Kimbal Musk - Elon's brother - is running a shipping container farm compound in New York City
Sarah Jacobs
For over a decade, Musk has run two restaurant chains, The Kitchen and Next Door, which serve dishes made strictly with locally-sourced meat and veggies. Since 2011, his nonprofit program has installed "Learning Gardens" in over 300 schools to teach kids about agriculture.
Musk's latest food venture delves into the world of local urban farming.
In early November 2016, he and fellow entrepreneur Tobias Peggs launched Square Roots, an urban farming incubator program in Brooklyn, New York. The setup consists of 10 steel shipping container farms where young entrepreneurs work to develop vertical farming startup businesses. Unlike traditional outdoor farms, vertical farms grow soil-free crops indoors and under LED lights.
On July 18, Square Roots opened applications for its second season, which will start in October and last 13 months.
"Graduates are uniquely positioned to embark on a lifetime of real food entrepreneurship - with the knowhow to build a thriving, responsible business. The opportunities in front of them will be endless," Musk wrote on Medium.
Six weeks into the first season, just after the entrepreneurs completed their first harvests, Business Insider got a tour of the farms. Take a look below.
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