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S6E72: Allison Kopf / iUNU - Augmented Reality & AI in CEA: The Intersection of Technology & Humanity

S6E72: Allison Kopf / iUNU - Augmented Reality & AI in CEA: The Intersection of Technology & Humanity

FromVertical Farming Podcast


S6E72: Allison Kopf / iUNU - Augmented Reality & AI in CEA: The Intersection of Technology & Humanity

FromVertical Farming Podcast

ratings:
Length:
49 minutes
Released:
Nov 4, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

Episode SummaryAllison Kopf is the Chief Growth Officer at iUNU, a software development company that’s building the future of the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry through their AI-driven LUNA platform that enables growers to develop a feedback loop between capturing data and managing processes to create precise, predictable production. Today, Harry welcomes Allison back to the show for Round 2 where they discuss the merging of Artemis and iUNU, her new role as Chief Growth Officer, and the many ways she’s helping to promote and empower female founders and entrepreneurs.
Thanks to Our SponsorsCultivatd – https://cultivatd.com/ (https://cultivatd.com/)
Key Takeaways07:13 – Harry welcomes Allison Kopf back to the show to talk about her experience at Indoor AgTech and her new position as Chief Growth Officer at iUNU 
10:54 – The origin story of iUNU and feedback from growers on implementing this new system 
20:13 – Where Allison is identifying new opportunities for growth 
26:58 – The learning curve going from Artemis to iUNU and the amazing potential of AI and augmented reality  
31:47 – Nokia’s Influencer Series on Food Waste 
34:46 – Allison reflects on her time as Entrepreneur in Residence at NDRC 
39:58 – How XFactor Ventures is helping female founders 
41:58 – A tough question Allison has had to ask herself recently and best practices that have become critical to her success 
46:41 – A specific ask Allison has for the audience 
48:04 – Harry thanks Allison for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with her and learn more about iUNU
Tweetable Quotes“Honestly, it’s so hugely valuable with a system like this. Yes, it’s sometimes difficult to start up with a new system like this. Old technology has a learning curve to it, so you have to kind of get used to this, or maybe change your processes slightly to fit into the new system. But at the end of the day, what we’re focused on is driving real, tangible, calculable value for these growers. Our growers on average are seeing 3x returns on investment every year that they implement this system. And it’s continuous throughout the system because of how much value we can drive.” (14:29) (Allison) 
“One of the really neat things about this system is it really helps drive that comprehensive coverage component that is really tough to do.” (16:39) (Allison) 
“There’s a huge understanding process that has to happen because, especially for growers, they’re very very talented at doing these things. And so they’re used to seeing things that they’ve created. So, you take a tomato grower who’s used to doing crop registration and they’re great at it. The problem isn’t that they’re not good at it. The problem is that they can’t do it comprehensively for each plant.” (24:56) (Allison) 
“I think that the augmenting of what we’re doing in reality is amazing. We have a grower shortage. We all know this. We have to acknowledge this. But, if we can augment our growers and turn one grower into ten growers and think about it that way, that to me is almost magical. Except that it’s not magic, it’s science.” (28:17) (Allison) 
“The more I get into something, the more questions I end up having. It’s not the more answers you have, it’s the more questions. And that’s a good scenario because it prompts you to think about things in different ways.” (33:23) (Allison) 
“I’ve always been deeply curious. I just want to dig into things more, and more, and more, and learn because there’s so much to learn. If we ever want to have the belief that we can build something bigger and make a lasting impact on an industry or on the world, to me, part of that has to be this open mindset of learning.” (37:29) (Allison) 
Resources MentionedAllison’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonkopf/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonkopf/) 
iUNU – https://iunu.com/...
Released:
Nov 4, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Vertical farming is a revolutionary approach to produce production leveraging controlled environment agriculture (CEA) technology and systems in innovative ways. It facilitates production of huge quantities of nutritious and quality fresh food without relying on favorable weather, high water usage, skilled labor, and high soil fertility. This ensures reliable yield and consistency in crop production year-round with climate control, and no effects of external environment factors such as diseases, pests, or predator attacks. Join Harry Duran, Host of the Apple-recommended Podcast Junkies and Founder of FullCast, as he explores the world of controlled-environment agriculture (CEA). Tune in every week for fascinating conversations with CEOs, Founders and luminaries from the exciting and fast-growing world of Vertical Farming. If you've been interested in the world of Indoor AgTech and want to hear inspiring stories from the innovators on the frontlines of this fast-moving industry, then this most definitely the show for you! Subscribe and learn more by visiting http://verticalfarmingpodcast.com/ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy