Oishii
Category: AI in Agriculture
Oishii is an indoor vertical farming company that grows premium, pesticide-free strawberries and tomatoes using AI, robotics, and controlled-environment agriculture at commercial scale. Oishii was founded in 2016. The company is led by Hiroki Koga. Based in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. Team size: 51-200. Total funding raised: $370M. Latest round: Series C. Key investors include SPARX Asset Management (Mirai Creation Fund II); NTT; Yaskawa Electric Corporation; McWin Capital Partners; Resilience Reserve (Chris Anderson's sustainability fund); Mizuho Bank; Nomura Real Estate Development; MISUMI Group; Sony Innovation Fund; PKSHA Technology; Social Starts; Miyako Capital; Bloom8; Japan Green Investment Corporation for Carbon Neutrality (JICN); Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation; Toyota Motor Corporation (via SPARX fund).
- Founded
- 2016
- Headquarters
- Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
- Team size
- 51-200
- Total funding
- $370M
Value proposition
AI-optimized, pesticide-free indoor vertical farming that produces premium Japanese-quality strawberries year-round at commercial scale, combining robotics, automation, and traditional Japanese farming techniques.
Products and solutions
Omakase Berry (premium strawberry); Koyo Berry (strawberry); Nikko Berry (strawberry); Rubī Tomato; Premium Preserves line; Indoor Smart Farm™ model integrating robotics, AI, and controlled-environment agriculture
Unique value
World's first and largest indoor vertical strawberry farm producing premium, pesticide-free berries using AI-driven climate control, robotic harvesting, and proprietary pollination systems with live bees — all at commercial scale with proven unit economics.
Target customer
Premium grocery retailers (Whole Foods Market), Michelin-starred restaurants, and direct-to-consumer premium produce buyers across the US and Canada
Industries served
Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA); Vertical Farming; Premium Fresh Produce; AgTech
Technology advantage
Proprietary Smart Farm™ model combining AI, robotics, IoT sensors, and water purification systems; 60 billion datapoints analyzed annually; robotic harvesting and pollination; fully pesticide-free closed-loop environment; multi-million-dollar water recycling system; solar-powered farm operations; acquired Tortuga AgTech's IP and robotics engineering team (2025)
How they differentiate
Premium crop differentiation (strawberries/tomatoes vs. commodity leafy greens of competitors); disciplined scaling prioritizing unit economics over aggressive growth; deep robotics/AI integration; proprietary bee pollination at scale; price reduction from $50 to $7.99 demonstrating cost curve improvement; Japanese heritage techniques combined with cutting-edge automation
Main competitors
Plenty (vertical farming, leafy greens); Bowery Farming (vertical farming, now defunct); 80 Acres Farms (indoor farming, leafy greens and tomatoes)
Key partnerships
MISUMI Group (robotics and automation partnership for vertical farming); Tortuga AgTech (acquired IP, assets, and engineering team 2025); Whole Foods Market (retail distribution); NTT (technology partner and investor); Yaskawa Electric Corporation (automation partner)
Notable customers
Whole Foods Market; Michelin-starred restaurants including Atomix, Esme, Eleven Madison Park, Omakase Yume
Major milestones
2016: Company founded by Hiroki Koga and Brendan Somerville; 2018: Launched Omakase Berry at $50/pack in NYC; 2021: Raised $50M Series A led by SPARX; 2022: Opened 74,000 sq ft vertical farm in Jersey City, NJ; 2024: Opened Amatelas Farm (237,500 sq ft) in Phillipsburg, NJ — world's largest indoor vertical strawberry farm; 2024: Raised $150M Series B; 2025: Acquired Tortuga AgTech's IP and robotics engineering team; 2025: Launched Nikko Berry and Rubī Tomato; 2026: Raised $150M Series C first close; expanded to 18 US states and Toronto, Canada; planning Open Innovation Center in Tokyo
Growth metrics
Expanded from 1 product (Omakase Berry at $50/pack) to 4 produce SKUs plus preserves line; price reduced from $50 to $7.99 for entry SKU; distribution across 18 US states and Canada; 237,500 sq ft Amatelas Farm opened 2024
Market positioning
Premium-tier vertical farming leader that has survived the industry shakeout (unlike Bowery, AppHarvest, Plenty) by focusing on high-value crops, proven unit economics, and disciplined expansion. Positioned as the "Tesla of strawberries" with growing retail accessibility.
Geographic focus
US (18 states, primarily East Coast and Midwest) and Canada (Toronto); expanding to Japan with Open Innovation Center in Tokyo
Patents and IP
Acquired key IP and assets from Tortuga AgTech (harvest robotics); proprietary climate control systems; patented indoor farming technologies for strawberry cultivation
About Hiroki Koga
Ex-Deloitte Consulting Japan (Strategy & Operations, pharmaceutical/biotech); MBA Associate at AgFunder; MBA Intern at DCM Ventures; MBA from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
Official website: https://oishii.com