Vertical Roots
Vertical Roots is a controlled-environment agriculture subsidiary of AmplifiedAg, Inc. that operates NFT hydroponic container farms to produce leafy greens, serving community organizations, nonprofits, and educational institutions with a focus on food access and social impact.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersCharleston, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Vertical Roots does
Vertical Roots is a controlled-environment agriculture subsidiary of AmplifiedAg, Inc., founded in 2017 as a proof-of-concept for hydroponic container farm technology. The company operates NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) container farms designed to produce leafy greens, with each farm capacity of 3,600 plants, 21-24 day grow cycles, 15-17 harvests per year, and approximately 16,000 lbs of lettuce annually per farm. The company also deploys VPS (Vertical Propagation System) Farms, which produce 80,000 seedlings within a 320 sq ft footprint. The production model uses 95% less water than traditional farming methods.
The company's customer segments are community organizations and nonprofits, and educational institutions, indicating a social-impact and food-access oriented go-to-market rather than mainstream commercial wholesale. Vertical Roots has extended its offering through proprietary software platforms Boxcar Central and Brew for farm operations management.Software Platform Architecture: The offering comprises a multi-tier solution including farm hardware (NFT container farms and VPS propagation systems), proprietary operational software (Boxcar Central for farm management, Brew for additional functionality), and a social-impact distribution model. The business model appears to combine hardware deployment, produce sales, and potentially software-as-a-service revenue, though pricing and revenue mechanics are not disclosed. The company has strategic partnerships with Pure Farms for commercial distribution and with the USDA Agricultural Research Service for research collaboration, and has reached a cumulative production milestone of 10 million heads of lettuce since founding.
Vertical Roots firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vertical Roots
- Legal name
- AmplifiedAg, Inc.
- Website
- https://verticalroots.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Vertical Roots is a controlled-environment agriculture subsidiary of AmplifiedAg, Inc. that operates NFT hydroponic container farms to produce leafy greens, serving community organizations, nonprofits, and educational institutions with a focus on food access and social impact.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Vertical Roots industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Controlled Environment Agriculture (Hydroponic Container Farming)
- NAICS
- Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141), Other Food Crops Grown Under Cover (111419), Vegetable and Melon Farming (1112)
- SIC
- Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) / Vertical Farming (Indoor LED Farms) (AFAGAHAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hydroponic & Aeroponic Growing Systems (NFT, DWC, Ebb/Flow, Misting) (AFAAAHAD), Vertical Farming Systems & Racking (Indoor Farms, Multi-tier) (AFAAAHAI), Greenhouse Herb & Microgreens Production (Culinary Herbs, Microgreens) (AFAGAHAC), Hydroponic / Controlled-Environment Produce Wholesale (AFAIACAM)
Keywords
Where Vertical Roots is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Charleston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Vertical Roots business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Vertical Roots product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Vertical Roots operates as the commercial farming arm of AmplifiedAg, deploying hydroponic container farms (NFT and VPS systems) to grow fresh leafy greens such as lettuce year-round. Founded in 2017 as a proof-of-concept for AmplifiedAg's CEA technology, it has scaled to commercial production of over 10 million heads of lettuce. The underlying offering pairs physical container farms with Boxcar Central and Brew software platforms for farm operations management.
Product overview
AmplifiedAg offers a comprehensive controlled environment agriculture (CEA) platform consisting of hardware (hydroponic container farms) and software (farm management platforms). The product portfolio includes NFT Farm and VPS Farm as the core hardware offerings, complemented by Boxcar Central and Brew software platforms for farm operations management. Vertical Roots serves as a sub-brand and proof-of-concept implementation demonstrating the effectiveness of the technology, which has expanded beyond proof of concept to commercial-scale production.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Boxcar Central: Farm management software platform
- Brew
Products and services
- NFT Farm Hydroponic container farm system utilizing Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) for growing leafy greens. Produces approximately 3,600 plants per farm with around 7,200 salads per harvest cycle, achieving 15-17 harvests per year.
- VPS Farm Vertical hydroponic container farm producing approximately 80,000 seedlings per farm within 320 square feet of growing space, utilizing vertical plane system technology.
- Boxcar Central Farm Software Farm management software platform that enables farmers to collect data, monitor operations, and optimize container farm performance through an integrated dashboard.
