Alicia, Victor, Björn and Victor run the startup Urban Culture, the latest addition to the eXpressions incubator. The company, which develops hydroponic and autonomous growing systems with the aim of enabling crops to be grown where they are consumed, with minimal human labour, hopes to develop a further MVP in the near future. 

Co-founder Alicia From explains how the idea came about over a glass of wine at the Scandic Plaza, got more air under its wings with the help of SSE Business Lab's Activate programme and what the plan is for the near future. 

How did you come up with the idea of Urban Culture and who is part of the team?

It all started one evening when my parents and I were sitting in the lobby of the Scandic Plaza (where they were staying), chatting over a glass of wine after we'd gone out for dinner with the family to celebrate my birthday. I then mentioned that they have a business incubator through the Stockholm School of Economics, where I am currently studying, that I was interested in. My brother Victor, also a business partner in Urban Culture has always had different business ideas so my mom mentioned one of Victor's latest ideas - to create hydroponic growing systems.

I thought it sounded interesting and saw potential in the idea, so I called Victor the next day and suggested we apply to the Activate programme at the SSE Business Lab. The same day we decided to apply to the programme and give it a go.

After the summer in the Activate programme, we felt that we needed to bring in additional skills to the team and decided to bring in another computer engineer, Björn Lidell and a technical design engineer, Victor Andersson.

Siblings Alicia and Victor From and Victor Andersson got to know each other while growing up in Lycksele, and the boys played hockey together, among other things. Björn Lidell is originally from Ekerö, Stockholm, but studied computer science in Umeå together with Victor From.

Briefly describe what Urban Culture does

Urban Culture develops hydroponic and autonomous growing systems with the aim of enabling crops to be grown where they are consumed, with minimal human labour.

How far have you got with the product at the moment and what's coming up in the near future?

During the summer we built a first prototype but now, with Victor Andersson as technical designer and access to the prototype lab at eXpression, we are planning for the production of a further developed MVP. If all goes according to plan, this will be tested against our first customers, the so-called "new customers". Early Adopters, to gain insights into the technical design and how the system works in practice.

You have recently been accepted to the eXpressions incubator, what do you hope to get out of the programme? 

We want to share the expertise that exists within and around the programme and to make new contacts and hopefully help others by sharing our expertise.