Tag: capital

Indoor Ag-Con Announces Day Two 2026 Keynote: ‘The State of CEA Finance: Capital Flows, Discipline, and Lessons Learned’ for 2026 Conference

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on December 8, 2025. Posted in Blog, Press Releases.

Indoor Ag-Con, the largest trade show and conference for the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) sector, has announced the Day Two keynote for its February 11-12, 2026 event in Las Vegas. Titled “The State of CEA Finance: Capital Flows, Discipline, and Lessons Learned,” the keynote will take place on Thursday, February 12 from 8:00–8:50 AM PST and will feature a fireside chat with two of the most influential voices shaping CEA and agri-food finance: Dave Chen, Co-Founder & CEO of Equilibrium, and David Verbitsky, President & Managing Director of Verbitsky Capital.

As the industry continues to mature following a decade marked by rapid expansion, shifting capital dynamics, and heightened scrutiny on operational performance, this keynote will offer attendees a candid look at the financial landscape influencing CEA today. The conversation will explore:

How and where capital is moving across the CEA value chain
How financing discipline has evolved since the sector’s early boom years
The risks associated with scaling too quickly
The lessons investors, operators, and suppliers must carry forward to build resilient, profitable businesses

“Finance continues to be one of the most important and closely watched aspects of controlled environment agriculture,” said Brian Sullivan, CEO, Indoor Ag-Con. “Dave and David bring valuable perspective shaped by years of working across the broader food and agriculture investment landscape. We’re pleased to offer attendees a grounded, practical conversation that will help operators and partners navigate the changing financial environment.”

This keynote is part of Indoor Ag-Con’s most comprehensive educational program yet, featuring 11 specialized educational tracks covering vine crops, mushrooms, berries, lettuce & herbs, conventional agriculture, food safety, cannabis, unique approaches, general applications, and more. Attendees will also experience an expo hall showcasing hundreds of CEA technologies and solutions, along with numerous networking opportunities designed to foster meaningful connections and industry-wide collaboration.

Speaker Profiles

Dave Chen, Co-Founder & CEO, Equilibrium

Dave is co-founder and CEO of Equilibrium Capital Group which was founded nearly 18 years ago with the mission to build an institutional asset manager focused on sustainable infrastructure investment strategies that could make a positive impact on our climate challenges. Equilibrium invests in sustainable food & agriculture and carbon transition infrastructure. With offices in San Francisco, Portland, and London, the firm serves a global group of institutional investors.

Dave started his career at Solectron and at McKinsey. He served as Chairman of the Portland Oregon Branch of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank 2005-2012. He was a general partner of OVP Venture Partners and a co-founder of GeoTrust (acquired by VeriSign). He was a board member of HNCS (NASDAQ) 1999-2002, the pioneer in applying neural net technology to deliver application software for real time credit card fraud detection for the banking sector and in healthcare insurance fraud detection, later merged with FICO (NASDAQ:HNCS, now NYSE:FIC). For the past 15 years, he has also been an Adjunct Professor of Finance at the Kellogg School Management at Northwestern University and Director of the Kellogg Impact Investing Program.

David Verbitsky, President & Managing Director, Verbitsky Capital

With more than 15 years of investment banking and entrepreneurial experience, David Verbitsky has advised on over $200B in M&A and financing transactions across the Agriculture & Food industry. His background includes serving as Global Head of Agriculture & Nutrition Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs; Global Head of AgTech & Sustainable Food Investment Banking at Nomura Greentech; and prior roles within Barclays’ Chemicals & Agriculture investment banking team.

David Verbitsky’s experience spans early-stage innovators, family-owned operators, private equity, and large multinationals across the entire Agri-Food value chain. His career also includes venture capital roles, strategic advisory work in agri-food innovation, and operational leadership as CFO of Invaio, an AgTech start-up. He holds an MBA from Rice University and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University.

Indoor Ag-Con will announce details of its Opening Morning Keynote—The State of the CEA Industry from the CEA Alliance—in the coming weeks.

ABOUT INDOOR AG-CON

Founded in 2013, Indoor Ag-Con has emerged as the largest trade show and conference for vertical farming | greenhouse | controlled environment agriculture (CEA). The event brings together industry professionals from across the globe to explore the latest trends, technologies, and innovations in the CEA sector. Its events are crop-agnostic and touch all sectors of the business, covering produce, legal cannabis | hemp, alternate protein and non-food crops. More information, visit www.indoor.ag

iGrow News Launches 2025 European Indoor Farming Report

Written by Industry News Release on June 23, 2025. Posted in Blog.

iGrow News, part of the AgTech Media Group, has officially launched the 2025 European Indoor Farming Report, which is now publicly available for download.

This year’s edition offers a detailed overview of the European indoor farming landscape, covering greenhouse consolidation, investment patterns, and technological adoption across vertical farming and high-tech greenhouse operations. It combines firsthand insights from technology providers, operators, and analysts across the region.

Key Themes Explored:

● Ongoing consolidation among Europe’s largest greenhouse operators
● Fewer individual players but increased acreage under production
● Stronger demand for automation in propagation, lighting, and environmental control
● Regional growth opportunities and capital market trends in CEA

Who Is This Report For?

