S8E104: Sepehr Achard / iGrow News - From Finance To Farming: My iGrow News Journey To CEA

AeroponicsAquacultureAquaponicsCEAContainer FarmingControlled Environment AgCSAFreight FarmsGreenhousesHydroponic Container FarmIndoor Vertical FarmingShipping Container Farms

Aug 5

Written By IGrow PreOwned

Vertical Farming Podcast

Episode 104

A fascinating voyage from the fashion capital of the world to the cutting edge of agricultural technology is what we have in store for you. We bring you the riveting tale of Sepehr Achard, the CEO of iGrow News. Raised in France and influenced by his experiences in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Sepehr found his calling in vertical farming—a far cry from the finance world he was initially a part of. Follow us as we traverse this intriguing shift in career paths, the risk and reward of heading a dedicated news platform for the vertical farming industry, and how an unexpected discovery in university sparked this life-changing pivot.

Join us as we discover the world of indoor farming opportunities, uncovering the dedication and perseverance it takes to cultivate successful vertical farms. Sepehr gives us a seed-to-shelf view of the growth, from hiring interns and staff, to the potential bloom of data crunching in this field. Amidst the growing saturation in the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) industry, we discuss the challenge of brand differentiation, the urgency to educate consumers, and the need to simplify complicated industry news for the benefit of local communities.

We journey through the verdant landscape of agricultural innovation, guided by Sepehr's experiences at food tech conferences and his vision of agriculture as an ecosystem touching billions of lives. We delve into the myriad facets of innovation—technology, sourcing, and production—within plant science and vertical farming. Lastly, we navigate the various channels Sepehr uses to disseminate his knowledge, offering us an unfiltered view of the blood, sweat, and tears that go into maintaining thriving vertical farms across the globe. Get ready to be rooted in place as we bring you this enthralling foray into the world of vertical farming.

Key Takeaways

01:49 - Sepehr’s origins in Dubai
10:03 - Challenges of Reporting on Vertical Farming
15:11 - The start of iGrow News
21:22 - Challenges of Differentiating in Vertical Farming
28:18 - Challenges of Expanding Into New Markets
33:24 - Public vs Private Company Correlation
38:58 - Current Innovations in Technology and Crops
42:23 - Attending Conferences and Exciting Developments

Tweetable Quotes

"You don't grow without taking some risks at some point in your life."

"When you're passionate, you don't count your hours. It's something that goes naturally and you just vibe."

"I like to uncover other perspectives. I think that way too often a lot of news sources and a lot of news outlets, they're kind of influencing the opinion that people will have on a particular subject."