Ullas Samrat and Dhruv Khanna attending the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit in Hong-Kong in July 2019
Dhruv Khanna and Ullas Samrat were featured on the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 list for their innovative work in the field of agriculture that drives environmental and economical sustainability in India. As co-founders of the start-up Triton Foodworks, they leverage technology and age old Ayurvedic practices to grow large yields of pesticide free food with minimum input.
With a growing urban population depending on rural agricultural output, major Indian cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Shehnai and Pune are seeking alternative solutions to address food security concerns. By setting up full scale commercial farms in the outskirts of these cities, Triton Foodworks has become a leader in the Indian Hydroponics industry, having saved more than 3 billion liters of water since its inception in 2014 and produced more than 700 tons of residue-free fruits and vegetables every year as compared to conventional agriculture on the same footprint. The technology relies heavily on the use of hyperlocal weather data analysis and age-old farming practices able to solve complex issues like consistent supply of nutritious fruits and vegetables at low price points. The proprietary hydroponics systems which allows the growing of plants without soil but with nutrients supplied through water, has allowed Triton Foodworks to be price competitive, bringing down the cost of production to comparable levels as those in open field agriculture. Agriculture is the biggest source of water pollution in the world, and the Smart Plant Factories that are currently being developed in the world can ensure that cities of the future are able to feed their growing urban populations without burdening earth’s natural resources.
“Being featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 List, Asia 2019 comes as an amazing validation for the work that we have been putting into Triton Foodworks for the last 5 years. It’s a nod towards the need for radical thinking to solve the world’s problems and we are extremely humbled and proud of making the cut. We started Triton Foodworks because we experienced firsthand the impact that blatant pesticide use has been having on our land, water and food supply and being recognized as a green technology startup that is creating a tiny dent in the universe for the better, we are beyond thrilled and excited. But this is just the start. There are many more milestones yet to be achieved and this validation has only made our resolve to solve real world problems stronger. Although Triton’s co-founders were featured in the list, it would have been impossible without the entire team behind the company and the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment because without their trust and nomination, this entire journey would not have happened in the first place.”
Read more about the 2019 Forbes 30 under 30 here