Podcast appearances and mentions of allison kopf

This week: at the recent sustainable commodities and land use forum, CEO of TRACT, Allison Kopf, spoke with Ian Welsh about how companies are updating their compliance and due diligence procedures. They also talk about the impacts of potential European Union deforestation regulation delay.   Plus: quick fire insights from Kresse Wesling, co-founder of Elvis and Kresse, at the 2024 sustainable apparel and textiles conference. She discusses what good sustainability practices look like and how companies can respond to incoming regulation.   And, biodiversity COP16 fails to resolve conservation funding, targets unmet; study suggests natural regeneration outperforms tree planting for biodiversity; and, Swiss consumers favour paying extra for dairy with better animal welfare, in the news digest.   Host: Ian Welsh   Registrations for the 2025 sustainable apparel and textiles conference in Amsterdam is now open. Click here for information on how to get involved.

Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh speaks with Anne Rosenbarger, global engagement manager for supply chains at the World Resources Institute, and TRACT's CEO, Allison Kopf, to explore the transformative role of data in the food and agriculture sector. From the importance of traceability to the challenges posed by new regulations, they delve into how data collection and analysis are shaping the future of sustainable farming. They discuss how businesses can use data to not only comply with regulations but also drive real impact and innovation in their supply chains.

This week: Allison Kopf from TRACT and Anne Rosenbarger from World Resources Institute speak with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about data collection and analysis in the food and agriculture sector. Hear them talk about regulation's impact, and why a farmer-centric approach is the only way to go.     Plus: Major companies are revising their ambitious 2025 packaging sustainability goals amid industry challenges; why climate change and EU regulations are driving up coffee prices; the UK government's new clean energy initiative; and Mighty Earth accuses  Spain's main supermarket chains of not doing enough to fight deforestation, in the news digest by Innovation Forum's Ellen Atiyah. 

Episode SummaryAllison Kopf is the Chief Growth Officer at iUNU, a software development company that's building the future of the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry through their AI-driven LUNA platform that enables growers to develop a feedback loop between capturing data and managing processes to create precise, predictable production. Today, Harry welcomes Allison back to the show for Round 2 where they discuss the merging of Artemis and iUNU, her new role as Chief Growth Officer, and the many ways she's helping to promote and empower female founders and entrepreneurs. Thanks to Our SponsorsCultivatd – https://cultivatd.com/ (https://cultivatd.com/) Key Takeaways07:13 – Harry welcomes Allison Kopf back to the show to talk about her experience at Indoor AgTech and her new position as Chief Growth Officer at iUNU  10:54 – The origin story of iUNU and feedback from growers on implementing this new system  20:13 – Where Allison is identifying new opportunities for growth  26:58 – The learning curve going from Artemis to iUNU and the amazing potential of AI and augmented reality   31:47 – Nokia's Influencer Series on Food Waste  34:46 – Allison reflects on her time as Entrepreneur in Residence at NDRC  39:58 – How XFactor Ventures is helping female founders  41:58 – A tough question Allison has had to ask herself recently and best practices that have become critical to her success  46:41 – A specific ask Allison has for the audience  48:04 – Harry thanks Allison for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with her and learn more about iUNU Tweetable Quotes“Honestly, it's so hugely valuable with a system like this. Yes, it's sometimes difficult to start up with a new system like this. Old technology has a learning curve to it, so you have to kind of get used to this, or maybe change your processes slightly to fit into the new system. But at the end of the day, what we're focused on is driving real, tangible, calculable value for these growers. Our growers on average are seeing 3x returns on investment every year that they implement this system. And it's continuous throughout the system because of how much value we can drive.” (14:29) (Allison)  “One of the really neat things about this system is it really helps drive that comprehensive coverage component that is really tough to do.” (16:39) (Allison)  “There's a huge understanding process that has to happen because, especially for growers, they're very very talented at doing these things. And so they're used to seeing things that they've created. So, you take a tomato grower who's used to doing crop registration and they're great at it. The problem isn't that they're not good at it. The problem is that they can't do it comprehensively for each plant.” (24:56) (Allison)  “I think that the augmenting of what we're doing in reality is amazing. We have a grower shortage. We all know this. We have to acknowledge this. But, if we can augment our growers and turn one grower into ten growers and think about it that way, that to me is almost magical. Except that it's not magic, it's science.” (28:17) (Allison)  “The more I get into something, the more questions I end up having. It's not the more answers you have, it's the more questions. And that's a good scenario because it prompts you to think about things in different ways.” (33:23) (Allison)  “I've always been deeply curious. I just want to dig into things more, and more, and more, and learn because there's so much to learn. If we ever want to have the belief that we can build something bigger and make a lasting impact on an industry or on the world, to me, part of that has to be this open mindset of learning.” (37:29) (Allison)  Resources MentionedAllison's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonkopf/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonkopf/)  iUNU – https://iunu.com/...

