Vertical farming startup Oishii has secured $134 million in Series B funding, led by Japan’s telecommunications leader NTT. The funding round also attracted investors with expertise in food tech, sustainable agriculture and automation, including Bloom8, McWin Capital Partners, the Japan Green Investment Corporation for Carbon Neutrality and Yaskawa Electric Corporation.
Oishii offers a range of produce beyond leafy greens, thanks to the pollination efforts of bees in its indoor farms. The funding will support Oishii’s plans to open a solar-powered facility and expand distribution to new markets, all while investing in advanced robotics and energy-saving innovations.
The company says its commitment to efficiency has been a key factor in its success. Oishii has introduced harvesting robots developed in partnership with investor Yaskawa and optimized AI models to enhance bee pollination, environmental controls and farm output.
Oishii aims to make vertical farming mainstream in the United States and is the only U.S. vertical farm selling strawberries year-round. It grows its products without pesticides and bears the Non-GMO Project Verified seal. With this latest funding, Oishii has raised a total of $189 million since its founding in 2016 and is poised for further expansion across the Northeast.
