Plantx
PlantX is a Japanese agricultural technology company that designs and operates the world's first fully sealed artificial-light plant factory, controlling 28 environmental parameters. It serves supermarkets, pharmaceutical firms, and agribusiness operators through cultivation system sales, recipe licensing, and produce distribution.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Plantx does
PlantX (株式会社プランテックス) is a Japanese agricultural technology company founded in June 2014 by Koji Yamada (山田耕資) that designs, manufactures, and operates fully sealed closed-type artificial-light plant factories. Its core technology, the Culture Machine, is described as the world's first fully sealed indoor cultivation system controlling 28 environmental parameters and has driven more than a sixfold increase in lettuce productivity over the past decade while reducing water usage by approximately 12 liters per 100 grams versus conventional farming. The product portfolio spans Type XS research-grade cultivation devices (32 units deployed at the Advanced Plant Research Institute in Kawasaki, operational April 2023), Type M mass-production units, and proprietary Plant Growth Control Software that automates equipment operation and monitors plant status in real time. The company is headquartered in Koto-ku, Tokyo (relocated from Chuo-ku in September 2025), with a production facility at PLANTORY tokyo in Kyobashi and customer-operated sites including THE TERRABASE in Tsuchiura.
PlantX generates revenue from three streams: (1) hardware sales of sealed cultivation systems to enterprise customers such as Kubota, KOBASHI Holdings, and U.S.M.H-operated facilities; (2) licensing of tailored cultivation recipes to restaurants and supermarkets; and (3) direct produce sales under branded lines including Kyobashi Lettuce (sold at Maruetsu) and the U.S.M.H private brand Green Growers, reaching approximately 200 stores within 24 hours of harvest. The company serves four primary segments: food service and retail (restaurants and supermarkets), pharmaceutical and healthcare companies (notably the joint research with NIBIOHN and Rohto Pharmaceutical on Panax ginseng hydroponic cultivation), agricultural technology operators, and international government/enterprise markets accessed through Kubota's distribution network. Its GTM combines enterprise field sales with OEM/embedded deployment, exemplified by Kubota's December 2025 installation at its New York urban agriculture marketing base.
The company has been backed by approximately 12 billion JPY in Japanese government subsidies (including MAFF's SME Innovation Creation Promotion Project and NEDO's PCA program), a corporate investment from Kubota in November 2020, and a 2023 funding round from Realtech Fund, Dai-ichi Life Insurance, and Rohto Pharmaceutical. Recognition includes the Mizuho Award at AG/SUM 2018, Nikkei Cross Trends "100 Companies Creating Future Markets 2021," Forbes Japan "Ecosystem" feature (March 2023), Top 100 Global Startups at SLINGSHOT 2020, and selection for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's SusHi Tech Global Startups program (2025).
Plantx firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Plantx
- Legal name
- 株式会社プランテックス
- Website
- https://plantx.co.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- PlantX is a Japanese agricultural technology company that designs and operates the world's first fully sealed artificial-light plant factory, controlling 28 environmental parameters. It serves supermarkets, pharmaceutical firms, and agribusiness operators through cultivation system sales, recipe licensing, and produce distribution.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Plantx industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Indoor Vertical Farming Systems
- NAICS
- Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333111), Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141)
- SIC
- Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Controlled Environment Lighting (LED Grow Lights, Controls) (AFAAAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Farm Management & Decision Support Software (FMIS, ERP, Recordkeeping) (AFAGALAA), Crop Rotation & Whole-Farm Cropping Systems Design (AFACABAJ), Medicinal Plant Farming (Botanical/Pharmaceutical Crops) (AFAGAGAE)
Keywords
Where Plantx is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices5 records
Markets served
Plantx business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Sealed Cultivation System Sales: PLANTX sells its closed-type cultivation systems (hardware) to enterprise customers including Kubota, KOBASHI Holdings, and U.S.M.H-operated facilities. Revenue is generated from system installation and unit sales.
- Cultivation Recipe Licensing: PLANTX distributes tailored cultivation recipes optimized for its sealed systems to restaurants, supermarkets, and other customers. This represents a recurring/recipe-based revenue stream tied to system operation.
- Plant Production and Sales: PLANTX produces and sells vegetables (lettuce branded as '京橋レタス' / Kyobashi Lettuce, as well as basil and arugula) grown at its PLANTORY Tokyo facility and through THE TERRABASE operations. Products reach consumers through Maruetsu supermarkets and U.S.M.H's ~200 stores within 24 hours of harvest.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Plantx product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Plantx designs, manufactures, and sells fully sealed artificial-light plant factory systems (Culture Machine, including Type XS for research and Type M for mass production) along with proprietary plant growth control software that automates and monitors cultivation. The company also provides plant factory planning, establishment, and operation support services, performs plant cultivation condition research, distributes tailored cultivation recipes, and produces premium pesticide-free vegetables such as Kyobashi Lettuce.
