Eeki raises $7 million to grow pesticide-free staple vegetables

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After three years away from the spotlight, Eeki—an agritech disruptor based out of Kota—raises $7 million in fresh funding from Sixth Sense Ventures. But this isn’t just another capital injection. It’s a clear validation of Eeki’s audacious bet on soil-free, climate-controlled farming. This infusion gives the company the firepower to ramp up its operations across India, roll out its Gen 3 aeroponic growing chambers, and pour resources into R&D.

Co-founded in 2018 by IIT Bombay grads Abhay Singh and Amit Kumar, Eeki doesn’t farm like everyone else. Its method? Cultivating pesticide-free, nutritious veggies on barren land with 90–95% less water. The tech behind it—proprietary polymer chambers and precise aeroponics—is not only futuristic, it’s functional. More food, fewer resources, less waste.

To date, Eeki has raised roughly $15 million from notable backers including General Catalyst, Avaana Capital, and Better Capital. It’s currently farming over 100 acres with 70 more in the pipeline. Its next target? Tapping into global markets like the Middle East and making a bold case that food security doesn’t have to clash with ecological sanity—it can fuel it.

What Eeki is building isn’t just rows of leafy greens—it’s a radical reimagining of farming itself. This is agriculture stripped down and rebuilt for chaos, for scale, for a world that’s flat-out done with outdated methods and fragile systems.

1. Introduction to Eeki’s Vision

1.1 Building the Future of Sustainable Farming

Eeki raises $7 million. They aren’t interested in tweaking old methods. It’s tearing up the rulebook on agriculture as we know it. Right from the start, Abhay and Amit weren’t interested in chasing monsoons or pampering the land with fertilisers. Their vision? A radical kind of farming—unshackled from soil, weather, and chemicals. What they’ve created feels more like a collision between hard science and biological intuition, all fueled by a desperate need for change. The result? A new blueprint for growing essential vegetables, and a farming model that speaks the language of sustainability without compromising on yield.

1.2 Why It Matters Now

India’s farmlands are fraying. Groundwater’s vanishing. Pesticide use is off the charts. And climate change keeps punching holes in harvest cycles. Eeki doesn’t ignore these issues—it attacks them head-on. Its growing method slashes water use by up to 95%. It doesn’t need fertile soil. And it keeps quality consistent regardless of season or region. This isn’t just good—it’s essential.

2. Eeki’s Working Model Explained

2.1 Aeroponics at the Core

At the heart of Eeki’s system is aeroponics—a brilliantly oddball technique where roots hang naked in the air, getting doused in nutrient mist like they’re in some botanical spa. Sounds like something out of a sci-fi flick, right? But it works. It works ridiculously well. The plants don’t just grow—they thrive—pushing out faster, stronger, cleaner produce. And those roots? They’re nestled inside sleek, polymer-clad chambers that don’t just look futuristic—they act like high-tech soil impersonators. Nothing messy. Nothing wasteful. Just pure, precision-fed growth.

2.2 A Modular, Scalable Setup

Here’s where Eeki gets smart. Every acre holds around 20,000 growing chambers. No soil. No guesswork. Just climate-controlled farming units cultivating staples like chillies, okra, and cucumbers. The setup isn’t fixed to flat, fertile land. It works in deserts, rocky terrain, and places conventional farming wouldn’t even consider.

2.3 Localised Production, National Impact

Eeki doesn’t just grow food. It shifts supply chains. By building farms close to cities, it trims transport costs and slashes spoilage. Even better? It empowers rural women—90% of its farm workers are female. So each chamber doesn’t just grow vegetables; it grows local economies.

3. Revenue Model and Growth Strategy

3.1 Affordable Produce at Mandi Prices

Tech like this usually means higher prices. Not here. Eeki’s model ensures that its veggies land in mandis at everyday prices. Thanks to controlled environments and automation, the costs stay low, and so do the prices. This isn’t gourmet organics. This is daily nutrition for regular households.

3.2 Technology Licensing and Expansion

Beyond its farms, Eeki plans to let others replicate its model. A licensing pathway is on the cards, allowing local entrepreneurs and farmers to adopt Eeki’s chambers and systems. This makes scaling faster and more inclusive.

