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Episodes

18
Dec. 19, 2020

S2E18: Henry Sztul - Technology, R&D & Building Resilient Food Systems

Episode Summary Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show physicist, entrepreneur and self-proclaimed tinkerer, Henry Sztul. Henry is the Chief Science Officer at Bowery Farming, a modern farming company on an ambitious mission to transform the future of food and change the face of agriculture. In this episode, Harry and Henry discuss the promise that vertical farming provides to the world and why it resonated so soundly with Henry. Henry shares his personal...
17
Dec. 11, 2020

S2E17: John Purcell - Building a Sustainable Future by Falling In Love with the Solution, Not the Science

Episode Summary Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show President and CEO of Unfold, Dr. John Purcell. John has dedicated his life to helping farmers safely and sustainably grow food using less of the earth’s natural resources. In his new role as President and CEO of Unfold Bio, John is continuing this same mission to improve the food ecosystem with more sustainable, fresher, and better-tasting fruits and vegetables. In this episode, Harry and John discuss...
16
Dec. 3, 2020

S2E16: DeMario Vitalis - Leaving Hydroponics Better Than How He Found It

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show Founder of New Age Provisions, DeMario Vitalis. New Age Provisions is an urban farm that uses state of the art hydroponic technology to farm the freshest culinary herbs, lettuces, leafy greens, and cannabis. In this episode, Harry and DeMario discuss DeMario’s inspirational story, the success he’s achieving and how he’s bringing awareness to possibilities for minority farm owners. DeMario speaks to challenges he’s had...
15
Nov. 20, 2020

S2E15: Eddy Badrina - Creating Exponential Positive Change

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show CEO of Eden Green, Eddy Badrina. Eden Green is a vertical farming technology company dedicated to changing the way we farm our food, and feed our communities. In this episode, Harry and Eddy discuss Eddy’s entrepreneurial journey, from working in politics, to launching his own start-up, to becoming CEO of Eden Green. Eddy speaks to his background in digital marketing, his thoughts on risk-taking and his longtime perso...
14
Nov. 12, 2020

S2E14: Tobias Peggs - Discovering a More Resilient Food System through Vertical Farming

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show co-founder and CEO of Square Roots, Tobias Peggs. Square Roots is an indoor urban farming company that connects people in cities to local, real food. In this episode, Harry and Tobias discuss the growing demand for a more efficient global food system. Tobias speaks to the importance his organization places on transparency and visionary thinking as well as future initiatives he and his team are currently planning. Spe...
13
Sept. 23, 2020

S1E13: Michelle Bonahoom - Lighting the Way Forward: How Heilux is Impacting the AgTech Industry

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show Interim CEO at Heilux, Michelle Bonahoom. In this episode, Harry and Michelle talk all about what’s happening in the world of lighting and it’s impact on the vertical farming industry. Michelle discusses her decision to take on the role of Interim CEO at Heilux, the impact Covid-19 has had on her consulting business and what excites her the most about the future of AgTech. Special thanks to our Season 1 Sponsor IGS –...
12
Sept. 11, 2020

S1E12: David Farquhar - Leveraging Science and Scale

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes back to the show CEO of Intelligent Growth Solutions, David Farquhar. In this episode, Harry and David talk all about the resounding economic and societal impact that Covid-19 has had on the AgTech industry and our daily lives. David shares the amount of science and scale that goes into every aspect of what IGS does as well as some of the latest projects they’re working on, including developing technologies to replicate the weath...
11
Aug. 25, 2020

S1E11: Alex Tyink - Fork Farms: Growing Food for Positive Change

Alex Tyink is the President of Fork Farms, an organization that started on the principle that growing fresh and healthy food is a vehicle for positive change in the world. It is their belief that having consistent access to the freshest, highest quality food is a human right. Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he and Alex discuss Alex’s unorthodox path to entrepreneurship, hydroponic farming and the impact Covid-19 has had on Alex’s business, Fork Farms. Special thanks to ou...
10
Aug. 16, 2020

S1E10: 010 Scott Massey - GroPod: How a Bold Aeroponic Appliance is Changing the AgTech Landscape

Scott Massey is the Founder and CEO of Heliponix, an organization that provides consumers with the GroPod, an aeroponic appliance that can yield a full head of leafy greens on a daily basis, or sizable harvests of dwarf varieties of larger plants. Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he and Scott discuss the business model of GroPods, challenges Scott had to overcome as an entrepreneur and pivots Scott had to make in order to scale and sustain his business amidst a global pande...
9
Aug. 3, 2020

S1E9: 009 Andrew Carter - Distributed Farming: How Smallhold Is Growing and Networking in the Ag Space

