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Location : Abu Dhabi Founded : 2017 Founders : Sky Kurtz ( CEO ), Robert Kupstas , Mahmoud Adi Total funding : US $ 387.1m

Founded by three Stanford graduates who met in the UAE , Pure Harvest designs , builds and operates indoor farming systems . The agritech , which leverages innovative tech to enable production of affordable , sustainably grown produce , operates four farms in the UAE and has projects in Saudi and Kuwait , including a partnership with Saudi ’ s National Agricultural Development Company .

With a proven track record of building and operating at scale in a region facing difficult climatic conditions , Pure Harvest is well placed to tap the ‘ smart ’ agriculture market – expected to grow from US $ 12.9bn in 2021 to US $ 20.8bn by 2026 .

In 2022 , Pure Harvest raised US $ 180m in a ‘ vastly oversubscribed ’ round led by Saudi group Olayan , underscoring “ the strong institutional investor appetite for Pure Harvest ”, a statement said . The raise brought the agritech ’ s total funding to US $ 387.1 million , making it among the most-funded startups regionally , as it plans expansion across the GCC and opening of new high-tech hybrid smart farms in Asia .