DAVIS, Calif., Dec. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unfold, a company that combines leading seed genetics with crop growing and agronomic expertise to advance the vertical farming industry, continued its rapid momentum since its launch earlier this year by hiring Dan Albert as Vice President of Plant Performance and Derek Drost as Vice President of Genetics. Building on its world-class leadership team, Unfold also added Daphne Carmeli, a Silicon Valley veteran, as an advisor. Carmeli’s previous roles include founder and CEO of Deliv and Vice President of Marketing at Netscape, and she is part of WebMD’s founding team.
As vertical farming gains size and momentum, Unfold seeks to leverage the power of seeds and digital solutions developed specifically for these environments. The success of vertical farming relies on consistent, high-quality products year-round.
“The vertical farming space is experiencing exponential growth, and I’m of the opinion that Unfold is what the industry needs to get to the next level,” said Carmeli. “As an advisor to Unfold, I look forward to working with the growing team to build a truly world-class business that unlocks the potential of seed genetics.”
Vertical farm pioneer Dan Albert, founder of Farmbox Greens, and Derek Drost, an experienced ag-tech innovator with extensive industry experience, will play critical roles at the company. Albert will leverage his entrepreneurial experience and indoor agriculture knowledge to build a cutting-edge R&D platform to help develop innovative solutions for the vertical farming sector. Drost will partner with Unfold scientists, external collaborators and customers to deliver world-class germplasm that is optimized to bring unprecedented value to vertical farmers and the produce industry.
“With the Unfold team and facilities coming into place, we’re poised to execute our vision to help bring fresher and more sustainable produce to market,” said John Purcell, Ph.D., CEO of Unfold. “Our goal is to offer viable products and solutions to the market as early as next year, and this team’s expertise will undoubtedly help make this a reality for us.”
Unfold also chose as its design-build partner ACROMurray, which brings extensive experience working with customers in the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) space. The facility will include a research vertical farm.
“The growth of the CEA industry over the past few years is staggering,” said Morgan Waldron, Director of Business Development of ARCOMurray. “With the amount of capital being invested in indoor farming, it's clear that this is no longer 'the next big thing.' Controlled ag has officially arrived, and ARCO is fortunate to be playing a part in the continued growth of these revolutionary organizations, like Unfold."
For more information about Unfold, current job opportunities, and to stay informed on future announcements about the company, you can visit Unfold’s website or follow any of our social channels on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Contact
Robert Smith
Highwire PR
Unfold (at) highwirepr.com