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Nebullam partners with Omni Analytics Group, plans to launch its next farm in Des Moines next year

November 3, 2021

Nebullam, an emerging indoor farming company based in Ames, is partnering with Omni Analytics Group (OAG) ahead of its upcoming launch of additional Nebullam Farms throughout the U.S.  

Nebullam was founded in 2017, with a focus on improving indoor farming technologies. Today, Nebullam owns and operates its flagship indoor farm and corporate headquarters within the Iowa State University Research Park.  The company offers fresh produce subscriptions with weekly and every-other-week delivery available to Central Iowa residents, year-round.  

“We’re preparing to launch our next Nebullam Farm in Iowa in early 2022. To scale into more locations efficiently,  we need to make every decision a data-driven decision. That’s where OAG is a perfect fit, as their insights are well-positioned to help our long-term growth, said Nebullam Co-Founder and CEO, Clayton Mooney in a statement. “With an earlier project, the OAG team was able to drastically reduce our cost of acquiring new customers. Now we’re working with the team on production and customer behavior models. That’s why we’re announcing today that OAG is  joining Nebullam as our Chief Data Officer, as well as an investor.”

The company plans to launch its second farm in Des Moines in Q1 of next year, Mooney told Clay & Milk. “We’ve had continued demand in Des Moines, so we’ll be launching our next Nebullam Farm there in Q1 2022. We’re looking at locations now, across and throughout the city. We’re also looking to pilot in Eastern Iowa within the next 90 days, to gauge interest and demand. Our Nebullam Farm in Ames will likely supply that pilot project, as we’d still be able to offer same-day harvest and delivery.”

Nebullam’s subscriber base for its flagship farm in Ames has grown by 330% year-to-date. Its current product offerings include red butterhead lettuce, microgreen varieties such as broccoli sprouts and micro radish, and tomato varieties. Future offerings include spinach, kale, and arugula. Nebullam has delivered more than 7,500 pounds of produce to date while eliminating 13.5 million food miles.  

“Nebullam’s team is building for the long-term. They’ll have hundreds of locations, serving fresh food directly to consumers all year long. When we first started working with the Nebullam team on strategies with their existing data, we realized their advantage in being vertically integrated and owning the supply chain—from seedling to delivery. We analyzed the data on their production and marketing, which allowed us to instantly help in reducing costs in the day-to-day and through acquiring customers, said Omni Analytics Group Founder, Dr. Lawrence  Mosley. “By joining the Nebullam team as Chief Data Officer, we’ll help them scale efficiently. By joining as an investor, we’re helping them scale faster.”

OAG is a global data science firm, focused on helping organizations and companies to make better decisions while changing the world. Founded in 2014, OAG specializes in data strategy, algorithm design, statistical analysis, and analytics training.

Previous coverage

Building in Public: This Ames startup is sharing its process with everyone -Jan. 13, 2021

Nebullam launches farm-to-door program for central Iowa residents -June 1, 2020

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Nebullam partners with Omni Analytics Group, plans to launch its next farm in Des Moines next year | Clay & Milk
A central Iowa ag-tech accelerator has secured more backers and finally has a name. The Greater Des Moines Partnership first announced the accelerator last year, naming four initial investors. On Monday, the Partnership said the program will be called the "Iowa AgriTech Accelerator" and named three new investors. The new investors include Grinnell Mutual, Kent Corp. and Sukup Manufacturing, all Iowa companies. They join investors Deere & Co., Peoples Co., Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co. and DuPont Pioneer. Each investor has agreed to put up $100,000 for the first year of the accelerator. Startups entering the program will receive $40,000 in seed funding in exchange for 6 percent equity. Tej Dhawan, an angel investor and local startup mentor, is serving as interim director until the AgriTech Accelerator names a permanent leader. Dhawan held a similar role with the GIA before Brian Hemesath was named as managing director. As interim director, Dhawan said his main job includes hiring the accelerator's executive director, establishing a business structure and initial recruiting for the first cohort. The accelerator will place few filters, such as location and product, on the applicant pool, Dhawan said. "When you’re seeking innovation, innovation can come from every corner of the world so why restrict ourselves," he said. One area the the AgriTech Accelerator won't recruit from is biotech. For its first cohort, the AgriTech Accelerator will work out of the GIA's space in Des Moines' East Village, Dhawan said. A future, permanent home is still to be decided. The accelerator's program will host startups from mid-July through mid-October, ending with an event connected to the annual World Food Prize. The GIA, which the AgriTech Accelerator is based on, also ends with presentations at an industry event. The accelerator has also started lining up a mentor pool. The Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Soybean Association and the Iowa Pork Producers Association have agreed to provide mentors, as has Iowa State University. While the AgriTech Accelerator is loosely based off of the GIA, it will differ in its business structure, Dhawan said. The GIA runs through a for-profit model for both operations and its investment fund. The AgriTech Accelerator will have a nonprofit model for its operations and a for-profit setup for its fund. Dhawan said the nonprofit model is being used so the accelerator can better work with other nonprofit partners, such as trade associations. "These are all organizations that are nonprofits and can be amazing stakeholders without ever having to be investors in the accelerator," he said. "It becomes easier to work with trade associations in their nonprofit role when we are also a nonprofit." When it's up and running, the AgriTech Accelerator would be one of a handful of ag-focused startup development programs in Iowa. Others include the Ag Startup Engine out of Iowa State University and the Rural Ventures Alliance from Iowa MicroLoan. Matthew Patane is the managing editor and co-founder of Clay & Milk. Send him an email at mpatane@clayandmilk.com.
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