Product overview
PLANTX (株式会社プランテックス) offers a comprehensive indoor vertical farming platform centered on the world's first fully sealed indoor cultivation system called Culture Machine. The product portfolio consists of hardware (Type XS for research with 32 units at the Advanced Plant Research Institute, Type M for mass production), proprietary plant growth control software that automates equipment operation and monitors cultivation conditions in real-time, and operation support services. The company operates PLANTORY tokyo as its flagship facility and supports customer-operated facilities like THE TERRABASE. Their system controls 28 environmental parameters and has achieved more than sixfold productivity increase over conventional farming while reducing water usage by 12 liters per 100 grams. Revenue is generated from selling sealed cultivation units and distributing tailored cultivation recipes to restaurants and supermarkets.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PLANTORY tokyo: World's most advanced plant factory and research facility located in Kyobashi, Tokyo, featuring the company's sealed cultivation technology.
- Type XS
- Type M
- Culture Machine
- THE TERRABASE
- 京橋レタス
- Green Growers
- SEEDコンソーシアム
Products and services
- Culture Machine (Type XS and Type M) World's first fully sealed indoor artificial-light plant factory system that controls 28 environmental parameters (light, air, water, temperature, humidity, and 20+ other conditions). Each cultivation shelf is independently sealed with integrated air conditioning and nutrient solution circulation, allowing different cultivation environments to coexist within the same facility. Used by enterprise customers including Kubota, KOBASHI Holdings, and U.S.M.H-operated facilities.
- Plant Growth Control System Proprietary software platform that automatically operates Plantx's sealed cultivation devices. Continuously monitors environmental conditions and plant growth metrics such as photosynthesis rate and transpiration rate in real time, enabling early detection of growth anomalies and stable factory operation.
- Plant Factory Planning, Establishment, and Operation Support End-to-end consulting service for enterprises planning, establishing, and operating plant factories using Plantx's sealed cultivation technology, covering system design, installation, recipe configuration, and operational support.
- Plant Cultivation Condition Research Contract research services optimizing plant cultivation conditions using the company's high-precision 28-parameter environmental control technology, including research on lettuce, spinach, basil, herbs, fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants at the Advanced Plant Research Institute in Kawasaki.
- Cultivation Recipe Distribution Tailored cultivation recipes licensed to restaurants, supermarkets, and plant factory operators, enabling customers to optimize plant production with Plantx's optimized environmental parameters for specific crops.
- Kyobashi Lettuce (京橋レタス) Premium pesticide-free lettuce produced at the PLANTORY Tokyo plant factory, harvested in the morning and delivered to retail stores (including Maruetsu) by noon on the same day, with high beta-carotene content.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 6x lettuce productivity increase over the past decade through sealed cultivation
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Plantx
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Plantx technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature6 records
Plantx partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- KOBASHI Holdings (小橋重工グループ)coreCapital and business alliance signed April 2026. KOBASHI Holdings and PLANTX are co-developing automation, mass production, and social implementation of PLANTX's closed-type plant factories.
- Kubota (株式会社クボタ)coreKubota installed PLANTX's closed cultivation system at its New York urban agriculture marketing base, marking the first international deployment of PLANTX technology. Kubota serves as PLANTX's primary international distribution and deployment partner, with PLANTX technology embedded at Kubota's Hokkaido Ballpark Fビレッジ KUBOTA AGRI FRONT facility as well.
- QST / F-REI (Quantum Science and Technology Research Institute / Fukushima International Research and Education Organization)minorPLANTX participates in the 'Plant RI Imaging Consortium' as one of 10 institutions in an F-REI commissioned research project on RI imaging technology for crop productivity improvement and sustainable crop production. Led by QST (Quantum Science and Technology Research Institute).
- United Supermarket Holdings (ユナイテッド・スーパーマーケット・ホールディングス / U.S.M.H)coreEstablished SEED (Sustainable urban Environment vegetable supply chain Development) Consortium in June 2023. THE TERRABASE plant factory (opened June 2022) produces lettuce, basil, and arugula distributed through ~200 U.S.M.H stores under the Green Growers private brand. Joint marketing and co-development of next-generation plant factory supply chains.
- NIBIOHN (National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition) / Rohto Pharmaceutical (ロート製薬)coreThree-party joint research contract signed in May 2023 for hydroponic cultivation of Panax ginseng (オタネニンジン). NIBIOHN provides medicinal plant expertise, Rohto provides pharmaceutical product development and manufacturing experience, and PLANTX provides sealed plant factory technology. First target is water hydroponic cultivation of Panax ginseng.
