Anu wins first place, $20,000 in SCORE’s 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition

Anu, a company that develops CEA systems, won first place and $20,000 among 10 small businesses at the national SCORE 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition in Des Moines, Iowa.

SCORE, or Service Corps of Retired Executives, is a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Purdue University alumni Scott Massey and Ivan Ball founded anu, which has received financial support from the Purdue Research Foundation and allows for sustainably growing Pure Produce.

“This funding will support sales and the rapid growtpureh of our intellectual property portfolio, focusing on AI computer vision control systems that optimize yield and energy efficiency in our cultivation containers,” said Massey, who acts as CEO. “The easy-to-use anu seedpod subscription is like ‘Nespresso for plants,’ working in conjunction with our efficient Rotary Aeroponics technology to effortlessly grow the widest variety of plants indoors."

Ten small business owners competed in the SCORE competition. All contestants received guidance from SCORE’s mentors to prepare and deliver their pitch.

Judging criteria included the effectiveness of the presentation, brand identification, uniqueness and viability of the product or service; the thoroughness of the business plan; scalability; and any sustainability or social impact. Financials were also assessed on overall potential.

Anu has received National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research Phase I and II grants to develop AI computer vision control algorithms; an Indiana Manufacturing Readiness Grant to mass manufacture its 100% compostable seedpods; and a National Science Foundation’s Technology Enhancement for Commercial Partnerships program grant to accelerate manufacturing of the seedpods.

The company also won the AgriNovus HungerTech Challenge sponsored by Elevance Health, and established a commercialization partnership with ekō Solutions, a subsidiary of Land Betterment Corp., to bring Pure Produce Containers to market.

© Photo courtesy of Anu and Purdue University

The containers offer the performance of a large vertical farm in a modular shipping container, making institutions, military bases, hospitals, schools and other food-serving environments self-sufficient without preservatives or pesticides.

Massey said indoor farming has the potential to combat nutrition insecurity by sustainably growing high-quality food closer to consumers, but poor strategies have limited its impact.

“The industry is like the early ice industry — costly and inefficient. Just as the shift toward refrigerators from ice factories made ice accessible, indoor farming must break free from facility constraints,” he said. “Like ice, produce is perishable and needs controlled environments. Success depends on a productive, energy-efficient system that maximizes space, reduces costs and works as simply as a Keurig — letting consumers 'Harvest When Hungry' by replacing mature plants with new seedpods.”

Massey said anu’s pilot 20-foot container farm grows tons of produce annually, offering a full return on investment in the time it takes to plan and build a traditional vertical farm.

“Unlike fixed facilities, our containers are deployable in hours, planted that day and harvested within a month, letting operators focus on food prep,” he said. “Our Self-Nurturing seedpods, preloaded with nutrients, require no expertise. We maximize space and labor, exponentially increasing the market size to now include institutional markets, bypassing traditional suppliers.”

Massey and Ball, both recognized as Conexus Indiana’s Rising 30 and Forbes 30 Under 30, are former NASA-funded researchers at Purdue under Cary Mitchell who designed advanced space farming systems before leveraging Purdue’s startup resources to launch anu. Receiving multiple investments from the Purdue Research Foundation, the company employs 10 full-time staff and offers multiple internship opportunities. Contact info@growanu.com for more information.