Andrew Carter is the co-founder and CEO at Smallhold the first, and only, organic farm in NYC. Andrew is a greenhouse and vertical farming specialist, with extensive experience with baby cut greens, lettuce, basil, tomatoes, and mushroom production. Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he and Andrew discuss the intricate nature of mushroom farming, challenges that Smallhold has overcome in the wake of Covid-19 and myths and preconceived notions about mushrooms as a crop. Speci...
8
July 21, 2020

S1E8: 008 Virginia Emery - Frass Happens: Dissecting Insect Farming

Virginia Emery is an entrepreneur with a passion for insects and the founder and CEO of Beta Hatch, a company that grows insects as sustainable protein for animal feed. Virginia’s current mission is the save the world by breeding a bug that tastes like bacon. Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he and Virginia discuss the fascinating world of insect farming, its impact on the vertical farming industry and the importance of promoting diversity in this ever-growing market. Spec...
7
July 10, 2020

S1E7: 007 Nicola Kerslake - Funding the Indoor AgTech Space

Nikola Kerslake is a registered investment adviser and founder of Contain, a fintech platform for indoor agriculture that aids indoor farmers in finding lease funding for their projects. Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he and Nicola discuss common misconceptions about the indoor AgTech space, access to funding, and how her experience as a manager of private equity funds has contributed to her success in the vertical farming industry. Special thanks to our Season 1 Sponsor...
6
June 29, 2020

S1E6: 006 Dave Ridill - From Paramedic Firefighter to Vertical Farmer

Dave Ridill is a hydroponic farmer as well as the owner and head of operations at Clawson Greens, an organization that supplies Teton Valley and surrounding areas with fresh clean greens, locally grown year-round. Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he and Dave discuss the learning curve of vertical farming, the impact that Covid-19 has had on the industry and the importance of being nimble as an entrepreneur. Dave tells the story of how he chose a career as a vertical farmer ...
5
June 18, 2020

S1E5: 005 Jon Friedman - A Green Mind

Jon Friedman is the COO and co-founder of Freight Farms, an organization that provides agricultural products and services that enable on-site commercial food production anywhere in the world. Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he and Jon discuss the growth of the AgTech industry, the value of marketing and the grant Jon and his team received from NASA to further their work with vertical farming. Special thanks to our Season 1 Sponsor IGS – https://intelligentgrowthsolutions....
4
June 10, 2020

S1E4: 004 Henry Gordon Smith - Exploring the Socioeconomic Divide in Agriculture

Henry Gordon Smith is a global AgTech leader, speaker and founder of Agritecture, a global leader in urban agriculture consulting services. Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he and Henry discuss the business model of vertical farming and urban agriculture. They expound on the racial and socioeconomic divide within agriculture as well as the ongoing ‘food apartheid.’ Finally, Henry speaks to upcoming events and projects he and his organization are working towards. Special th...
3
May 29, 2020

S1E3: 003 Stephen Pankhurst - Analyzing the Evolution and Profitability of Vertical Farming

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show process improvement engineer and vertical farming expert, Stephen Pankhurst. In this episode, Stephen talks about the origin story of his wildly popular YouTube channel, Exa Cognition, which touches on all things technology including vertical farming. He expounds on the barriers of entry, profitability and evolution of vertical farming. Special thanks to our Season 1 Sponsor IGS – https://intelligentgrowthsolutions....
2
May 20, 2020

S1E2: 002 Louisa Burwood-Taylor - The Biggest Challenges Facing Indoor Agriculture

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show AgTech journalist, Louisa Burwood-Taylor. As a journalist and editor, Louisa covers foodtech, agriculture, venture capital investment and corporate innovation within the indoor agriculture industry. In this episode, Harry and Louisa discuss the societal impact of indoor agriculture and vertical farming, the emergence of competition, and biggest threats and challenges currently facing this niche industry. Special than...
1
May 5, 2020

S1E1: 001 David Farquhar - It's Time For the Industry to Grow Up

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show serial entrepreneur and CEO of Intelligent Growth Solutions, David Farquhar. In this episode, Harry and David break down the emergence of vertical farming technologies, opportunities that have been created due to the current global pandemic, and projects that David and his team have been working on within his organization. Special thanks to our Season 1 Sponsor IGS – https://intelligentgrowthsolutions.com/ Key Takea...
May 2, 2020

Vertical Farming Podcast Trailer

In this trailer episode I share the origin story of the Vertical Farming Podcast, including what inspired me to start the show, as well as a preview of the upcoming guests for Season 1. Visit to https://verticalfarmingpodcast.com/ to be notified as soon as new episodes are published. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy