S3E31: Niko Kivioja - High-Tech for Small Vertical Farms

Episode Summary

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show Niko Kivioja. Niko is the CEO of Netled, an organization that designs and builds the high-tech platform for the world's smartest vertical farms. Niko spent the first part of his career in controlled-environment-agriculture as a grower and has spent the last decade in high-tech closed-environment and vertical farming technology development. In this episode, Harry and Niko discuss the Niko’s familial history of entrepreneurship and the inspiration to start Netled. Niko speaks to the proprietary Vera vertical farming platform development that he’s recently been managing, how the global pandemic impacted the food supply chain and what excites him the most about the future of Netled and the vertical farming industry as a whole.

Episode Sponsor

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Key Takeaways

05:49 – Harry welcomes to the show Niko Kivioja, CEO of Netled, who talks about his educational background and the work he’s doing at Netled
12:59 – Niko speaks to his family’s history of entrepreneurship
16:30 – The inspiration to launch Netled and how vertical farming changed the traditional idea of greenhouses
21:28 – Niko expounds on Vera Instore solutions
24:23 – Companies that expressed early interest in Netled
26:03 – Niko talks about expanding and building their first vertical farm in North America and how the pandemic has impacted his business
30:40 – Netled’s partnership with Vertigo Farms
35:59 – Shifting trends in demand that Niko has noticed
38:04 – Niko speaks to Netled’s growth and his own personal growth as a leader
40:58 – Niko discusses challenges and opportunities for growing his team
44:32 – A difficult question Niko has had to ask himself recently
47:26 – What excites Niko the most about the future of vertical farming
48:54 – Harry thanks Niko for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can learn more about Netled and connect with Niko