Contain
Contain is a Reno-based fintech and data platform that connects indoor farmers, equipment vendors, and lenders through a leasing marketplace, an AI-powered pre-owned equipment exchange (Equipped), and a subscription data product (Insights).
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersReno, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Contain does
Contain, Inc. is a Reno, Nevada-based fintech and data platform serving the indoor agriculture sector, founded by Nicola Kerslake and operated from 2019 until its June 2026 acquisition by the agricultural investment firm Reservoir. The company runs three interconnected products: a leasing marketplace that matches indoor farmers with 30+ lenders for equipment financing at a $75,000 minimum ticket; Equipped, an AI-powered online marketplace for buying and selling pre-owned indoor farm equipment with Stripe-backed payments, listing fees, and a 10% transaction fee; and Insights, a subscription data platform providing profiles of nearly 1,500 indoor farms, 400+ investors, and 450+ funding rounds, with paid Pro tiers at $9.99/month or $199/year. The company's economics rely on three distinct revenue streams — leasing commissions on closed deals, marketplace listing and transaction fees, and Insights subscriptions — each individually small.
The technology stack combines a multi-website platform (contain.ag, equipped.farm, vendors.contain.ag, insights.contain.ag) with shared single-login accounts, third-party integrations (Stripe for payments, Mailchimp for newsletters, Google Analytics for tracking, and Dropbox and Google Drive for data storage), and an AI-assisted listing management layer on Equipped that processes structured tabular data and equipment images. Distribution is hybrid: a direct-to-consumer online leasing application complemented by a channel partner network of 70+ equipment vendors that refer customers at the point of sale.
Contain primarily serves three segments — indoor farmers across the US with limited Canada and Western Europe coverage (excluding cannabis), farm equipment vendors, and lending institutions ranging from boutique specialists to large agriculture banks. The business operates with 11-50 employees, never publicly raised material venture funding beyond a $120,000 Techstars seed in 2019, and was acquired by Reservoir in June 2026 as Reservoir's first acquisition, with founder Nicola Kerslake transitioning to general partner and chair of Reservoir's investment committee.
Contain firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Contain
- Legal name
- Contain, Inc.
- Website
- https://contain.ag
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Contain is a Reno-based fintech and data platform that connects indoor farmers, equipment vendors, and lenders through a leasing marketplace, an AI-powered pre-owned equipment exchange (Equipped), and a subscription data product (Insights).
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Contain industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural FinTech
- NAICS
- Agricultural Implement Manufacturing (33311)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Farm Finance, Input Procurement & Risk Tools (Budgeting, Inventory, Insurance Links) (AFAAAFAO)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Farm Data Platforms, Integration & APIs (Interoperability/Middleware) (AFAAAFAG)
Keywords
Where Contain is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Reno
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Contain business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Leasing Commission: Contain receives a commission fee from successful leasing arrangements, disclosed to users as part of any lease offer. Fee is taken upon successful completion of the lease transaction.
- Insights Subscription: Subscription-based access to data platform with monthly ($9.99) or annual ($199) tiers. Pro tier provides 500+ farm profiles, 400+ funder profiles, 450+ funding rounds, and briefing paper library. Free tier provides basic access with delayed monthly funding updates.
- Equipped Marketplace Fees: Sellers pay annual listing fees ($49.99 self-listings, $99.99 concierge listings) plus 10% transaction fee. Buyers may be charged 10% processing fee if shipping not arranged within 10 business days.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Free tier with basic access to indoor farm vendor profiles and delayed funding updates |
| Subscription | Annual | Pro annual subscription with full database access and early funding updates |
| Subscription | Monthly | Pro monthly subscription with full database access |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Equipment leasing minimum threshold |
| Unit Pricing | Annual | Equipped marketplace listing fees for sellers |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Contain product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Contain operates a multi-platform indoor agriculture fintech ecosystem that connects indoor farmers with 30+ lenders for equipment leases (minimum $75,000) through a single application, supports buying and selling of pre-owned indoor farm equipment via its AI-powered Equipped marketplace, and delivers a subscription-based Insights data platform tracking roughly 1,500 indoor farms, 400+ investors, and 450+ funding rounds. The company also runs a vendor directory of 70+ controlled environment agriculture equipment suppliers it markets and refers through its network.
Product overview
Contain operates as a multi-platform ecosystem serving the indoor agriculture industry with three interconnected core services: Contain (leasing platform) connects indoor farmers with 30+ lenders for equipment financing starting at $75,000; Equipped is an AI-powered marketplace for pre-owned indoor farm equipment enabling buying, selling, and financing in one place; and Insights is a subscription data platform tracking 500+ indoor farms, 400+ investors, and 450+ funding rounds. The platforms share cross-platform accounts with unified login across leasing, Equipped, and Insights services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Equipped: AI-powered pre-owned indoor farm equipment marketplace for buying and selling equipment including LED lighting, grow racks, seeders, and container farms
- Insights
- Insights Pro
Products and services
- Contain Leasing Platform Online leasing platform that matches indoor farmers (operating hoophouses, container farms, vertical farms, and greenhouses) with 30+ lenders through a single application process. Minimum lease size is $75,000 with no upper limit. The platform handles referral, matchmaking, and deal progression through completion.
