How Pure Harvest CEO Raised $300M to Build AgTech Farms in the UAE Desert

From private equity investor to agritech trailblazer, Sky Kurtz, Co-Founder & CEO of Pure Harvest Smart Farms, joins a special episode of the Startup Spotlights Podcast by Lucidity Insights to unpack how he built one of the Middle East’s leading controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) companies. Host Erika Welch dives into Sky’s journey from Stanford and global finance to launching a high-tech farming conglomerate solving the region’s biggest challenges in food security, sustainable agriculture, and farming in extreme climates.

Sky breaks down the complexities of scaling CEA technology in extreme climates — including water-efficient greenhouse systems, climate-resilient food production, and the technologies enabling year-round fresh produce in the GCC. He offers deep insights into the future of water conservation in the Middle East, the region’s transition beyond petrodollar-driven economies, and what it will take for the UAE to become a global hub for agritech, sustainability, and home-grown unicorn startups.

Sky also shares candid, hard-won advice for founders on startup fundraising, navigating macroeconomic shifts, investor expectations in the GCC, and building high-performance teams in complex, capital-intensive sectors. A must-listen episode for anyone exploring agritech innovation, food and water security, UAE startup funding, or the future of sustainable food systems.

 

Sky Kurtz Linkedin
PureHarvest Startup profile