FTX’s Odd Relationship With Vertical Farming Firms — A Look at Exchange Boss Ryan Salame’s and Bahamian PM Philip Davis’ Trip to 80 Acres

After discovering that ten holding corporations related to FTX Digital and Alameda Research invested roughly $5.4 billion into almost 500 corporations and initiatives, folks have been inquisitive about a couple of particular investments. One particular funding made by FTX Ventures Ltd. was for $25 million into the Ohio-based agency 80 Acres, an organization that focuses on vertical farming. It appears that 80 Acres Farms was partnered with a Bahamian hydroponic producer referred to as Eeden Farms, and Ryan Salame, the co-chief govt officer of FTX Digital Markets, toured 80 Acres farm in Ohio with the Bahamian prime minister Philip Davis.

A Look on the Ties Between FTX Ventures, FTX Co-Chief Executive Officer Ryan Salame, and a pair of Specific Vertical Farm Companies

The Financial Times (FT) just lately published paperwork that present FTX Digital’s and Alameda Research’s portfolio of investments, which provides as much as a whopping $5.4 billion. Among the a whole bunch of investments, FTX and Alameda invested in corporations that weren’t associated to the crypto and the blockchain trade.

Now folks would possibly marvel why a cryptocurrency agency, and extra particularly FTX Ventures Ltd., invested in an organization that grows produce utilizing hydroponics in vertically stacked layers. It’s not fully clear why, however it’s public information that Ryan Salame, the co-chief govt officer of FTX Digital Markets, visited the corporate’s farm in January 2022.

As the Government stays dedicated to the development of the Green Economy in The Bahamas, Prime Minister Davis and Honorable Clay Sweeting just lately toured the flagship 70K Farm owned by 80 Acres Farms.

Read the Prime Minister’s remarks right here: https://t.co/eST1lnLcQo 1/2 pic.twitter.com/SrskJoI6gl

— Office of The Prime Minister The Bahamas (@opmthebahamas) January 25, 2022

According to The Tribune, in January 2022, Salame and the Bahamian prime minister Philip Davis toured 80 Acres Farms with the Bahamian minister of agriculture Clay Sweeting, and the homeowners of a Bahamian hydroponic agency referred to as Eeden Farms. Tribune enterprise editor Neil Hartnell defined 80 Acres farm in Ohio was to function a mannequin for Eeden Farms on Nassau’s Gladstone Road.

80 Acres is an Eeden Farm associate and this yr, the Bahamian hydroponic producer rebranded its farm to Eeden Acres on Jan. 24, 2022. Hartnell detailed that authorities officers from Ohio have been additionally current on the 80 Acres tour, alongside executives from Sysco Bahamas. As far because the Bahamas was involved, Hartnell defined that Eeden and 80 Acres would “invest $60m in developing a 71,000 square foot facility able to grow ‘300 times more food’ than a traditional farm.”

Furthermore, Salame reportedly gave $22 million to Republicans for the 2022 midterm election cycle, in accordance with opensecrets.org information. Salame, a Sandisfield Massachusetts native, was identified for being an enormous spender as he owned four restaurants and roughly six properties in Lenox, in accordance with The Berkshire Eagle. It’s not fully identified what relationship FTX Ventures and Salame had with 80 Acres, but it surely appears Salame was fairly concerned with Eeden Acres’ and 80 Acres’ ventures.

Eeden Farms’ web site is at present down and the corporate’s social media pages haven’t posted in a very long time. On Instagram, Eeden’s final submit was in June 2021, on Facebook Eeden’s last posts have been revealed that very same month, and Eeden’s final submit on Twitter was in February 2022.

On the corporate’s Facebook web page, Eeden’s web page identify is named Eeden Acres, and it exhibits 3D mock-up photos of an Eeden Acres constructing with a roof totally lined in photo voltaic panels. Eeden’s co-founder Lincoln Deal recently talked about “the disruptive changes in the agricultural industry” on the University of The Bahamas, the identical day FTX’s financial troubles ensued.

During his interview with Mario Nawfal’s Twitter Spaces crew, FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried admitted that withdrawals to Bahamian residents came about earlier than FTX totally collapsed, and probably on two events. In a two-part interview with Tiffany Fong (here and here), SBF defined FTX execs codified the Bahamian withdrawals as a result of he didn’t wish to reside on an island with offended residents.

What do you concentrate on the connections between FTX Ventures, Ryan Salame, Eeden Farms, and 80 Acres Farms? Why do you assume the co-chief of a crypto change would go to a vertical farm plant in Ohio with The Bahamas’ PM? Let us know what you concentrate on this topic within the feedback part under.