S8E92: Sonia Lo / Unfold - Understanding the Role of Genetics in Improving Taste & Yield and Leading with Integrity and Focus

Episode Summary

We kick off Season 8 of the podcast, with Sonia Lo, the CEO of Unfold AG and a prominent figure in the vertical farming industry. She shares her insights on the latest developments in indoor farming, including the role of genetics in improving crop yield and taste. We also discuss the importance of profitability for the industry's scalability and the potential of next-generation agriculture. Sonia’s background in law, management consulting, investment banking provides a unique perspective on entrepreneurship and investment in the agriculture industry. Listeners will be inspired by her passion for delicious food and diversity in the investment process. Tune in for a fascinating discussion about the future of agriculture and entrepreneurship in the 21st century.

Thanks to Our Sponsors

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

Indoor AgCon - https://indoor.ag/

Key Takeaways

• Discover the latest developments in indoor farming and how it's becoming a viable part of agricultural infrastructure.
• Find out why genetics are going to play an incredibly important role in indoor farming and how it will make it more attractive to consumers.
• Explore how Unfold is using molecular information about plants to improve crop yields and taste through computational breeding.
• Understand the importance of profitability for the vertical farming industry to scale and become a viable part of agricultural infrastructure.
• Understand how venture funds are starting to embrace diversity and why emotion and bias still exist in the investment process.
• Discover Sonia Lo's passion for food, including Korean cuisine and her love for pupusas.
• Learn how Sonia martial arts background instilled discipline and physical and mental awareness that stayed with her for life.
• Gain insight into how Sonia Lo's extensive background in law, management consulting, and investment banking has prepared her to lead Unfold and to help shape the future of the vertical farming industry.

Tweetable Quotes

“I’ve always believed that the genetics piece of indoor growing is going to be transformative. I think that not just for yield, which of course is the big target, but also for taste and texture.”

“Irrespective of what type of form factor you're growing in, irrespective of where you are in terms of your distance to urbanization, I think that genetics will play an incredibly important role.”

“I think we have a brilliant future as long as we act with integrity and focus on the delicious.”

Resources Mentioned

Sonia's Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonia-lo-27527a/

Sonia's Website - https://unfold.ag/

Sonia's Twitter - https://twitter.com/unfold_ag

Sonia's Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAiDfy7j9WFmsIT39zWQU6Q

Sonia'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