Press release: LettUs Grow named best “tech-for-good” startup in the UK
Press release: LettUs Grow named best “tech-for-good” startup in the UK
LettUs Grow, creator of advanced aeroponic technology and farm management software for indoor farms, has been named one of the UK’s top tech startups at the Vodafone Techstarter awards and won £45,000.
The programme celebrates startups developing and using technology as a force for good. It aims to uncover and develop ideas that harness the power of technology to improve health, education, environmental protection or social mobility.
LettUs Grow will receive £45,000 alongside a 12-month programme of support from Vodafone and the Social Tech Trust - an investor in socially motivated tech.
Humanity must increase food production by 70% to feed an extra 2 billion people by 2050. We must do this with 25% less farmland, depleted soils and an increasingly unstable climate.
To address this problem, LettUs Grow has designed a patent-pending aeroponic system that has shown growth rate increases of over 70% compared to existing solutions for a number of crops. Instead of using soil or water, plant roots are suspended in a nutrient-dense mist. This results in faster growth rates than conventional field growing or hydroponics, consistent and predictable year-round harvests, and a 95% reduction in water usage versus open-field agriculture.
Farms don’t need to use pesticides or herbicides when using LettUs Grow’s technology and by siting farms in densely populated areas, they can reduce the environmental impact of delivering food from plot to plate.
Jack Farmer, one of LettUs Grow’s three founders and operational lead, said: “We’re excited to be working with Vodafone.
“We are very keen to collaborate with them from a technical and a commercial standpoint. That mentorship is really going to help us develop our business.
“We are looking to work with Vodafone and a number of other key partners this year, to implement our hardware and software and deliver profitable pilot farms – in greenhouses, research centres and vertical farms – before then working with these partners to scale nationally and internationally.”
Nick Jeffery, chief executive, Vodafone UK, commented: “The range and calibre of the Vodafone Techstarter winners show that the UK is home to a thriving social tech sector.
“We believe the biggest challenges in society can be addressed using technology and innovation. These awards are just one way we can recognise, celebrate and support startups developing and using technology as a force for good.”
Ed Evans, chief executive of Social Tech Trust, had this to say of the awards: “Vodafone Techstarter is a hugely powerful platform that showcases the potential of partnership and demonstrates how cross-sector organisations can work together to create something truly inspiring.”
For more information on how you can work with LettUs Grow or support their growth, contact Managing Director Charlie Guy on charlie@lettusgrow.org.