What happens when you combine a powerful cultivation software with an AI and computer vision platform? No one would know better than the Founder of Artemis and Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Data Products at iUNU Allison Kopf, one of the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30. She helps us understand how data-driven technology is transforming the agriculture business and paving the way for advances in inventory tracking, production planning, yield forecasting, pest and disease management, food safety, labor tracking, and much more. If it's part of the modern food chain, Allison Kopf knows how to fix it. About Allison Kopf Allison Kopf is the Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Data Products at iUNU, the leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) company serving the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) industry. Previously, Kopf founded CEA software company Artemis, which was acquired by iUNU in 2021. Artemis won the highly coveted Disrupt Cup at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco in 2015. Kopf was named one of Forbes 2019 30 Under 30 as well as the 2021 Global Women Fresh "Woman of Impact." She is a sought-after speaker on the future of agriculture, giving keynotes at such conferences as TEDx, Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit, Forbes AgTech Summit and the Alltech Ideas Conference. Kopf sits on the Boards of Santa Clara University's College of Arts and Sciences, the Ciocca Center for Entrepreneurship, and Cargill EDGE; is an entrepreneur-in-residence at Ireland's national accelerator, NDRC; and is an Investment Partner at XFactor Ventures. About iUNU Founded in 2013, IUNU (“you knew”) is building the future of the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry. The company's AI-driven LUNA platform enables growers to develop a feedback loop between capturing data and managing processes to create precise, predictable production.

Their mission is to change the status quo and leverage the talent of Women in Produce to close the industry's gender divide by inspiring, connecting and empowering women around the world. And their mission matters more than ever. Today, women account for 80% of purchasing decisions, but only 20% of the voices guiding decisions in the boardroom. What's more, is that by 2030 we'll need the equivalent of two planets to feed a growing world population of 10 billion people – half of them female. Our industry is being called upon to feed the world more humanely, sustainably and efficiently – and more female leadership is a critical part of the answer. Beanstalk Global has partnered up with Global Women Fresh to create a unique monthly Broadcast interview series. This to further promote the great work they do, to gain them more members ongoing and additional corporate sponsorship as well as to assist them to make a long-term difference in the Global Fresh Produce sectors. In the very successful “Coffee and Tea with Global Women Fresh” series, for September we are majoring on the Topic of Women and Venture Capital in the Ag Tech World with a number of key global experts. Our goal is to share some of the challenges that still women face in the VC world and the lack of investment around Women startups. Also, this is an opportunity to inspire and empower women around the world who may have a great business idea, but they are not quite sure how to get their business to the next level.  Joining them for the October broadcast will be: Allison Kopf is the Founder and CEO of Artemis, the market-leading Cultivation Management Platform serving the fruit, vegetable, floriculture, cannabis, and hemp industries. She is an internationally recognized expert on modern agriculture and has spoken at leading conferences including TEDx, TechCrunch Disrupt, and various Forbes summits. Artemis won the highly coveted Disrupt Cup at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco. Kopf was named one of Forbes 2019 30 Under 30, the 2021 "Woman of Impact" award from Global Women Fresh, as well as one of New York Business Journal's 2019 "Women of Influence." Allison is an Investment Partner at XFactor Ventures and serves on the boards of Cargill EDGE, Santa Clara University's College of Arts and Sciences, and Santa Clara University's Center for Entrepreneurship. She holds a BS in Physics from Santa Clara University. Martha Montoya has over 28 years of worldwide IT, telecommunications, food and agricultural and supply chain experience. From setting up production lines across the world for telecommunications to sourcing ingredients from the Americas to New Zealand, Australia and Thailand. Traveling while delivering projects beneficial for the supplier and customers in over 4 continents, Martha dealt with both small and and industrial size stakeholders or suppliers, government entities and sophisticated buyers. appointed to the  Board of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, served on the Worldwide Advisory Board of Women for Walmart, Executive Board of United States Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and several additional boards.   Martha founded and is the CEO of Agtools Inc.  The company delivers a technology solution at www.ag.tools that allows farmers and food supply chain stakeholders to make better decisions, increase profits, avoid waste and impact climate change.  Her day to day contribution to the company includes strategic decision making, Sales, marketing and management of team members and forging relationships with collaborative companies for growth.

