Upward Farms
Upward Farms is a Brooklyn-based urban farming company founded in 2013 that uses closed-loop aquaponics to commercially produce leafy greens and fish for the Northeast U.S. market.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Upward Farms does
Upward Farms is a Brooklyn-based private for-profit company founded in 2013 that operates commercial aquaponics facilities producing leafy greens and fish for the Northeast U.S. market. The company's core technology is a closed-loop aquaponics system that pairs aquaculture (fish farming) with hydroponics (soilless plant cultivation) inside controlled indoor environments; fish waste serves as natural fertilizer for the plants, while the plants filter and recirculate water back to the fish, reducing water consumption and transportation emissions relative to field-grown supply chains.
The company employs 51-100 people and is identified as an active participant in the New York City agritech ecosystem. Its product portfolio centers on aquaponic produce — leafy greens cultivated alongside fish — with the dual-output model differentiating it from pure-play vertical farming competitors that produce only crops. Pricing models, distribution channels, customer segments, and unit economics are not publicly disclosed in available sources.
Upward Farms has raised approximately $141.7M across three funding rounds spanning 2018 to 2021, with the most recent and largest round of ~$121.7M closed in June 2021. The leadership team consists of three co-founders: Jason Green (CEO), Ben Silverman (CTO), and Matt La Rosa (Engineering Director). The company is privately held with no disclosed parent company, subsidiaries, M&A activity, or public filings.
Upward Farms firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Upward Farms
- Legal name
- Upward Farms
- Website
- https://upwardfarms.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Upward Farms is a Brooklyn-based urban farming company founded in 2013 that uses closed-loop aquaponics to commercially produce leafy greens and fish for the Northeast U.S. market.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Upward Farms industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Urban Aquaponics Produce and Fish
- NAICS
- Aquaculture (1125), Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141), Animal Production and Aquaculture (112), Other Food Crops Grown Under Cover (111419)
- SIC
- Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Aquaponics (Integrated Fish & Plant Production) (AFAEAAAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) / Vertical Farming (Indoor LED Farms) (AFAGAHAJ), Hydroponic & Aeroponic Growing Systems (NFT, DWC, Ebb/Flow, Misting) (AFAAAHAD)
Keywords
Where Upward Farms is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Upward Farms business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Upward Farms product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Upward Farms operates aquaponics-based urban farming facilities in which fish and plants are raised together in a closed-loop indoor system. The company sells the resulting fresh leafy greens and fish to nourish consumers and families. Production is sited in dense urban environments (Brooklyn, NY) to maximize local output while reducing water usage and transportation emissions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Aquaponics Produce (Leafy Greens)
- Farm-Raised Fish
Companies that use Upward Farms
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Upward Farms technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Upward Farms partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Upward Farms competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Gotham Greens: Gotham Greens is a Brooklyn-based indoor urban agriculture company operating hydroponic greenhouses producing leafy greens and herbs. Like Upward Farms, it is headquartered in NYC and serves Northeast retail with locally-grown produce, though it uses hydroponics rather than aquaponics.
- 80 Acres Farms: 80 Acres Farms is a US-based indoor vertical farming company producing leafy greens, herbs, and microgreens. It operates in the same CEA category with overlapping grocery retail distribution and similar sustainability positioning as Upward Farms.
- BrightFarms: BrightFarms operates a network of hydroponic greenhouse farms supplying locally-grown packaged salads and leafy greens to supermarkets. It competes in the same greenhouse-grown produce category and similar retail grocery channels as Upward Farms.
- AeroFarms: AeroFarms is a Newark, NJ-based vertical farming company producing leafy greens indoors. It is the closest geographic and product-category direct competitor to Upward Farms, also serving Northeast retailers with controlled-environment agriculture, though it does not use aquaponics.
- Bowery Farming: Bowery is a New York City-based indoor vertical farming company producing pesticide-free leafy greens for retailers across the Eastern US. It directly competes with Upward Farms in the Northeast urban-indoor-farming category with overlapping customer segments.
- Plenty: Plenty is a US indoor vertical farming company building large-scale vertical farms to grow leafy greens. It operates in the same CEA produce category as Upward Farms with similar retail and grocery distribution model.
- Local Bounti: Local Bounti is a US CEA company operating high-tech hybrid greenhouse facilities to grow leafy greens and herbs. It overlaps with Upward Farms in controlled-environment produce serving retail and food-service customers.
Emerging players
- Smallhold: Smallhold is a Brooklyn-based indoor farming startup specializing in specialty mushrooms. It shares Upward Farms' urban NYC operating base and indoor agriculture category, though its product focus (mushrooms vs. greens+fish) makes it an adjacent emerging player rather than direct competitor.
Broad incumbents
- AppHarvest: AppHarvest is a publicly-traded Kentucky-based CEA company that built large indoor farms for tomatoes, leafy greens, and other produce. It is a broad incumbent in the controlled-environment agriculture space where Upward Farms operates, though focused on greenhouse-scale produce rather than urban aquaponics.
Others
- Freight Farms: Freight Farms manufactures containerized hydroponic farming units deployed at schools, restaurants, and businesses. It is adjacent to Upward Farms in the indoor agriculture ecosystem, providing enabling infrastructure rather than directly competing in retail produce.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Upward Farms social profiles
Digital presenceUpward Farms financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Upward Farms leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Upward Farms funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Upward Farms M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Upward Farms
What does Upward Farms do?
Upward Farms operates aquaponics-based urban farming facilities in which fish and plants are raised together in a closed-loop indoor system. The company sells the resulting fresh leafy greens and fish to nourish consumers and families. Production is sited in dense urban environments (Brooklyn, NY) to maximize local output while reducing water usage and transportation emissions.
Is Upward Farms a public or private company?
Upward Farms is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Upward Farms founded?
Upward Farms was founded in 2013. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Upward Farms based?
Upward Farms is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Upward Farms's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Gotham Greens, 80 Acres Farms, BrightFarms, AeroFarms, Bowery Farming, Plenty and Local Bounti. Smallhold is listed as an emerging player. AppHarvest is listed as a broad incumbent. Freight Farms is listed as an others.
Does Upward Farms have an API?
No public API is recorded for Upward Farms.
What industry is Upward Farms in?
Upward Farms's product category is Urban Aquaponics Produce and Fish. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEAAAI, Aquaponics (Integrated Fish & Plant Production), with a secondary code of AFAGAHAJ, Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) / Vertical Farming (Indoor LED Farms). Its NAICS code is 1125 and its SIC code is 100.