Key Takeaways:
- Seasony, a Danish startup focused on mobile robotics for indoor farming, is ceasing operations.
- The company struggled to secure the necessary funding in a challenging financial environment.
- CEO Christopher Thomasen highlighted to us the ongoing belief in the potential of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) despite recent industry difficulties.
- Seasony aimed to revolutionize automation in indoor farming, leveraging best practices from warehouse automation.
- The company operated for five years, collaborating with partners and customers worldwide.
Seasony’s Journey and Challenges
Seasony announced that it is ceasing operations. The decision comes after the company faced significant challenges in securing adequate funding to continue its innovative journey.
Commenting on the announcement, Christopher Thomasen, CEO of Seasony, expressed regret over the outcome. “Despite advanced dialogues with several investors inside and outside the CEA space, we have unfortunately not found the right investor to continue our journey to bring a new wave of automation to indoor farming,” Thomasen stated. This highlights startups’ harsh realities in the volatile funding landscape, particularly within specialized sectors like CEA.
Innovations and Contributions
Seasony was dedicated to transforming automation within indoor farming by incorporating mobile robotics techniques honed in warehouse settings. Over the past five years, the company has worked diligently from its Copenhagen headquarters, partnering with various global stakeholders to advance its mission. Their efforts were focused on enhancing efficiency and productivity in vertical farming and other CEA applications, positioning themselves as a critical player in the future of food production.
Thomasen emphasized the importance of the company’s mission and the collaborations formed along the way. “I want to thank all the great partners and friends we have worked with. The CEA community is an amazing group of innovators and entrepreneurs that together try to create the future of food,” he said.
The Future of CEA and Vertical Farming
Despite the operational cessation, Thomasen remains optimistic about the CEA sector’s potential. “Despite the tough years CEA and in particular vertical farming have been through, I still believe in the potential of the industry to be a crucial piece in the future of the food ecosystem,” he elaborated. This sentiment resonates with many in the industry who continue to see CEA as a vital component in addressing global food security challenges.
Seasony Latest News
Seasony, a leader in mobile robotics for vertical farming, has closed its latest funding round with €1.5 Million, led by high-profile investors in December 2023. This investment will help Seasony revolutionize indoor farming with their flagship innovation, Watney, a mobile robot designed to automate critical farming tasks. The funding will also support Seasony’s expansion into new markets, aiming to make indoor farming more scalable and sustainable globally.
In September 2023, Seasony, a leading company in mobile robotics for vertical farming, has announced the receipt of a grant from the Danish Innovation Foundation. The project, set to launch in Fall 2023, aims to develop image recognition algorithms that will assist vertical farm growers in identifying potential issues.
Seasony, a Danish mobile robotics company, announced a technology partnership with iFarm, a leading global provider of vertical farming systems in May 2023. This partnership will allow iFarm customers to embed Seasony’s Watney mobile robot platform into their vertical farm installations to automate transportation and monitoring tasks.
Image provided by Seasony.
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