Cardiff Graduate’s growing success

A Cardiff University graduate who invented a hydroponic growing system for agriculture has raised the funding needed to scale-up trials.

Phytoponics, a multi-award winning start-up specialising in the development of hydroponic deep-water culture technology for sustainable agriculture has secured £300,000 in new funding following on from the £200,000 it raised earlier this year.

The company was co-founded by graduate Adam Dixon and Luke Parkin during Adam’s studies at Cardiff University, with the aim of delivering highly optimised hydroponic systems designed to produce better crop yields than traditional systems and with the potential to meet global food demand with sustainability in mind.

Phytoponic’s patented Hydrosac technology is ready for high volume commercial growing, having proven itself by producing two tonnes of high quality tomatoes through a pilot project housed at the company’s glasshouse facility at Aberystwyth University.

Phytoponics CEO & Co-Founder Adam Dixon said: "We’re so pleased to have secured this funding from such prominent supportive investors. These new funds will provide us the necessary operating cash to scale up trials of our technology whilst experimenting with other high value crop types. We recently signed a contract with a major commercial grower that will use our technology to grow tomatoes for two major supermarkets early next year. We’re also planning to hire new employees to help with technical and commercial development”.

The funding comes from existing investors and a number of new angel investors led by Smart Anchor Capital.

Incoming Angel investor entrepreneur Melisa Lawton explained why she backed the startup: “The decision to invest in Phytoponics was quite simple once I’d met Adam and Luke. Their vision is compelling, as is the potential for their Hydrosac technology, especially the ability to deploy it in countries where water is scarce or in humanitarian aid situations”.

Mark Hindmarsh Founder Partner of Smart Anchor Capital said: “The team have achieved an amazing amount in the last 12 months and with little resource. Despite that they have attracted the attention of potential partners and customers from the US, India, UAE, Africa, Canada and many other countries.

“As new shareholders we are all excited to see what the future holds for the company.”