Viraj Puri

Viraj Puri

Co-founder & CEO, Gotham Greens

Viraj Puri co-founded Gotham Greens, a pioneer in indoor agriculture and a leading fresh food company. A Certified B Corporation™, Gotham Greens farms with the future in mind, delivering long-lasting and delicious leafy greens, herbs, salad dressings, dips and cooking sauces all year round to retail, restaurant and foodservice customers. Over the past decade under Viraj’s leadership, Gotham Greens has grown to be one of the largest and most commercially successful indoor farming companies in the world with 450 employees and 10 high-tech greenhouse facilities across seven U.S. states. Prior to Gotham Greens, Viraj led start-up enterprises in the United States, India and Malawi focused on sustainable agriculture, green building, renewable energy and environmental design. He has been awarded fellowships from TED, Wild Gift and the Environmental Leadership Program. In addition, Viraj was recognized as Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year® New York in 2021, one of the “100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs of 2020” by Goldman Sachs and Crain’s NY Business “40 under 40.” His work has been published in several books and journals, including “Innovation on Tap,” “100% Renewable: Energy Autonomy in Action” and the UN Academic Journal. He serves on various boards and committees, including the Urban Agriculture and Innovation Production Federal Advisory Committee for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Viraj is a LEED® Accredited Professional and earned a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University.