Oishii aims to make vertical farming mainstream in the United States and is the only vertical farm in the country that sells strawberries year-round Vertical farming startup Oishii has raised…

Oishii aims to make vertical farming mainstream in the United States and is the only vertical farm in the country that sells strawberries year-round

Vertical farming startup Oishii has raised $134 million in its Series B funding round. The funding was led by Japan’s leading telecommunications company NTT, and attracted investors who specialise in sustainable agriculture, food tech and automation, such as Bloom8, McWin Capital Partners, the Japan Green Investment Corporation for Carbon Neutrality and Yaskawa Electric Corporation.

Oishii’s indoor farms are pollinated by bees, which allows them to grow a variety of produce beyond just leafy greens. The funding will help the company open a solar-powered facility, expand distribution to new markets, and invest in advanced robotics and energy-saving technologies.

Efficiency has been a key factor in Oishii’s success. The company has partnered with Yaskawa to develop harvesting robots and has optimised AI models to improve bee pollination, environmental controls, and farm output.

Oishii aims to mainstream vertical farming in the United States and is the only vertical farm in the country selling strawberries year-round. The company grows its products without pesticides and has been certified by the Non-GMO Project. With this latest funding, Oishii has raised $189 million since its founding in 2016 and is planning to expand further across the Northeast.