Canopii looks to succeed where past indoor farms have not

Canopii is a Portland-based startup building autonomous robotic greenhouses that grow herbs and leafy greens from seed to harvest without human intervention. Each farm produces up to 40,000 pounds of produce per year, fits in a basketball court-sized space, and runs on standard house power. Founded by David Ashton, the company has raised $3.6 million — mostly from grants — and deliberately avoided venture capital to iterate slowly and avoid the pitfalls that sank well-funded indoor farming competitors like Bowery Farming and Plenty. With its automation milestone achieved, Canopii plans to build its first commercial farm in downtown Portland and eventually franchise the model.