals, even those without prior farming experience, to produce food efficiently. GreenState also developed the 'GrowBorg' brand, a smart growing device for consumers that connects to its industrial farm data, further supporting its AI development. The firm operates a flagship farm in Neuhausen am Rheinfall with a production capacity of 2.5 tons of herbs and microgreens per month and has established a global presence with a financing company in Liechtenstein, a software development hub in Serbia, and an operating company in Dubai.

Keywords: vertical farming, modular farming, agritech, controlled environment agriculture, SCADA systems, sustainable agriculture, urban farming, indoor farming, food technology, digital farming, precision agriculture, local food production, IoT in agriculture, AI in agriculture, Swiss agritech, hardware solutions, software solutions, food sovereignty, hydroponics, aeroponics