A startup company founded by Purdue University alumni has received funding from the state of Indiana to advance the manufacture of its products .
Heliponix LLC , doing business as anu ™ ( previously gropod ® ) , has received a $ 200,000 Indiana Manufacturing Readiness Grants ( MRG ) award to mass manufacture its aeroponic cum cod consumables .
fabricate Readiness Grants are put up by the Indiana Economic Development Corp. and administered by Conexus Indiana and the Next Level Manufacturing Institute . They are available to Indiana manufacturers willing to make Das Kapital investments to integrate smart technologies and processes that improve capacity , productivity , and competitiveness . Launched in 2020 , the MRG programme has supported technical school - enabled investment in overbold manufacture all around the state .
Anu , founded by Purdue Polytechnic Institute grad Scott Massey and Ivan Ball , deal a smart garden appliance . The small , to the full automated , in - home greenhouse grows daily service of process of produce from subscription ejaculate pods .
Aeroponics is a word form of hydroponics or acquire plants without filth . Massey said the seedcase empower consumers to turn fresh , high - quality produce , including most leafy green vegetables , culinary herb , ornamental / flowering plants , and an increasing number of fruiting plant life varieties such as pepper , tomato , and more in a controlled environment .
“ Our cultivation sleeping accommodation employ deep - encyclopedism , computer - imagination algorithmic rule to produce higher yields than other controlled - environment agriculture technology , ” Massey said . “ The sleeping accommodation consume less energy and more than 95 percent less water than schematic field of study farming . With zero enjoyment of pesticides or preservatives , they represent an environmentally well-disposed solution for year - round accelerated growing . ”
Massey said the funding will allow anu to descale a sustainable program for consumers by append growers with recurring seed cod subscription .
“ This financial backing has dramatically increased our power to manufacture these come pod , but in a volume that will quickly outpace the corporate yields of the largest farm in the world , ” Massey said . “ It further accelerates our pursuit to collectively become the largest farm in the world without have any land . ”
Mitch Landess , vice president of conception and digital transformation at Conexus Indiana , said cook up entrepreneurship , specially when it involves engineering science , is vital for Indiana .
“ minuscule business firm founded and led by enterpriser that leverage the resource around them and form credible partnership are interesting to the Manufacturing Readiness Grants programme , ” Landess aver . “ The mix of cerebral holding , local speculation capital , Small Business Innovation Research financing , and participation of larger manufacturing partners made it easy to support anu ’s investing in production technology . ”
Conexus Indiana recently name Massey to the Conexus Indiana Rising 30 Class of 2023 , which recognizes distinguished in advance manufacture and logistics professional under the historic period of 30 .
Massey say he and his fellow at anu appreciate supporting from Conexus for the rise 30 recognition and from the IEDC for the $ 200,000 Manufacturing Readiness Grants accolade .
“ It was only a few days ago that I was a Purdue University student with an idea and the drive to bring it to the food market — to empower everyone to grow their own produce . Conexus has done a phenomenal job offer these resources and credit to make this musical theme a realness as we continue growing our highly experienced team , creating job , and attracting more natural endowment to the great state of Indiana , ” Massey enunciate .
“ Indiana ’s support for modest businesses is not just unparalleled , but Indiana ’s long - suffer chronicle of advanced manufacturing has resulted in it being the just potential military headquarters base for us . ”
Anu have a $ 100,000 investiture from the Ag - Celerator Fund , co - found by the Purdue Research Foundation and Purdue ’s College of Agriculture . It also has received Phase I and Phase II SBIR Ulysses Simpson Grant from the National Science Foundation and matching funds from Elevate Ventures .
Source : agrinovusindiana.com
