IPO Edge and the Palm Beach Hedge Fund Association hosted a fireside chat with the CEO and CFO of AeroFarms on Thursday, Aug. 12 at 2pm EDT to discuss the company’s underlying business fundamentals, recent strategic partnerships, the ongoing expansion of the company’s vertically integrated supply chain from farm to retail, and the pending business combination with Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: SV). IPO Edge recently published an analysis of the transaction, which can be read here. The live event features AeroFarms Co-Founder & CEO David Rosenberg and CFO Guy Blanchard. The panelists were joined by IPO Edge Editor-in-Chief John Jannarone and Multimedia Editor Alexandra Lane in a moderated video session lasting approximately 60 minutes including a Q&A with the audience.
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AeroFarms has pioneered and led the indoor vertical farming industry with disruptive technology and commercial operations that allows plants to grow in a highly efficient, automated setting, achieving up to 390x greater productivity while using up to 95 percent less water and zero pesticides versus traditional field farming. Their proprietary technology platform includes lighting, machine learning, and environmental controls – all of which took years to refine before the company started selling at scale produce to retailers from their global headquarters and home to the world’s largest indoor vertical farm using aeroponics. That gives it a major head start – and a competitive moat – from rivals who might try to replicate its offering.
Messrs. Rosenberg and Blanchard discuss:
- The newly-announced facility in St. Louis and plans for crops
- Business combination overview and voting process
- AeroFarms underlying business fundamentals: proven concept, economically viable, ready to scale
- Partnering with Nokia Bell Labs
- ‘Leafy Green’ product expansion
- Retail growth and future expansion
- Indoor vertical farm expansion
About the Speakers:
David Rosenberg is a serial entrepreneur and industry disruptor with over two decades of experience building change-the-world companies. He’s the Co-Founder and CEO of AeroFarms – the world leader in vertical farming. He was Co-Chair of the Young Global Leaders Circular Economy Taskforce at the World Economic Forum, a B20 Sustainable Food Systems Taskforce member, Board Member at Aspire and Clara Foods, and Managing Trustee of New Jersey’s Liberty Science Center.
Guy Blanchard serves as Chief Financial Officer of AeroFarms. From 2014 to 2016, Guy served as Vice President, Corporate Development of AeroFarms. Prior to serving in his roles at AeroFarms, Guy previously worked as a Senior Vice President at Amonix, Inc., a Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group’s Drawbridge Funds and Vice President of GATX Capital Corporation. Guy holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Managerial Economics from the University of California, Davis.
Contact:
John Jannarone, Editor-in-Chief
Twitter: @ipoedge
