Key Takeaways
- Hippo Harvest closed a $30 million Series C funding round led by Cox Farms, North America's largest greenhouse operator.
- The funding will support a 30-acre expansion at a new Hollister, California facility, currently in permitting, and development of the company's next-generation robotic growing system.
- The round accelerates commercialization of Hippo Harvest's indoor-grown Spinach, following the early-2026 launch of its Butter Lettuce.
- Hippo Harvest's robotic growing system uses Autonomous Mobile Robots and machine learning, and the company says its greens use 92% less water, 55% less fertilizer and 94% less land than traditional agriculture.
- The Series C follows a $21 million Series B closed in February 2024 and drew participation from Congruent Ventures, Hawthorne Food Ventures, Collaborative Fund and the Fresh Investment Club.
Hippo Harvest, a leafy greens grower whose robotics- and machine learning-powered greenhouses produce USDA-certified organic greens, announced the close of a $30 million Series C funding round led by Cox Farms, North America's largest greenhouse operator.
Hippo Harvest Closes $30 Million Series C Led by Cox Farms
Cox Farms, owned by Cox Enterprises, led the round, with participation from existing and new investors including Congruent Ventures, Hawthorne Food Ventures, Collaborative Fund and the Fresh Investment Club. The round follows a $21 million Series B closed in February 2024, led by Standard Investments, with participation from Congruent Ventures, Amazon Climate Pledge Fund, Hawthorne Food Ventures and Energy Impact Partners.
Funding to Power Hollister Expansion and Spinach Launch
The investment will unlock a 30-acre expansion at a new Hollister, California facility, currently in permitting, and the development of the company's next-generation robotic growing system, expanding growing capacity from one acre today and accelerating commercialization of indoor-grown Spinach. The Spinach launch follows Hippo Harvest's early-2026 rollout of Butter Lettuce to retail buyers; together, the two products anchor a growing line of indoor-grown greens the company pairs with organic field-grown greens for broader variety and year-round supply.
Robotic System Uses AMRs to Tend and Harvest Crops
Hippo Harvest's proprietary robotic growing system uses Autonomous Mobile Robots and machine learning to monitor, tend and harvest plants at every stage of growth. The upgraded system uses robotic “tractors” to automatically respace growing modules throughout the growth cycle, maximizing space efficiency and yields. The next-generation system funded by this round is designed to increase throughput, reduce cost per unit, and speed the company's ability to bring new varieties to market. Founded in 2019 and based in Pescadero, California, Hippo Harvest is among a growing wave of indoor farming operators serving retail buyers including Sprouts, Haggen and Gus's Community Markets in San Francisco, with plans to expand across the West Coast.
Executives on Hippo Harvest's Next Phase of Growth
“Closing this round and bringing Spinach to market in the same moment is a real signal of where Hippo Harvest is headed,” said Eitan Marder-Eppstein, CEO and co-founder of Hippo Harvest. “We've spent years building a system that can grow certified organic greens consistently and at a price that works for both retailers and consumers. This investment lets us do that at the next level of scale.”
“Hippo Harvest is doing something genuinely exciting in indoor agriculture, and we're proud to be part of this next chapter,” said Steve Bradley, president of Cox Farms. “Cox Farms actively looks for opportunities to support innovation and new technologies across indoor agriculture. We can't wait to watch them scale.”
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