- Equipped Marketplace AI-powered online marketplace for buying and selling pre-owned indoor farm equipment including LED lighting, grow racks, seeders, and container farms. Sellers pay annual listing fees ($49.99 self-list, $99.99 concierge); transactions carry a 10% marketplace fee, with Stripe-secured payment processing.
- Insights Data Platform Subscription-based data platform providing listings of 1,500+ indoor farms, 400+ investors, and 450+ funding rounds, plus a library of briefing papers on controlled environment agriculture trends. Free tier offers basic access with delayed monthly funding updates; Pro tier ($9.99/month or $199/year) provides full database access with early funding updates.
- Equipment Vendor Directory Curated online directory of 70+ farm equipment vendors providing LED lighting, container farms, advanced grow systems, HVAC, and other CEA equipment. Vendors showcase offerings on dedicated profile pages; farmers use the directory to identify vendors and access financing options for their products.
Quantifiable outcome
- Leases from $50,000+ with single application (sources show both $50k and $75k minimums)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Contain
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Contain technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability3 records
Feature3 records
Contain partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- ReservoirflagshipReservoir acquired Contain, Inc. in June 2026, marking Reservoir's first acquisition. Contain's marketplace, underwriting tools, and industry data platform were combined with Reservoir's startup incubator and venture capital operations. Nicola Kerslake, Contain's founder, joined Reservoir as general partner and chairs the investment committee. The deal expands reach into agricultural equipment and controlled environment agriculture financing.
- TechstarscoreContain graduated from the 2019 Techstars Farm to Fork program, a leading accelerator for food and agriculture technology startups. The program provided mentorship, resources, and validation for Contain's business model in agricultural innovation.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Contain competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Farmers Business Network (FBN): Large ag platform offering financing, inputs marketplace, and data analytics to farmers. Most directly comparable to Contain as a multi-sided ag platform, though FBN is broader (row crops) and far larger, while Contain is vertical-specific to indoor/CEA.
- Plenty: Large-scale vertical farming operator. Not a direct platform peer, but a major indoor agriculture end-customer that would both source equipment (relevant to Equipped) and require capital (relevant to Contain's leasing platform).
- Granular (Corteva): Farm management software and analytics platform owned by Corteva. Comparable to Contain's Insights as an ag data and benchmarking layer for operators, though focused on row-crop operational data rather than CEA investment and funding data.
- Indigo Ag: Agtech platform combining biological inputs, grain marketplace, and carbon programs with a data backbone. Comparable to Contain in providing a digital marketplace layer plus data-driven services for agriculture, but operating at much larger scale and across row crops rather than CEA.
- EquipmentShare: Equipment rental, sales, and financing marketplace for construction and agriculture. Comparable to Contain in providing a combined marketplace + financing model for equipment, though EquipmentShare is far larger and broader in scope.
Emerging players
- AgFunder: Agtech-focused venture firm with the AgFunderNews research platform and proprietary deal data. Directly comparable to Contain's Insights data product, as both serve investors and operators with curated information on agtech funding and companies.
- Bushel: Digital platform for grain industry commerce, data, and payments. Comparable to Contain as a B2B ag platform that aggregates transaction data and offers subscription analytics, though focused on grain rather than indoor agriculture.
- AcreTrader: Marketplace platform connecting investors with farmland offerings, with data and diligence tools. Comparable to Contain in operating a curated ag-investment marketplace with a data/research component, although AcreTrader is farmland-focused rather than CEA-focused.
Regional players
- iFarm: Vertical farming technology provider with a marketplace of CEA solutions and operational data. Comparable to Contain as a platform serving indoor/CEA operators, though iFarm is primarily Europe-based and focuses on farm technology rather than financing.
Direct peers
- Tractor Zoom: Online marketplace for buying and selling used farm equipment, with integrated financing and valuation data. Directly comparable to Contain's Equipped marketplace in business model, with overlap in the equipment resale and equipment-finance value chain.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Contain social profiles
Digital presenceContain financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Contain leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Contain subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Contain funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Contain 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 Contain
What does Contain do?
Contain operates a multi-platform indoor agriculture fintech ecosystem that connects indoor farmers with 30+ lenders for equipment leases (minimum $75,000) through a single application, supports buying and selling of pre-owned indoor farm equipment via its AI-powered Equipped marketplace, and delivers a subscription-based Insights data platform tracking roughly 1,500 indoor farms, 400+ investors, and 450+ funding rounds. The company also runs a vendor directory of 70+ controlled environment agriculture equipment suppliers it markets and refers through its network.
Is Contain a public or private company?
Contain is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Contain founded?
Contain was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Contain based?
Contain is headquartered in Reno, United States, in the North America region.
How does Contain make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Leasing Commission is the primary driver. The others are insights Subscription and equipped Marketplace Fees.
Who are Contain's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Farmers Business Network (FBN), Plenty, Granular (Corteva), Indigo Ag and EquipmentShare. Emerging players are AgFunder, Bushel and AcreTrader. iFarm is listed as a regional player. Tractor Zoom is listed as a direct peer.
Does Contain have an API?
No public API is recorded for Contain.
What industry is Contain in?
Contain's product category is Agricultural FinTech. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAAAFAO, Farm Finance, Input Procurement & Risk Tools (Budgeting, Inventory, Insurance Links), with a secondary code of AFAAAFAG, Farm Data Platforms, Integration & APIs (Interoperability/Middleware). Its NAICS code is 33311 and its SIC code is 700.