Kuwaiti investment company commits up to $100 million to Startup Battlefield alum Pure Harvest


Pure Harvest Smart Farms, a startup creating technology-enhanced greenhouses for agricultural developments throughout the Center East, has obtained a dedication of as much as $100 million from Wafra, Kuwait’s nationwide funding firm.
The primary fruits of that dedication are coming by means of within the type of a dedication from Wafra to guide Pure Harvest’s $20.6 million Collection A financing, the corporate stated.
Pure Harvest first hit the international investment stage as a part of a cohort of corporations chosen to compete in TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield MENA competitors, carried out by means of a partnership with Fb.
The multi-stage funding dedication, valued at over $100 million, comes from Wafra Worldwide Funding Firm (an entirely owned subsidiary of The Public Establishment for Social Safety) and represents the biggest dedication to a regional agricultural expertise firm within the Center East.
Because of the funding, Ghazi Al-Hajeri, the chief government of Wafra, will be part of Pure Harvest’s Board of Administrators, the corporate stated.
Pure Harvest stated that the brand new funding can be used to proceed the event of controlled-environment agricultural amenities — like greenhouses — to domesticate pesticide-free recent fruit and veggies.
The worldwide want for innovation in agriculture has by no means been larger.  The current COVID-19 disaster and ensuing provide chain disruptions additional spotlight the necessity for sustainable local-for-local meals manufacturing capability, particularly for recent, nutrient-rich meals,” stated Sky Kurtz, the founder and chief government of Pure Harvest Sensible Farms. “Along with structured debt financing that we're concurrently arranging, we'll make investments Wafra’s funds in development, key hires, enhancing our expertise portfolio, and in the end to ship our resolution throughout the areatogether with in Wafra’s dwelling market of Kuwait.”
Sensible agriculture will proceed to be an essential space for funding because the meals provide chain comes underneath growing stresses ensuing from a altering local weather. Desertification, drought, flooding and large climatic shifts are putting more pressure on the global food chain, according to the United Nations.
Within the U.S. that’s pushed investments in corporations like AppHarvest, Yard Farms, Vibrant Farms, Lufa Farms, A lot and Sq. Roots. A lot alone has raised $401 million for its indoor agricultural cultivation system. In France, Agricool has over $38 million for its personal indoor agriculture tech.
“Wafra’s funding comes at an thrilling time and can permit Pure Harvest to realize industrial economies of scale because the Firm roles out its subsequent era of superior greenhouse designs optimized for profitability and sustainability inside the MENA area,” stated David Scott, Pure Harvest’s chairman, in an announcement. “This funding additionally demonstrates the caliber and far-sighted acumen of Wafra’s management, whose actions have positioned their establishment on the virtuous facet of the irresistible macro tendencies driving explosive development in technology-enabled agriculture on this area and past.”

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