The Munich-based greenhouse startup Agrilution was forced to file for bankruptcy at the end of last year. Rescue came in the form of home appliance giant Miele.
A greenhouse in refrigerator format — The Munich startup Agrilution has been developing the "Plantcube" for several years. The idea: The customer places the refrigerator-sized device in their kitchen and grows vegetables, lettuce, and herbs from seed mats. However, on December 1 of last year, Agrilution was on the verge of collapse and had to file for insolvency after a failed financing round.
Miele transfers Agrilution to new company
Shortly thereafter, however, rescue came: Miele acquired the Munich-based company's brand, know-how, and assets and transferred them to the new company Agrilution Systems GmbH as part of an asset deal. The wholly-owned subsidiary of Miele Venture Capital took on almost all employees. The two Agrilution founders, Maximilian Lössl and Philipp Wagner, also remained on board as managing directors. Philipp Wagner says:
“Miele is a strong and reliable partner with whom we can significantly advance our business concept, both technically and in terms of marketing.”
The Plantcubes, developed by the Munich-based company, have been available on the market since March 2019. The fully automated greenhouses offer a closed ecosystem with seed mats, light and climate, as well as automated irrigation. The system is controlled via its own cloud platform. An app provides information about the growth process and offers tips for maintenance and harvesting. Agrilution currently offers 25 different lettuces, herbs, and seedlings, known as microgreens.
