From in-store display units to compact production systems, Slovak technology company Ambitas has focused on building vertical farms that balance automation, modularity, and usability. With a background in IoT and system integration, the company now applies its engineering expertise to projects that prioritize real-world functionality over technical showmanship. “Vertical farming naturally appealed to us because it brings all of that together in one deeply technical, fast-evolving domain,” says Martin Balaz, founder and CEO of Ambitas. “Our background has always been in bridging hardware and software. The opportunity to build something tangible, responsive, and sustainable in this space was immediate and obvious.”
The clearest expression of that philosophy is StoreField, Ambitas’ retail-focused vertical farm designed to fit seamlessly inside grocery environments. It’s a unit that condenses the backbone of a commercial vertical farm into the footprint of a display shelf, and is fully automated, self-contained, and visually intuitive.
“One of the biggest challenges was that we couldn’t look at design, automation, and user experience in isolation. They all had to align with a viable business model,” Balaz explains. “We had to invent new manufacturing workflows, introduce remote diagnostics, and re-engineer components that are normally used at scale. At the same time, it had to be plug-and-play, low maintenance, and clean enough to sit in front of customers.” It’s a level of engineering that reflects the company’s broader ethos: technology that disappears behind ease of use, without sacrificing functionality.
Ambitas has worked across retail units, research environments, and production pilots. Despite the range, Balaz says their design process consistently returns to one principle: Modularity, when it makes sense. “Modularity is always one of our goals, even though it’s not always fully achievable, especially in highly custom or first-of-their-kind projects,” he says. “From both a hardware and software perspective, we design with reusability and long-term adaptability in mind.”
While clients often approach Ambitas looking for bespoke features, the company has learned that most projects benefit from a standardized core with just enough flexibility to serve specific needs. “In most cases, clients say they want flexibility, but what they need is a reliable system that works, is easy to operate, and doesn’t break the bank,” Balaz notes.
At the heart of Ambitas’ current strategy is a “fail fast, learn fast” approach that values field testing over perfection. “We don’t believe in building systems in isolation or overengineering for hypothetical scenarios,” Balaz says. “We release, test, and adjust based on actual user behavior and operational feedback.”