The European Indoor Farming Report is designed for professionals, stakeholders, and decision-makers across the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) value chain. This includes:

● Investors and Venture Capitalists seeking market insights and emerging opportunities in the indoor farming sector.
● Greenhouse and Vertical Farm Operators exploring benchmarks, technology integrations, and regional trends.
● AgTech Startups and Solution Providers looking to understand market demands and identify strategic partners.
● Policy Makers and Public Sector Entities interested in data-driven perspectives on food security, innovation, and sustainability in Europe.
● Academic Institutions and Researchers examining the evolution of CEA technologies and business models.

Whether you’re evaluating market entry, scaling operations, or investing in innovation, this report provides the data, expert perspectives, and industry context to inform your next move.

The report is co-authored by Sepehr A. Achard, COO of AgTech Media Group and Publisher of iGrow News, and Thea-Isabella Otto, Head of The Indoor Farmer and Founder of Women in CEA.

“An increasing number of companies are looking to integrate technologies throughout their supply chains, rather than seeking a one-size-fits-all solution,” said Sepehr A. Achard. “This trend is reflected in the rise of greenhouses adopting vertical farms specifically for their propagation units.”

“The trend towards autonomous growing is clearly visible.” said Thea-Isabella Otto. “However, until full implementation it will still take some years.”

The European edition follows the successful launch of the U.S. Indoor Farming Report earlier this year, with a GCC-focused edition slated for release in Q3.

📥 Download the 2025 European Indoor Farming Report here: https://igrownews.com/agtech-report/indoor-farming/europe/

About iGrow News
iGrow News, part of the AgTech Media Group, is a leading digital platform reporting on global innovations in agriculture technology. Reaching over 50,000 monthly readers, it delivers up-to-date coverage on controlled environment agriculture, precision farming, biotech, and AgTech investment. iGrow News is the publisher behind the Vertical Farming Podcast, AgTech Digest, and The Indoor Farmer. More info:
📧 hello@agtechmediagroup.com 🌐 https://igrownews.com

A Unique Form of Funding Could Provide Relief For Indoor Vertical Farms

Written by CSC Leasing Company on August 19, 2023. Posted in Blog, Exhibitor News.

High Operating Costs and Shrinking VC Are Big Challenges

Indoor vertical farming has seen significant growth. In fact, the industry is expected to exceed $35.3 billion by 2032, up from $5.6 billion in 2022. It is also expected to achieve a compound annual growth rate of 20.8% by 2032, according to Market.us.

There’s a lot driving the trend. Supply chain issues have disrupted distribution for traditional farms. The climate crisis will continue to reduce crop yields. We’re seeing increasing demand for year-round access to fresh fruits and vegetables. And a growing population means we need more food for more people.

The world needs indoor and vertical gardening — and investors have taken notice. Last year, indoor vertical farming investments surpassed $2.4 billion.

Whether that type of investment continues is uncertain. According to PitchBook’s Q1 2023 AgTech Report, indoor farms raised $75.8 million globally across 14 deals in the first three months of 2023, down 70% in deal value from the previous quarter and 91% year-over-year. So far this year, there’s less VC funding available to fill indoor farmers’ coffers. It doesn’t mean the money’s not available; it just may be harder to obtain.

Current challenges eat away at capital

Indoor farmers are facing some headwinds right now. Generally speaking, indoor and vertical growing facilities come with hefty operating costs. These organizations need significant capital to build out facilities and buy equipment.

Additionally, these facilities require a great deal of energy to operate, and that is particularly challenging as we saw electricity prices rise 10.2 percent over the last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Organizations in the industry need cash reserves to cover these high costs.

Indoor vertical gardening also requires highly skilled, qualified people to run the operations. Organizations are competing for workers with a unique skill set in a small talent pool. They need the money to both recruit them and pay them their value.

For many organizations, the cost of building and running their operations is bleeding the equity well dry. They simply don’t have the capital for activities that enable them to scale, like expanding their facilities, hiring the right people, and marketing their product.

Overcoming these challenges requires thinking outside of the box in terms of funding.

Extending the cash runway with equipment leasing

With the potential for less money coming in from outside sources—and both the cost of inflation and energy not going anywhere in the near term—indoor and vertical farming companies will need to figure out ways to stretch the money they do have.

One way to do that is through equipment leasing, which is a flexible low-cost way to finance the type of equipment needed to build and outfit an indoor growing facility. CSC Leasing, for example, offers a non-dilutive equipment lease line up to $20 million that doesn’t have warrants or require restrictive covenants.

Also, what many business owners don’t know is that they may be eligible for a sale leaseback, where an equipment financier purchases pre-owned equipment and places it under lease. For example, CSC offers up to 100% reimbursement, providing organizations with a much-needed influx of cash.

Equipment leasing can enable organizations to:

Conserve equity capital and bank facilities for mission-critical growth and other key operating initiatives, rather than spending it on depreciating assets.
Plan more effectively and establish a safety net with predictable payments spread out over several years.
Hold on to equity in the business—if the lessor offers non-dilutive equipment financing options.
Gain the liquidity to respond quickly to overcome challenges, act on opportunities and avoid risks.
Stay on the cutting edge with new technology and avoid the burden of costly obsolescence and equipment disposal.

Ultimately, equipment leasing can provide indoor and vertical gardening organizations with the cash they need to continue to grow the business—even as challenges persist.

If you would like to learn more about CSC’s variety of solutions, contact Jess Hawthorne at jhawthorne@cscleasing.com or 804-239-7368.