- Brew Software platform providing login access for farm monitoring and control functions, supporting day-to-day operations management of container farms.
- Vertical Roots Hydroponic Produce Operation Commercial hydroponic lettuce and leafy greens production operation utilizing AmplifiedAg's NFT container farms. Founded in 2017 as a proof-of-concept deployment, expanded into commercial-scale farming that has produced over 10 million heads of lettuce.
Quantifiable outcome
- 95% less water used compared to traditional farming
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Vertical Roots
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Vertical Roots technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Vertical Roots partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Pure FarmscorePure Farms works with AmplifiedAg's technology, achieving high-yield harvests almost immediately. This partnership demonstrates the effectiveness of the container farm technology in commercial settings, validating Vertical Roots' farming approach.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Vertical Roots competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BrightFarms: BrightFarms builds and operates hydroponic greenhouses for leafy greens and herbs. Comparable CEA produce business with similar target retail customers and produce category focus.
- 80 Acres Farms: 80 Acres Farms operates vertical farming facilities producing leafy greens and herbs using controlled-environment technology. Comparable indoor farming operator in the same leafy greens category.
- Freight Farms: Freight Farms manufactures container-based hydroponic farms with integrated software. Direct competitor to AmplifiedAg's NFT/VPS container farm offering, targeting similar commercial growers, nonprofits, and educational institutions.
- Bowery Farming: Bowery operates indoor vertical farms producing leafy greens using hydroponic and controlled-environment systems. Direct competitor in vertical farming of leafy greens with overlap in retail and foodservice distribution.
- AeroFarms: AeroFarms is a major vertical farming operator using aeroponic technology to grow leafy greens indoors. Comparable business model focused on controlled-environment leafy green production, though at much larger industrial scale than container farms.
- Crop One Holdings: Crop One Holdings operates large-scale vertical farms for leafy greens and herbs using hydroponic systems. Comparable vertical farming operator with similar controlled-environment produce focus.
- Plenty: Plenty is a vertical farming company building indoor farms for leafy greens. Direct competitor in the CEA leafy greens category, with comparable technology-driven approach to year-round produce cultivation.
- Infarm: Infarm builds modular vertical farming units deployed in grocery stores and distribution centers. Closely comparable modular indoor farming model with hydroponic technology and similar leafy greens focus.
- Gotham Greens: Gotham Greens operates hydroponic greenhouse farms producing leafy greens and herbs. Comparable controlled-environment produce business, though primarily greenhouse-based rather than container-based, with similar retail and foodservice customers.
Emerging players
- Local Bounti: Local Bounti operates controlled-environment agriculture facilities producing leafy greens and herbs. Comparable CEA produce business with similar crop focus and retail distribution strategy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Vertical Roots social profiles
Digital presenceVertical Roots financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vertical Roots leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Vertical Roots funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vertical Roots 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 Vertical Roots
What does Vertical Roots do?
Vertical Roots operates as the commercial farming arm of AmplifiedAg, deploying hydroponic container farms (NFT and VPS systems) to grow fresh leafy greens such as lettuce year-round. Founded in 2017 as a proof-of-concept for AmplifiedAg's CEA technology, it has scaled to commercial production of over 10 million heads of lettuce. The underlying offering pairs physical container farms with Boxcar Central and Brew software platforms for farm operations management.
Is Vertical Roots a public or private company?
Vertical Roots is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Vertical Roots founded?
Vertical Roots was founded in 2017. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Vertical Roots based?
Vertical Roots is headquartered in Charleston, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Vertical Roots's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BrightFarms, 80 Acres Farms, Freight Farms, Bowery Farming, AeroFarms, Crop One Holdings, Plenty, Infarm and Gotham Greens. Local Bounti is listed as an emerging player.
Does Vertical Roots have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vertical Roots.
What industry is Vertical Roots in?
Vertical Roots's product category is Controlled Environment Agriculture (Hydroponic Container Farming). Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAGAHAJ, Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) / Vertical Farming (Indoor LED Farms), with a secondary code of AFAAAHAD, Hydroponic & Aeroponic Growing Systems (NFT, DWC, Ebb/Flow, Misting). Its NAICS code is 11141 and its SIC code is 100.