Canadian agtech startup Plantaform wins Web Summit Qatar 2026 PITCH competition with NASA derived fogponics technology that uses 95% less water than traditional farming.
Plantaform, a Canadian agtech company that grows plants using NASA derived fogponics technology, won the PITCH startup competition at Web Summit Qatar 2026, beating more than 1,600 startups from 127 countries.
The Ottawa area company builds smart indoor gardens that replace soil with ultrasonic fog to deliver water and nutrients directly to plant roots. The system uses up to 95 percent less water than traditional agriculture.Alberto Aguilar, co-founder and CEO of Plantaform, said the company plans to expand across the Gulf region following the win.
"In a year, we see Plantaform's smart indoor gardens becoming a common household appliance across the GCC, while also scaling our fogponics technology into commercial greenhouses designed to grow food efficiently in desert environments," Aguilar said.
The timing aligns with a regional push for food security. Gulf Cooperation Council countries import up to 85 percent of their food, leaving them vulnerable to supply chain shocks. The six GCC countries had roughly 60 million inhabitants in 2024, a number projected to rise to 83.5 million by 2050. Water scarcity compounds the challenge, with arable land averaging just 4.25 percent of the GCC region.
Technologies like fogponics address both constraints. The global fogponics market is valued at approximately $2.7 billion in 2024 and is anticipated to reach around $17.4 billion by 2033, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 20.5 percent.
Plantaform's flagship product, called Rejuvenate, can grow up to 15 herbs, vegetables, and edible flowers at a time and runs for up to three weeks without maintenance. The company has secured more than $3 million in seed funding and won the CES Best of Innovation Award at the Las Vegas consumer electronics show in January 2025. Plantaform has retail partnerships with Costco Canada and regional distributors like Jumbo Group.
Aguilar and co-founder Kiwa Lang attended high school together in Dubai. Lang discovered fogponics while studying industrial design in Australia and brought the concept to Aguilar, a Carleton University business graduate. The fogponics technology was originally developed by NASA for potential use growing food on space stations.
Formula One driver Yuki Tsunoda is among the company's investors and has promoted its products on social media.
Vancouver based GlüxKind, a robotics company building AI powered baby strollers, and Dubai based &Again, a marketplace for pre-loved fashion, finished as runners-up.
Previous Web Summit Qatar PITCH winners include Metalchemy, a UK nanotech startup fighting food waste, and Breshna, an American gaming company that lets users create video games without coding.
Web Summit Qatar 2026 drew 30,274 attendees, 1,637 startups, and 931 investors over four days. Since the 2025 edition, 69 startups from the event's programme have collectively raised $205 million in funding.
