Anu and ekō Solutions aim to provide sustainable food production throughout the year without pesticides, preservatives
Scott Massey (right), co-founder and CEO of anu, and Sven Nelson, senior vice president of research at anu, inspect fruiting tomato and pepper crops in their Pure Produce® Containers. USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded a $175,000 Phase I SBIR grant annually to develop the containers. (6 photos STRONG MEDIA LLC)
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Anu™ (Heliponix LLC) has been awarded a $175,000 Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the US Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The company is potentially eligible for a $600,000 Phase II SBIR from USDA NIFA.
Purdue University alumni Scott Massey and Ivan Ball co-founded, which received financial support from the Purdue Research Foundation.
The grant will be used to develop and commercialize anu’s Pure Produce® Containers. Anu and licensed commercial manufacturing partner ekō Solutions, a subsidiary of Land Betterment Corp., aims to provide year-round sustainable food production without pesticides or preservatives.
“The containers use anu’s patented Rotary Aeroponics® technology,” said Massey, CEO of anu. “They provide a modular and compact solution for growing fresh produce effortlessly from compostable pods, Self-Nurturing™ Seed Pods. The pods contain all the nutrients needed by each individual plant.”
Massey said the USDA’s SBIR grant and support from the Applied Research Institute will enable anu and ekō Solutions to develop climate-efficient, smart systems that deliver fresher food closer to consumers, minimizing food waste, water use and nutrient loss by reducing supply-chain emissions.
“We see inefficiencies in the food supply chain where some vegetables are overproduced three times due to distribution losses, leading to significant degradation of nutrients and flavor by the time they reach consumers,” he said. “We empower communities to become self-sufficient by growing food locally without depending on distribution networks. Through Harvesting When Hungry™, we maximize freshness, nutrition, food safety and flavor, encouraging more healthy diets healthy and reducing waste.
“The food as medicine movement is gaining momentum, with insurers like Elevance (formerly Anthem) Health and Global Atlantic Financial Group supporting us through the AgriNovus HungerTech Challenge and the SBA SCORE Competitionrespectively, as the production prescriptions gain rapid adoption.”
Innovative technology for a sustainable future
Massey said that Aeroponics Rotary technology allows the production of up to 3,920 plants in a 20-foot shipping container, the highest yield density of any container farm on the market, offering higher yield densities 20 times greater than conventional agriculture. The technology integrates advanced LED systems and aeroponic misting to maximize efficiency and reduce resource use, including a 90% reduction in water use compared to traditional methods.
“The USDA grant allows us to refine our modular system and expand our offerings in fruit plants that will achieve profitability in other modular, hydroponic containers,” he said. “The grant ensures that our system remains an effective solution for urban, rural and remote settings, including military bases, schools, health care centers and community gardens.”
Peter Rodriguez, president of ekō Solutions, said: “Our research and development focuses on maximizing yield, energy and labor efficiency in container-based agriculture and enables profitable differentiation of crops with fruit varieties. Anu’s Aeroponic system reduces infrastructural and supply-chain requirements, making it a highly accessible and efficient solution. Our collaboration accelerates the market entry of this technology, bringing results impact on modern agriculture.
Pilot programs and community impact
They established the Pure Produce pilot container farm in Evansville to demonstrate the potential of the technology. Massey said it can produce several tons of product annually.
“The system offers a full return on investment faster than the time required to build a traditional, centralized vertical farming facility,” he said. “It allows deployment in hours, with growth starting in a day and harvesting in weeks. Surplus produce is donated to local food desert relief groups.”
Support and recognition
In addition to USDA SBIR funding, they have received funding from the National Science Foundation, with additional funding from Elevate Ventures and the Applied Research Institute. Conexus Indiana provided a $200,000 Smart Manufacturing grant to increase their production of seed pods. Massey and Ball, who developed earlier NASA-funded space farming systems at Purdue, they were recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30, Conexus Indiana Rising 30 and the Thirty of the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s under 30.
About anu
Anu™ (Heliponix LLC, formerly gropod®) is dedicated to advancing health and wellness through sustainable and affordable agricultural technology. Using their Rotary Aeroponics® system, they offer a “Keurig for plants” model with compostable, Self-Nurturing™ Seed Pods designed for both domestic and commercial environments. Supported by USDA NIFA SBIR and NSF SBIR grantsthey aim to transform food production and access across different settings, from urban communities to remote locations. Follow us on social media: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram.
About ekō Solutions
Ekō Solutions is a Land Betterment portfolio company focused on sustainable development using innovative, low-cost and recycled shipping container structures to provide durable and high-end solutions to the building market, while also maintaining the ability to be used in a mobile environment. Ekō Solutions uses innovative ecological structures to replace inefficient and ineffective methods of living, growing and working. The sustainable craftsmanship of our up-cycled shipping container structures is what separates us from the alternatives. Our structures are suitable for agriculture, residential, crisis recovery, commercial and recreational use. To stay informed about our innovations and get an inside view of our daily operations, visit our website ekosolutionsllc.com and follow us on our social platforms: Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
About Purdue Research Foundation
Purdue Research Foundation is a private, non-profit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Established in 1930, the foundation accepts gifts; manage trust; fund scholarships and grants; buy and sell property; protect and license Purdue’s intellectual property; and support the creation of Purdue-related startups on behalf of Purdue. The foundation operates Purdue Innovates, which includes the Office of Technology Commercialization and Incubator. The foundation manages Purdue Strategic Ventures, Purdue Research Park, Discovery Park District, Purdue Technology Centers and Purdue for Life Foundation.
For more information about licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Office of Technology Commercialization at otcip@prf.org. For more information on involvement and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact Purdue Innovates at purdueinnovates@prf.org.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research institution that demonstrates excellence at scale. Ranked among the top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and on a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue in all modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person at the West Lafayette campus. Committed to accessibility and affordability, Purdue’s main campus has frozen the school 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in its persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first full urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.