Simplifying farming to provide more access to good food
The beginnings of Babylon®.
Babylon® began with the idea of growing food where it was never thought possible. Founders Alexander Olesen and Graham Smith met at the University of Virginia where they first designed a low-cost Micro-Farm™ to provide nutritious produce for food-insecure refugees in the Middle East.
Their goal was to bring the benefits of sustainable hydroponic farming to anyone who needed it. As a result, they developed technology that would automate the complex aspects of indoor farming by simplifying crop production and making it accessible to anyone.
Our Vision
We will make farming so simple, it’s within anyone’s reach.
Our Mission
Grow the world’s largest network of distributed indoor farms so people get closer to their food.
Values
Why every enterprise can benefit from micro-farming.
Polite Persistence
Be absolutely unrelenting in your work ethic, but not your attitude.
Raise the Tempo
High energy and interest makes the difference between good and great.
Unparalleled Quality
No shortcuts. No compromises. Simply the best will do.
Pragmatic Innovation
Balance innovation and reality with resourcefulness.
Babylon’s Leadership Team
Alexander Olesen
CEO & Co-Founder
Social Entrepreneur. Keynote and TEDx Speaker, and Urban Agriculture Expert. Passionate about building a more sustainable food system.
Graham Smith
CTO & Co-Founder
Patent holder with multiple IoT inventions in agtech and medical device spaces and a Principal Investigator and proposal reviewer for the National Science Foundation.
Marc Oosterhuis
COO
Experienced Senior Executive. A versatile leader with a strategic mindset. Former President Drytac Group (1999-2018). Extensive global experience. Fluency in English, Dutch, and German.
It is truly a seamless experience. Babylon is with you every step of the way
Jeremy Tavares
Here at Zurich, sustainability is a very important matter, and with the Babylon Micro-Farm it reduces the need for trucking produce to use which uses gas that contributes to greenhouse gas emissions
Matthew Carlson
Pam Neff
Honey, I was there when they were installing it! I was so excited! All I could think about was being a young girl helping my mother in the garden, picking veggies. It brought back my very best memories.
Elsie H.
Bob Raymond
I’ve had two interns help me with this project and they are very passionate about sustainable growth and farming. The students can see everything growing from planting to harvesting, which is fantastic.
Lindsay Klingenschmidt
Our cafe on campus has seen a lot of success with the produce from the Micro-Farm. Students are adding greens to their pizzas, salads, and noodle bowls
Matt Jewell
My favorite part was explaining and showing people how the farm actually works, now I’m not afraid to take chances when it comes to different jobs and me not knowing what’s to come
