S8E104: Sepehr Achard / iGrow News - From Finance to Farming: My iGrowNews Journey to CEA

A fascinating voyage from the fashion capital of the world to the cutting edge of agricultural technology is what we have in store for you. We bring you the riveting tale of Sepehr Achard, the CEO of iGrow News. Raised in France and influenced by his experiences in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Sepehr found his calling in vertical farming—a far cry from the finance world he was initially a part of. Follow us as we traverse this intriguing shift in career paths, the risk and reward of heading a dedicated news platform for the vertical farming industry, and how an unexpected discovery in university sparked this life-changing pivot.

Join us as we discover the world of indoor farming opportunities, uncovering the dedication and perseverance it takes to cultivate successful vertical farms. Sepehr gives us a seed-to-shelf view of the growth, from hiring interns and staff, to the potential bloom of data crunching in this field. Amidst the growing saturation in the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) industry, we discuss the challenge of brand differentiation, the urgency to educate consumers, and the need to simplify complicated industry news for the benefit of local communities.

We journey through the verdant landscape of agricultural innovation, guided by Sepehr's experiences at food tech conferences and his vision of agriculture as an ecosystem touching billions of lives. We delve into the myriad facets of innovation—technology, sourcing, and production—within plant science and vertical farming. Lastly, we navigate the various channels Sepehr uses to disseminate his knowledge, offering us an unfiltered view of the blood, sweat, and tears that go into maintaining thriving vertical farms across the globe. Get ready to be rooted in place as we bring you this enthralling foray into the world of vertical farming.

Thanks to Our Sponsors

CEA Summit East - https://indoor.ag/cea-summit-east-2025/

Indoor AgCon - https://indoor.ag/

OunceOfHope

CEASummit

VertiFarm

Key Takeaways

• 01:49 - Sepehr’s origins in Dubai
• 10:03 - Challenges of Reporting on Vertical Farming
• 15:11 - The start of iGrow News
• 21:22 - Challenges of Differentiating in Vertical Farming
• 28:18 - Challenges of Expanding Into New Markets
• 33:24 - Public vs Private Company Correlation
• 38:58 - Current Innovations in Technology and Crops
• 42:23 - Attending Conferences and Exciting Developments

Tweetable Quotes

"You don't grow without taking some risks at some point in your life."

"When you're passionate, you don't count your hours. It's something that goes naturally and you just vibe."

"I like to uncover other perspectives. I think that way too often a lot of news sources and a lot of news outlets, they're kind of influencing the opinion that people will have on a particular subject."

Resources Mentioned

Sepehr's Website - https://igrownews.com

Sepehr's Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sepehr-achard-090666179/

Sepehr's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sepachard/

Sepehr's Twitter - https://twitter.com/SepehrAchard

Sepehr's Email - [email protected]

Connect With Us

VFP LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/verticalfarmingpodcast

VFP Twitter - https://twitter.com/VerticalFarmPod

VFP Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/direct/inbox/

VFP Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/VerticalFarmPod

Subscribe to our newsletters!

AgTech Digest - https://agtechdigest.com

The Indoor Farmer - https://www.indoorverticalfarm.com/

Horti-Gen Insights - https://www.hortigeninsights.com/

Sponsor Links

Cultivatd’s Website – https://cultivatd.com/

Cultivatd’s Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/cultivatdco/

Cultivatd’s Twitter – https://twitter.com/cultivatd

Cultivatd’s Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/cultivatd/

🎙️🎙️🎙️

Podcast Production and Marketing by FullCast

Discover the best podcast services in the world at The Podosphere: https://www.thepodosphere.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews

2025 Precision Ag Report

2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews

2025 Precision Ag Report