Our Story
Lyrata began as a University of Toronto Engineering startup co-founded by Adnan Sharif, who faced a common problem: forgetting to water his plants in the lab.
"I was working in a plant immunity biology lab, so if I didn't water them, I'd have no plants to do experiments with."
With his father being a mechanical engineering professor in Japan who specialized in porous materials, Adnan developed the idea for a 3D-printed soil construct that could retain water for over a week.
Today, that innovation is SmartSoil - the foundation of Lyrata's sustainable indoor farming solutions. Unlike conventional rockwool (which is essentially house insulation made from mined rocks heated to 1500°C), SmartSoil is 3D-printed using biopolymers derived from corn, requiring significantly lower temperatures and energy.
"The product that almost everyone uses today is basically the same as house insulation... When you're finished, you throw it in the garbage."
After participating in U of T Engineering's Entrepreneurship Hatchery in 2020, Lyrata evolved its business model to "farming-as-a-service," providing complete SmartGrow units that fit in a standard parking spot. Clients sign contracts for Lyrata to manage everything from planting to harvesting.
Our breakthrough came through connections made at U of T Engineering events, leading to installations at Casa Loma and UTSC. As Nikol Watlikiewicz from Casa Loma notes: "Lyrata's competitive edge is that they provide an on-site, full service and they do not take up very much space."
With over $1.5M in R&D funding, 3 patents filed, and support from 50+ engineers and scientists, Lyrata continues to expand its crop variety beyond lettuce to include basil, parsley, and mizuna.