Episode Summary Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show speaker, investor and entrepreneur, Allison Kopf. Allison is the Founder and CEO of Artemis, the market-leading Cultivation Management Platform serving the fruit, vegetable, floriculture, cannabis, and hemp industries. Allison was named one of Forbes 2019 30 Under 30 as well as one of New York Business Journal's 2019 "Women of Influence." In this episode, Harry and Allison discuss Allison’s background in physics and what influenced her to enter into the field of AgTech. They talk about Allison’s time at the startup BrightFarms, lessons she’s learned throughout her entrepreneurial journey and her passion for developing software that can help the overall AgTech industry. Episode Sponsor CULTIVATD Key Takeaways 03:22 – Harry welcomes to the show Allison Kopf, Founder and CEO of Artemis, who talks about her passion for science and what inspired her to work in agriculture 14:56 – Allison talks about the supportive role her mother played in her entrepreneurial journey and what she loves about mentoring other founders 18:01 – Allison recalls her time working at the startup BrightFarms and provides best practices for aspiring entrepreneurs 32:14 – The inspiration to launch Artemis and the need to leverage new technologies and systematize processes 47:21 – What excites Allison the most about the future initiatives of Artemis 50:40 – Allison’s role at the investment firm XFactor Ventures 56:49 – A tough question Allison has had to ask herself recently 58:23 – Harry thanks Allison for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can connect with her  Tweetable Quotes “My mother always tells me, ‘A girl can dream.’ She loves to let me dream and always has supported my brain and the weirdness that comes with that.”(15:12) “I love mentoring. I really love coaching other founders, if only just to avoid all the mistakes that I’ve made and to speed up their paths to success. It’s a lot of fun. There’s something infectious about founders and entrepreneurs in that, it’s being around that energy of ‘I can do something that has a meaningful impact on this world and can make a dent and secure my place in this universe.’”(17:02) “You really have to just go out there and do it. You have to go out there and sell stuff and talk about your vision.”(25:35) “I started becoming obsessed with this idea that software could broaden the [AgTech] industry, could help it expand, could help operators do it in a sustainable and profitable way.”(35:16) “We’re not gonna build fast just for the sake of building fast. We’re gonna build good products, get them out to the market fast and work with our customers to always improve.”(44:30) “There is something to say about understanding the founder and the founder mentality and trying to find that and invest in that. And that is something that you can do as a founder because you know what the day-to-day is like so you can recognize that.”(54:27) Links Mentioned Artemis Website Allison’s LinkedIn Allison’s Investment Blog

Allison Kopf is the Founder and CEO of Artemis, the market-leading Cultivation Management Platform serving the fruit, vegetable, floriculture, cannabis, and hemp industries. Artemis won the highly coveted Disrupt Cup at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco in 2015. Kopf was named one of Forbes 2019 30 Under 30 as well as one of New York Business Journal's 2019 "Women of Influence." She is a sought-after speaker on the future of agriculture, giving keynotes at such conferences as TEDx, Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit, Forbes AgTech Summit, and the Alltech Ideas Conference. Allison is an Investment Partner at XFactor Ventures and serves on Cargill’s Edge Innovation Board, Cornell University's Controlled Environment Agriculture Board, and Santa Clara University's College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board. She is a Techstars Farm to Fork mentor and holds a BS in Physics from Santa Clara University. She writes about entrepreneurship and investing at www.snippets.substack.com. 

