What They Do

Leaficient is an AI-powered agricultural technology company that helps commercial greenhouse growers monitor plant health in real time. Using low-cost cameras, hyperspectral imaging, environmental sensors, and artificial intelligence, its HeliOS platform provides laboratory-grade insights that help growers optimize crop health, improve yields, reduce costs, and make faster, data-driven decisions.

The Challenge

Leaficient needed to prove its technology could reliably operate inside commercial greenhouses while collecting enough plant-level data to accurately predict crop health and performance. After validating the technology, the company faced a second challenge: redesigning the system into a scalable, affordable platform that could be deployed across entire greenhouse facilities.

How Ben Franklin Helped

Innovation Works, a Ben Franklin Technology Partner, supported Leaficient through two Scalable Grants and participation in the Robotics Factory Accelerate Program. Funding helped the company build and validate its first HeliOS Alpha units, while the Robotics Factory provided manufacturing guidance, mentorship, and product development resources. A second Scalable Grant enabled Leaficient to redesign its platform for manufacturability and large-scale commercial deployment using modular, off-the-shelf components.

“The Robotics Factory provided all the necessary tools, space, and support to help us launch Leaficient.”

— Brian Stancil, CEO & Founder

Key Outcomes

Leaficient captured more than one million plant-hours of greenhouse data to validate its technology and successfully evolved HeliOS into a fully networked platform capable of supporting dozens of sensors and cameras throughout commercial greenhouses. The redesigned system simplifies installation, improves scalability, and delivers actionable AI-powered insights that help growers increase productivity, improve yields, and optimize resource use.

Programs Participated In: