Founders: Sky Kurtz, Mahmoud Adi, Robert Kupstas
The Middle East’s 50 Most-Funded Startups
Rank: #1
Pure Harvest Smart Farms
Country: U.A.E.
Funding: $135.8 Million
Investors: Wafra International Investment Company, Shorooq Partners
Founded In: 2016
Technology-enabled agribusiness
Pure Harvest uses controlled environment agriculture technology to produce fresh fruits and vegetables in high-tech greenhouse facilities. According to the company, it currently produces over 20 varieties of tomatoes and six varieties of strawberries, among other things. Co-founders Robert Kupstas and Sky Kurtz met through the Stanford University alumni network in 2016—Mahmoud Adi joined the team in the same year. The company received seed funding in 2017, and in March 2018 it began constructing its first high-tech greenhouse in Abu Dhabi. In April 2020, Pure Harvest announced a Series A funding round of $110 million led by Wafra International Investment Company. It now has plans to expand to Kuwait.