In this week's episode, we shine a light on Becoming an Entrepreneur with Allison Kopf, the Founder and CEO of Artemis. Artemis is the market-leading Cultivation Management Platform serving the fruit, vegetable, floriculture, cannabis, and hemp industries. She is an internationally recognized expert on modern agriculture and has spoken at leading conferences including TEDx, TechCrunch Disrupt, and various Forbes summits. Kopf was recently named one of Forbes 2019 30 Under 30 as well as one of New York Business Journal's 2019 "Women of Influence." Uncut Gems by mezhdunami. https://soundcloud.com/mezhdunami Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/al-uncut-gems Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/9CC2Elmv9J4 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/opal-community/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/opal-community/support

In this episode, Luke goes inside with Allison Kopf to learn about 5 non intuitive things one should know to succeed in the cannabis industry. Allison Kopf is the founder and CEO of Artemis, the market leading Cultivation Management Platform serving the fruit, vegetable, floriculture, cannabis, and hemp industries. Artemis won the highly coveted Disrupt Cup at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco. Kopf was recently named one of Forbes 2019 30 Under 30. Allison is an Investment Partner at XFactor Ventures and serves on the boards of Cornell University's Controlled Environment Agriculture program and Santa Clara University's College of Arts and Sciences. Check out Artemis: https://www.instagram.com/artemisagtech/

Offering a SaaS product that services agriculture presents unique challenges for growth and today we chat with Allison Kopf, CEO of Artemis, about what this process looks like. Artemis is a cultivation management platform that enables growers to manage people, processes, and compliance all in one place while creating a virtually risk-free operation. Allison starts by telling us about her background in energy and what drew her obsession towards enterprise-level management and infrastructure in the agricultural industry, weighing in about how software can optimize farming and supply chains to streamline operations, bring growers closer to distributors, and more. We turn our attention to why Artemis services high-risk specialty crop farmers, and how the company makes money while encouraging compliance by using a subscription model that charges by acreage and complexity. From there, Allison talks metrics for growth rates before speaking to Artemis’ customer acquisition strategies and how direct to farmer lead generation in the format of digital events is faring since COVID. The risk of burnout due to over-productivity while working at home in the pandemic is real so we query Allison next about how her passion projects of baking, venture capital, and playing Zelda are working as buffers against this. Wrapping up, Allison weighs in on her favorite venture capital books and the massive strides Zoom and Slack have made in recent months. Tune in for this amazing conversation. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:42] Allison’s background in farming and idea to tweak supply chains by creating Artemis. [02:25] What a cultivation management platform is and how software can optimize supply chains. [03:13] Why Artemis works with high-risk specialty crops directly consumed by consumers.  [05:24] How Artemis makes its money using a subscription-based SaaS model. [05:43] Encouraging compliance and why Artemis charges by acreage not user. [06:26] Employee size and growth rates at Artemis for Q1 and COVID’s influence.  [07:16] Unique customer acquisition challenges Artemis faces as an agri-SaaS product. [09:58] Talking virtual events as a way of generating quality leads during the pandemic.  [12:08] Allison’s focus on baking, venture capital, and Zelda since COVID to resist overworking. [16:30] New creative business models since COVID and venture deals Allison has closed.  [17:22] Favorite books of Allison’s about venture capital and underrepresented founders. [18:29] Talking Zoom’s growth, Slack’s usefulness, and Allison’s favorite work tools.   Resources From The Interview:   Allison Kopf on LinkedIn Allison Kopf on Twitter Allison Kopf on Instagram Allison Kopf Email Artemis   Star Wars: The Clone Wars   Zelda XFactor Ventures Zoom Eric Yuan Slack   Shoe Dog Little Black Stretchy Pants Must read book: Raising the Bar, and It’s About Damn Time     Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

On this episode of the CropTalk series, #KyleTalksAgTech, Kyle Barnett speaks with Allison Kopf, Founder & CEO of Artemis. Topics include the importance of traceability through refined data, the future landscape of growers day to day duties and overall logistics, and tactics Allison is using to lead her team through the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Our guest today is Katherine Sizov, Founder of Strella Biotechnology. This is our third Ag-tech show in our young 2nd season. We opened with Allison Kopf of Artemis, and this episode follow Hunter McDaniel of UbiQD. There will be more; it's one of our themes this season, and is increasingly important in the age of Corona-driven changes and challenges to our economy and supply chains.The first thing you should know is that Katherine is fresh out of college, and she founded Strella Biotechnology while she was still a student at the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied molecular biology and chemistry. And by the way, she was also on the fencing team. Now to us, that’s quite impressive. Katherine decided to tackle an issue that affects every single one of us: food waste. Did you know that over one third of produce never reaches the consumer? Add in the share that does reach, but that we find unsatisfactory, and we are wasting close to one half of the fruit and vegetables harvest. And that’s in a developed country like the US, with the best refrigeration technology and transport infrastructure. Imagine in the developing world. If we want to address environmental sustainability and world hunger, we must reduce this waste. To do this, Katherine tried to figure out—as she puts it—how to hack a fruit. In this podcast, Katherine explains how fruits and vegetables talk to each other, why the expression “one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel” is actually scientifically accurate, and how Strella developed specialized biosensors to reduce food waste across the supply chain. This is a fascinating and sparkling conversation, full of surprising facts and insights on the fruits and vegetables we eat every day (at least we should) and how they get to our table. Plus you will hear directly form Katherine what it’s like to become a startup entrepreneur in college – what lessons has she drawn?Strella Biotechnology is one to watch –and so is Katherine, who is just getting started.Enjoy the episode, share it with friends and colleagues, and if you can spare a few minutes do write us a review on iTunes. Thanks for being curious!Another link to follow on Food Waste: John Oliver's masterful take on the problem a few years ago, which opened many people's eyes to this travesty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8xwLWb0lLY

