Anu awarded $175K USDA SBIR grant to advance Pure Produce Container technology

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Anu™ (Heliponix LLC) has been awarded a $175,000 Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The company is potentially eligible for a $600,000 Phase II SBIR from USDA NIFA.

Purdue University alumni Scott Massey and Ivan Ball co-founded anu, which has received financial support from the Purdue Research Foundation.

The grant will be used to develop and commercialize anu’s Pure Produce® Containers. Anu and commercial manufacturing licensee partner ekō Solutions, a subsidiary of Land Betterment Corp., aim to provide sustainable, year-round food production without pesticides or preservatives.

“The containers utilize anu’s proprietary Rotary Aeroponics® technology,” said Massey, anu’s CEO. “They provide a modular, compact solution for growing fresh produce effortlessly from compostable, Self-Nurturing™ Seed Pods. The pods contain all necessary nutrients for each individual plant.”

Massey said the USDA SBIR grant and support from the Applied Research Institute enable anu and ekō Solutions to develop climate-smart, efficient systems that deliver fresher food closer to consumers, minimizing food waste, water use and nutrient loss while reducing supply-chain emissions.

“We address food supply-chain inefficiencies where some vegetables are overproduced threefold due to distribution losses, leading to significant nutrient and flavor degradation by the time they reach consumers,” he said. “We empower communities to become self-sufficient, growing food locally without relying on distribution networks. Through Harvesting When Hungry™, we maximize freshness, nutrition, food safety and flavor, encouraging healthier diets while reducing waste.

“The food as medicine movement is gaining momentum, with insurers like Elevance (formerly Anthem) Health and Global Atlantic Financial Group supporting us through the AgriNovus HungerTech Challenge and the SBA SCORE Competition, respectively, as produce prescriptions gain rapid adoption.”

Innovative tech for a sustainable future

Massey said anu’s Rotary Aeroponics technology enables production of up to 3,920 plants in a 20-foot shipping container, the greatest yield density of any container farm in the market, offering yield densities more than 20 times greater than conventional agriculture. The technology integrates advanced LED systems and aeroponic misting to maximize efficiency and reduce resource usage, including a 90% reduction in water use compared to traditional methods.

“The USDA grant allows us to refine our modular system and expand our offerings into fruiting plants that have yet to achieve profitability within other modular, hydroponic containers,” he said. “The grant ensures our system remains an effective solution for urban, rural and remote settings, including military bases, schools, health care centers and community gardens.”

Peter Rodriguez, president of ekō Solutions, said, “Our research and development focuses on maximizing yield, energy and labor efficiency in container-based farming and enabling profitable crop differentiation with fruiting varieties. Anu’s Rotary Aeroponic system consistently reduces infrastructure and supply-chain demands, making it a highly accessible and efficient solution. Our partnership accelerates this technology’s market entry, bringing high-impact results to modern agriculture.”

Pilot programs and community impact

Anu established the Pure Produce pilot container farm in Evansville to demonstrate the technology’s potential. Massey said it can yield several tons of produce annually.

“The system offers a full return on investment faster than the time needed to construct a traditional, centralized vertical farming facility,” he said. “It allows deployment in hours, with growth beginning within a day and harvesting within weeks. Surplus produce has been donated to local food desert relief groups.”

Support and recognition

In addition to the USDA SBIR funding, anu has received funding from the National Science Foundation, with additional matching funding from Elevate Ventures and the Applied Research Institute. Conexus Indiana provided a $200,000 Smart Manufacturing Grant to scale up its seed pod production. Massey and Ball, who previously developed NASA-funded space farming systems at Purdue, have been recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30, Conexus Indiana Rising 30 and the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s Thirty Under 30.

About anu

Anu™ (Heliponix LLC, formerly gropod®) is dedicated to advancing health and wellness through sustainable, accessible agriculture technology. Using its Rotary Aeroponics® system, anu offers a “Keurig for plants” model with compostable, Self-Nurturing™ Seed Pods designed for both home and commercial environments. Supported by USDA NIFA SBIR and NSF SBIR grants, anu aims to transform food production and access across diverse settings, from urban communities to remote locations. Follow us on social media: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram.

About ekō Solutions

Ekō Solutions is a Land Betterment portfolio company focusing on sustainable development utilizing innovative, low-cost, up-cycled shipping container structures to provide durable, high-end solutions to the building marketplace while also maintaining the ability to be utilized in a mobile environment. Ekō Solutions uses innovative ecological structures to replace legacy inefficient and ineffective methods of living, growing and working. The sustainable craftsmanship of our up-cycled shipping container structures is what separates us from the alternatives. Our structures are suitable for farming, residential, crisis recovery, commercial and recreation use. To stay up to date on our innovations and get an insider’s view of our daily operations, visit our website ekosolutionsllc.com and follow us on our social platforms: Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

About Purdue Research Foundation 

Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Established in 1930, the foundation accepts gifts; administers trusts; funds scholarships and grants; acquires and sells property; protects and licenses Purdue’s intellectual property; and supports creating Purdue-connected startups on behalf of Purdue. The foundation operates Purdue Innovates, which includes the Office of Technology Commercialization and Incubator. The foundation manages Purdue Strategic Ventures, Purdue Research Park, Discovery Park District, Purdue Technology Centers and Purdue for Life Foundation. 

For more information on licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Office of Technology Commercialization at otcip@prf.org. For more information about involvement and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact Purdue Innovates at purdueinnovates@prf.org. 

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.