Key Takeaways
- Area 2 Farms secured $9 million in a funding round led by Slow Ventures and Seven Seven Six, with participation from ANIMO Ventures.
- The company designs and supports soil-based indoor farms located within communities to shorten food supply chains.
- Area 2 Farms emphasizes crop diversity, including greens, herbs, root vegetables, and microgreens.
- A pilot farm in Arlington, Virginia has delivered over 20,000 harvests to more than 1,000 customers.
- The new funding will support technology infrastructure, farm expansion, and partnerships in real estate, education, and food access.
Area 2 Farms Funding Round and Investors
Arlington, Virginia-based Area 2 Farms has closed a $9 million funding round to expand its network of local, soil-based indoor farms. The round was led by early-stage venture firm Slow Ventures and tech-focused Seven Seven Six, with additional participation from ANIMO Ventures.
Sam Lessin of Slow Ventures said: “I have wanted to see someone execute on this vision for a long time. The future is decentralized, and while deconstructing a massive, centralized supply chain as the best way to scale seems counterintuitive, it’s just fundamentally right. Farmers are in trouble, and are being eaten up by conglomerates, at the same time it is harder and harder for people to get access to great food.”
Pilot Operations and Expansion
The pilot farm in Arlington has produced more than 20,000 harvests for over 1,000 customers and has engaged students through educational initiatives. New farms are being developed in Fairfax, Virginia, with longer-term ambitions of placing a farm within 10 miles of every American household.
Founder and CEO Oren Falkowitz stated: “Only 16 cents of every dollar spent on food goes to the farmer. Local agriculture is the key to solving this. Next time you see the word ‘farm’ or ‘farmer’ look around and ask where they are—by bringing farmers back into our communities, you can actually meet him or her, feed families better food and reduce dependence on overstretched supply chains.”
Area 2 Farms Investor Perspective
Seven Seven Six Founder Alexis Ohanian, who also co-founded Reddit, noted: “Farms are essential infrastructure — and Area 2 is proving that local food can scale. Bringing farms closer to home isn’t just about freshness — it’s about resilience, access, and building a better food system for everyone.”
According to Ohanian, the funding will also enable investments in technology and partnerships in real estate, education, and food access programs.