We hear all the time that we need to "feed the world" and that "agtech can help" But what role will indoor farming play? How do these systems work, what can they grow, and how do they make money?Today’s guest, Allison Kopf, is an agtech entrepreneur and indoor ag expert. Her company, Artemis, builds software for indoor farms and specialty crops. In this episode, rebroadcast (with updates and edits) from a couple years ago, Allison shares an indoor ag 101. We also cover the challenges for women in agtech, and how we can increase gender diversity in big and small ways. Happy (belated) International Women's Day to all our female listeners. Resources and LinksArtemis (formerly Agrilyst)Allison’s Forbes 30 under 30 interview2017 State of Indoor Ag ReportList of women in agtech that Allison started (and some press on it here)Allison and Artemis on twitter

Compliance in cannabis with Allison Kopf. Allison is the founder and CEO of Artemis, a Cultivation Management Platform serving the fruit, vegetable, floriculture, cannabis, and hemp industries. In 2015, Allison won the highly coveted Disrupt Cup at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco with the seed that would become Artemis. Allison was named a 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 as well as one of New York Business Journal's 2019 "Women of Influence." We talk about that same old song we all know: compliance. It’s necessary and a part of regulations, but sometimes these can be very burdensome for business owners trying to navigate running their businesses while keeping up with compliance.

Compliance in cannabis with Allison Kopf. Allison is the founder and CEO of Artemis, a Cultivation Management Platform serving the fruit, vegetable, floriculture, cannabis, and hemp industries. In 2015, Allison won the highly coveted Disrupt Cup at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco with the seed that would become Artemis. Allison was named a 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 as well as one of New York Business Journal's 2019 "Women of Influence." We talk about that same old song we all know: compliance. It’s necessary and a part of regulations, but sometimes these can be very burdensome for business owners trying to navigate running their businesses while keeping up with compliance.

We decided to kick off the new year, the new decade and our new season with the basics: food. Our guest Allison Kopf, founder of Artemis, set out to tackle a fundamental challenge -how to make sure the world can feed its rapidly growing population in a sustainable way. But Artemis approaches this grand problem in a very nuts-and-bolts way, namely by digitizing the agriculture supply chain so as to eliminate inefficiencies and reduce costs.Moreover, Artemis’ software enables traceability across the supply chain, which means greater security. If something goes wrong, someone gets sick, Artemis’ software will enable you to trace every step where the contamination could have occurred – and without blockchain! We also talk about the specific challenges of traceability in a biological chain, the key role of labor in agriculture and the impact of policy and immigration changes, and the challenges and opportunities for urban farming. This is a great conversation packed with insights on a sector that touches our daily lives like no other. We hope you enjoy it, pass it along and write us a review.In this episode, we also include a brief plug for our new venture, the M4 Strategy Garage. We have created a series of strategic advisory offerings tailored to startups in their growth phase. To learn more, send us a note to StrategyGarage@M4Edge.comhttps://artemisag.com/

Allison Kopf, Founder and CEO of Artemis, joins the show today to talk about systemizing your growing operations. Whatever your system, whether it's binders, clipboards and paper, or state-of-the-art analytics and software, having something is better than nothing and gives you a foundation to work from. Start with what you have and look for areas that can be automated--what manual or time-consuming task is taking you or your grower away from more critical work? Listen in as Allison shares her journey of seeing need for automation as a grower and how she turned it into a business that helps other growers get real-time insights to transform their crops--and their futures.

