Trella — An Automated Plant Training Robot

We’re excited to announce our next investment in Trella. Learn more about the company and how you can participate in their equity crowdfunding campaign for as little as $250.

The Problem

Indoor farming setups have limitations. Stacked or container farming solutions have limited light for plan growth, maintenance and care. This means that these solutions are currently designed for a limited variety of plants (mainly short and small ones) and consume lots of energy.

What The Company Does

Trella’s technology gently trains tall plants to grow in small places. Instead of growing vertically, they’re training plants to grow horizontally.

Business Model

Trella has a few revenue streams, which includes sale of the actual hardware to grow plants, annual service contracts, engineering R&D consulting and an app subscription. 

The Market

Including cannabis and food producers, there is a $380 billion agricultural market projected by 2027 according to Trella.

Traction

Since their patent was granted, revenue has increased by 19X. Their units are being distributed all across the US. They’re currently developing partnerships with the Turtle Mountain Band — Chippewa Tribe, University of DC & others.

Founding Team Background

Co-founder and CEO, Aja Atwood, was formerly a natural catastrophe risk engineer focusing on indoor farming and food justice. She graduated cum laude from Northeastern University’s College of Engineering. Her co-founder, Andres Chamorro III serves as Trella’s VP of Engineering. His areas of expertise include Computer-Aided Design/Manufacturing (CAD/CAM), design for manufacturability, ergonomics and human factors, and general fabrication and prototyping. He currently holds 29 issued patents, with 48 additional patents pending.

What They Need Help With

Check out their current equity crowdfunding round on WeFunder. Connect with the Trella team here.

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