Register for free to
view the full innovation profile.
LEAFY 2.0 is NASA-approved, designed for hydroponic-protected cropping, cultivating leafy greens, herbs, berries or medicinal marijuana.
About
Gaia Project Australia is a pioneering AgTech/DeepTech start-up that specializes in the development of patented disruptive technology for autonomous cultivation solutions. Our focus is on leafy greens, berry crops, and medical marijuana within the protected cropping sector, encompassing both greenhouse and vertical farm environments.
Our core intellectual property (IP) has been crafted since 2019 and has reached Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6. It has garnered recognition from leading institutions like NASA, Plants 4 Space, and the Australian Research Council. What sets our technology apart is its remarkable simplicity, which consistently outperforms complex, high-tech solutions both in terms of investment and functionality.
As we transition from a start-up to a scale-up phase, our sights are set on commercialization in 2024. We have already identified manufacturers, secured initial commercial projects, and established a promising sales pipeline.
Our journey has been marked by significant achievements, including the production of a NASA prototype, the patenting of core IP in 35 countries, the development of two complementary ancillary IPs, and fruitful partnerships with academia, space agencies, and non-governmental organizations, all while experiencing substantial market demand without the need for extensive marketing efforts.
Key Benefits
LEAFY 2.0 revolutionizes indoor farming with its bi-directional planting process. This automated system continuously adjusts plant spacing to optimize growth, achieving industry-leading densities of 50 plants per square meter – over double the 20-plant average. Forget expensive robotic or manual transplanting. LEAFY 2.0 delivers this high-density bounty at a fraction of the cost (60% lower CAPEX) and with 30% reduced operational expenses.
This breakthrough unlocks two major advancements:
· High-density farming without breaking the bank: LEAFY 2.0 makes high-density production accessible to farmers seeking greater yields and efficiency, previously out of reach due to expensive transplanting techniques.
· Affordable Agtech for all: Finally, Agtech-grown leafy greens can compete with outdoor produce on price, thanks to LEAFY 2.0's cost-efficiency. This opens up a huge new market segment beyond the current 3%, democratizing access to fresh, sustainable greens for consumers and boosting global food security.
Applications
Our target market includes existing greenhouse and vertical farm operators looking to upgrade and new entrants in the protected cropping industry. It’s important to note that current competitors can only service 1-3% of the market. Whereas our blue ocean IP addresses barriers to entry for the vast majority of farmers who can’t afford other solutions. That 1-3% of farmers who adopt the technology equates to 30k hectares of new farms annually. The controlled environment agriculture market is robust, with an 18% annual growth rate and a vast Total Addressable Market (TAM) valued at USD $90 billion. Our Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM) is estimated at USD $30 billion, with a Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM) of USD $190 million.