- Kubota / Hokkaido Nippon-Ham FightersminorPLANTX serves as a participating partner in KUBOTA AGRI FRONT, an agricultural learning facility at Hokkaido Ballpark Fビレッジ (the new Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters stadium). PLANTX contributes to the TECH LAB indoor cultivation area exhibition and operation.
- Leave a Nest (リバネス)minorPLANTX and Leave a Nest have a comprehensive partnership for research, business development, and human resource cultivation in plant production. PLANTX offers the 'PLANTX Award' research grant to young researchers through the Leave a Nest platform (50th Leave a Nest Research Grant).
- Tokyo Building (東京建物)coreTokyo Building operates TOKYO FOOD LAB, a food tech and social implementation demonstration facility. PLANTORY Tokyo operates within TOKYO FOOD LAB, producing Kyobashi Lettuce for Maruetsu supermarkets. Tokyo Building provides the facility infrastructure for PLANTX's first commercial production site.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Plantx competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Spread Co. Japanese vertical farming company operating Techno Farm indoor lettuce factories. Directly comparable to PLANTX in building and operating fully automated indoor plant factories with similar target customers (Japanese retailers and restaurants).
- Mirai: Japanese pioneer of large-scale commercial plant factories, originally partnering with GE Japan. Operates one of the world's largest indoor lettuce factories. Direct competitor in Japanese controlled-environment agriculture for retail produce.
- AeroFarms: US-based vertical farming operator using aeroponics and LED lighting for indoor crop production. Comparable in deploying fully controlled indoor cultivation systems for leafy greens, though AeroFarms filed Chapter 11 in 2023, highlighting industry risks.
- Plenty: US vertical farming company building indoor vertical farms for leafy greens with proprietary lighting and robotics technology. Direct peer in CEA technology development for produce at retail scale.
- Bowery Farming: US indoor vertical farming operator serving major retailers with pesticide-free leafy greens. Operates smart indoor farms using controlled-environment technology analogous to PLANTX's sealed system approach.
- Infarm: German modular vertical farming company that placed in-store growing units in supermarkets across Europe. Compares to PLANTX on direct-to-retail indoor farming model, though Infarm wound down most operations in 2023.
Broad incumbents
- Signify (Philips Horticulture LED Solutions): Global lighting giant offering LED horticultural lighting solutions and integrated growing systems to commercial greenhouses and vertical farms. Competes with PLANTX in CEA lighting/control technology from a much larger incumbent position.
- Fluence by OSRAM: Global horticultural LED lighting provider serving vertical farms and greenhouses. Broad incumbent in CEA lighting technology that competes with PLANTX's integrated lighting/control stack as a component supplier.
Emerging players
- Oishii Farm: Premium indoor vertical farming company specializing in Japanese varietal strawberries and other high-end produce. Partial overlap with PLANTX on controlled-environment technology for premium fresh produce, but narrower product focus.
- Gotham Greens: US indoor hydroponic greenhouse operator producing leafy greens and herbs in urban locations for retail distribution. Comparable on direct-to-retail indoor farming model, though uses greenhouse rather than fully sealed facilities.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Plantx social profiles
Digital presencePlantx financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Plantx leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Plantx funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Plantx 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 Plantx
What does Plantx do?
Plantx designs, manufactures, and sells fully sealed artificial-light plant factory systems (Culture Machine, including Type XS for research and Type M for mass production) along with proprietary plant growth control software that automates and monitors cultivation. The company also provides plant factory planning, establishment, and operation support services, performs plant cultivation condition research, distributes tailored cultivation recipes, and produces premium pesticide-free vegetables such as Kyobashi Lettuce.
Is Plantx a public or private company?
Plantx is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Plantx founded?
Plantx was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Plantx based?
Plantx is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Plantx make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Sealed Cultivation System Sales are the primary driver. The others are cultivation Recipe Licensing and plant Production and Sales.
Who are Plantx's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Spread Co., Mirai, AeroFarms, Plenty, Bowery Farming and Infarm. Broad incumbents are Signify (Philips Horticulture LED Solutions) and Fluence by OSRAM. Emerging players are Oishii Farm and Gotham Greens.
Does Plantx have an API?
No public API is recorded for Plantx.
What industry is Plantx in?
Plantx's product category is Indoor Vertical Farming Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAAAHAC, Controlled Environment Lighting (LED Grow Lights, Controls), with a secondary code of AFAGALAA, Farm Management & Decision Support Software (FMIS, ERP, Recordkeeping). Its NAICS code is 333111 and its SIC code is 3523.