S6E68: Modernizing & Democratizing Vertical Farming in Greece with Christos Raftogiannis

Episode Summary

Founder and CEO of CityCrop, Christos Raftogiannis, joins the show to share his passion for agriculture, how the Indoor AgTech industry has evolved in Greece, and the challenge of assembling a team to take on the complexities of vertical farming. Today, Harry and Christos engage in a discussion on what inspired Christos to launch CityCrop, how Christos has grown as a founder and the work CityCrop is doing to modernize and democratize farming as key to a healthier and greener living.

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Key Takeaways

07:13 – Harry welcomes to the show, Christos Raftogiannis, who talks about his passion for agriculture and how he got involved in hydroponics and vertical farming

14:09 – The inspiration to launch CityCrop and customer feedback on early prototypes

18:52 – How Christos approaches building a team to tackle a myriad of problems

20:22 – How Christos has grown as a founder and leader and how he decides what products CityCrop offers

24:29 – Challenges of growing tobacco indoors

25:50 – Christos reflects on his experience with The Hellenic Initiative and The Venture Impact Awards

27:28 – The evolution of indoor farming in Greece

29:57 – Christos’ plans for expansion

33:20 – The importance of educating younger generations on the possibilities of vertical farming

37:26 – What motivates and drives Christos

39:28 – A specific ask Christos has for the audience

41:39 – Harry thanks Christos for joining the show and lets listeners know wher they can connect with him and learn more about CityCrop

Tweetable Quotes

“In Greece, the universities don’t encourage the entrepreneurial mindset in their students. To study something and then go out alone to work on something is not viewed as a good thing.” (11:46) (Christos)

“I think I’ve grown through my mistakes because it was my first venture where I didn’t know a lot about manufacturing, software, field work, how you can combine everything. I think I learned a lot [as a new founder].” (20:42) (Christos)

“In every competition with a lot of different companies in different sectors...you start realizing that you’re creating something that has value and that you’ve done something right this time.” (26:53) (Christos)

“When you are young you learn and you accept things easier than an older person.” (33:55) (Christos)

“One of the biggest things [that keeps me motivated] is the climate crisis. We need to keep growing and grow closer to our cities. I strongly believe that our technology can help people to start growing closer to their homes. This is the main thing that pushes us to work harder and harder every day.” (37:52) (Christos)