NSF Awards $274,525 Grant to Leaficient, Building Momentum to Revolutionize Indoor Farm Lighting
Pittsburgh, 8/1/2023 – Agritech startup Leaficient has been awarded a $274,525 award by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. This award will bolster Leaficient’s pioneering efforts in greenhouse and indoor growing, marking another milestone in the company’s journey to reshape the future of sustainable food production.
Leaficient’s approach, using computer vision and AI to improve plant growth through customized lighting, has garnered attention from innovation hubs and academic institutions in Pittsburgh. The company was selected for the inaugural cohort of Innovation Works’ Robotics Factory, a testament to its potential to solve big problems using robotics. In addition, Leaficient is participating in Carnegie Mellon University Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship program, VentureBridge, an initiative designed to bridge the gap between startups and real-world market needs. And earlier this year, Leaficient was selected as the first place recipient at Duquesne University’s 2023 New Venture Challenge, showcasing its promise to industry experts.
The recent NSF grant underscores the broader impact of Leaficient’s mission. By optimizing the use of light sources in controlled environment agriculture and indoor growing applications through machine learning and computer vision, the startup is poised to provide unprecedented control of plant growth while significantly reducing the energy costs typically associated with contained agricultural systems.
Brian Stancil, CEO of Leaficient, expressed his gratitude and optimism: “We are extremely grateful for the support of our community and the NSF. There is a real need to make sustainable agriculture accessible and efficient – and we’re excited about the impact this technology will have on growers and ultimately the consumer.”
The NSF selected Leaficient based on both the intellectual merit and broader societal impact of their novel technology. Leaficient’s approach not only promises energy conservation but also brings about greater yield predictability, crop consistency, and helps reduce costs barriers for greenhouse and indoor growers. All of this translates to broader access to healthy and affordable produce.
For more information on Leaficient’s journey and their groundbreaking solutions, please visit www.leaficient.com.
Leaficient is an agritech startup working at the intersection of innovation and sustainability. Through a blend of cutting-edge technology, Leaficient reimagines lighting for indoor agriculture. By tracking plant metrics during the course of plants growth, their solution gives plants the exact amount of light they need, when they need it to minimize wasted energy and drive predictable increases in yield and quality for crops.
Media Contact:
Brian Stancil
media@leaficient.com