What’s the latest in indoor farm tech? Business is growing internationally, companies are hiring, and mushrooms are begin harvested right in the produce aisle. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi (@MmeSnack) checks-in with past guests Allison Kopf, founder/CEO of Agrilyst (@Agrylist) and Andrew Carter, CEO/Co-founder Smallhold (@smallhold.co). This episode is sponsored by ChefSteps (@chefsteps). Tech Bites is powered by Simplecast

Episode 23 - Allison Kopf on redefining what it means to farm

01:15 – Allison’s Superpower: Making Unplanned and Hectic Situations Work Out The Stockdale Paradox (https://www.ndoherty.com/stockdale-paradox/) 06:43 – Getting Into Agriculture 08:54 – Building a Company Culture 13:19 – Transmitting Culture and Core Values When Hiring New People 20:02 – Disagreeing Respectfully and Maintaining Strong Opinions 25:19 – Clear Boundaries Between Work and Home Life 32:34 – What Tech Look Looks Like in the Context of a Working Farm 40:27 – Writing Code for Non-Technical People Reflections: Coraline: Practicing empathy for the user when writing software. Jamey: Consciously make space for people who don’t speak as loudly as other people. Sam: Learn something new every day. Allison: How different people want to work remotely and how we can create an open way to actually do that. This episode was brought to you by @therubyrep (https://twitter.com/therubyrep) of DevReps, LLC (http://www.devreps.com/). To pledge your support and to join our awesome Slack community, visit patreon.com/greaterthancode (https://www.patreon.com/greaterthancode). To make a one-time donation so that we can continue to bring you more content and transcripts like this, please do so at paypal.me/devreps (https://www.paypal.me/devreps). You will also get an invitation to our Slack community this way as well. Amazon links may be affiliate links, which means you’re supporting the show when you purchase our recommendations. Thanks! Special Guest: Allison Kopf.

I first met our guest Allison Kopf, founder of Agrilyst, years ago at a Food Tech event and I’m especially excited about our conversation because it’s a close melding of the two worlds I live in: my day job at an enterprise software company and my main hustle in the world of food.  Agrilyst is a software that allows indoor farmers to analyze data that’s pulled into sensors - everything from temperature, light, CO2 - in one, integrated platform.  This then allows them to bring more stability into their operations and subsequently improve their profitability.  You might think: “Wait what?  Aren’t we already doing that?”.  Not really.   Keeping in mind that most farmers are still tracking things by hand without much data-driven analytics or are keeping data in separate silos, that most farms are barely profitable with long investment horizons, and that we definitely have significant challenges to fix in the coming years when it comes to what we eat, Agrilyst is both necessary and timely.  Everyone should give this a listen whether you’re “just” a software engineer or a hardcore foodie.     Besides talking about Agrilyst - and even if you didn’t care about food (which I doubt since you’re listening to this show) - Allison’s mindset is one we can all learn from.  Trained as a physicist, she approaches problems with critical thought and for those who hate inefficiencies, she says that the thing that gets her out of bed every day is the opportunity to fix inefficiencies.  Nowadays when it’s easy to fall into the trap of a sensationalist story, people like Allison who are able to take a look at the data and apply principles from one field to another provide a refreshing conversation.   We talk about identifying problems to fix and driving focus, creating “magical” products that people will love, why indoor farming is necessary in helping create a food system for the future, and how you can apply skills you’ve learned in one area of your life to a seemingly disparate area.  Again, whatever your background is, this interdisciplinary episode is a must if you’re interested in solving real problems in the world, food or otherwise.     For more information including notes to the show, please visit hiddenapron.com/podcast.

You are affected by agronomy everyday. Really. Anything that is grown – food, textile crops, and green public spaces - are all influenced by the science of agronomy, the practice that looks at agriculture from a holistic POV. With the increasing popularity and viability of indoor farming, agronomy has gone high tech. On this episode, we look at the virtual agronomist platform Agrilyst. It tracks and analyzes all farm data in one place, enabling growers to optimize plant performance and reduce operating expenses. In-studio guest Allison Kopf, founder/CEO of Agrilyst, talks about indoor-farming tech and growing trends for the future. Tech Bites is powered by Simplecast