3.3 Automation and IoT Integration

Eeki’s working on a fully automated backbone. Think sensors, IoT tools, and self-regulating systems that handle irrigation, pruning, and even harvesting. Over 30% of the company’s team is building this tech, aimed at squeezing out waste, dialling in efficiency, and making farming future-proof.

4. Founders and Origin Story

4.1 From Material Science to Agritech

Abhay Singh and Amit Kumar weren’t supposed to be farmers. But their background in material science gave them something better—an engineer’s obsession with problem-solving. They saw how broken agriculture had become, and they decided to fix it with tech that worked on the ground.

4.2 A Startup Born from Urgency

Eeki wasn’t born in a boardroom. It came from a punch-in-the-gut moment: nearly a third of the planet’s soil ruined. And not slowing down. With crops losing their bite and freshwater slipping through our fingers, the co-founders couldn’t ignore it anymore. The old-school farming playbook? Running on fumes. Lab tests led to prototypes. Prototypes led to working farms. And Eeki began to grow.

5. Details of the Eeki raises $7 Million Funding Round

5.1 Sixth Sense Ventures Leads the Charge

Eeki raises $7 million round, led by Sixth Sense Ventures, is more than just money—it’s a nod from one of India’s sharpest consumer-focused funds. CEO Nikhil Vora didn’t mince words: Eeki, he said, might be “the most efficient farming company” in the making.

5.2 Previous Funding Timeline

Eeki’s path to this point wasn’t rushed. Past backers include:

• $6.5 million in a 2022 Series A led by General Catalyst
• $2 million earlier from Avaana Capital and others

Now, the total raised sits at around $15 million.

5.3 Allocation of Fresh Capital

So, where’s the new money going?

• Expanding across India
• Deploying Gen 3 growing chambers
• Ramping up R&D
• Exploring new markets, like the Middle East

6. The Market Landscape and Industry Growth Trends

6.1 Agritech’s Rise in India

India’s agritech revolution isn’t slowing down. Between 2020 and 2024 alone, over $2 billion has surged into the sector. Not just in one corner—everywhere. You’ve got drones mapping crops, AI driving irrigation, and startups rethinking how food even gets to a plate. Amid this flurry of innovation, Eeki doesn’t follow the script. It’s rewriting it entirely, rooted in deep-tech, not just digital dashboards.

6.2 Global Push for Sustainable Farming

Sustainable farming isn’t just in vogue. It’s survival. As water becomes scarce and weather patterns break down, food systems need a reboot. Eeki isn’t reacting to the problem. It’s getting ahead of it.

7. Competitive Landscape

7.1 Direct Competitors

Eeki isn’t alone in the space. Competitors include:

• AgroStar and MapMyCrop, tackling agri-efficiency
• UrbanKisaan and Clover, exploring urban and indoor farming

7.2 Differentiating Factors

Still, Eeki’s model stands out. Why?

• It’s not just leafy greens—it’s staple crops
• It keeps costs at mandi levels
• It scales like software
• It thrives where traditional farms can’t

Learning for Startups and Entrepreneurs

• Focus on Real-World Problems

Eeki’s success lies in solving something that matters. Food, water, soil—these aren’t tech buzzwords. They’re human needs. Entrepreneurs should chase impact, not just valuation.

• Build IP-Driven Products

Eeki didn’t just build tech—it built defensible IP. Patents, systems, and material science turned into a moat. Founders should aim to protect what they create.

• Impact-Driven Growth

Whether it’s employing hundreds of rural women or reducing ecological strain, Eeki’s impact isn’t a side-effect—it’s the strategy. Growth and good can go hand-in-hand.

• Smart Capital Over Big Capital

Three years passed before this latest raise. Why? Eeki waited for the right fit. Not the highest cheque. That’s the kind of patience most startups need—but few practice.

About Foundlanes

At foundlanes.com, we’re not here to play it safe—we chase the ventures tearing up the rulebook. Think Eeki, the kind of startup gutsy enough to rewire how entire industries operate. If you’re an investor scouting India’s next wild card or a founder craving real, raw insight, this is where you dig in. We don’t just report—we obsess over the pulse of what’s coming next. Funding updates, founder grit, market jolts—from agritech rebels to AI disruptors, we’re knee-deep in the noise that matters. This isn’t storytelling for clicks—it’s a front-row seat to the future. Come see what’s unfolding.