WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced that Trifecta Ecosystems – an urban farming technology company on a mission to create a City that Feeds Itself™ – is “Murphy’s Innovator of the Month.” In 2012, Glastonbury, Connecticut natives Spencer Curry and Kieran Foran co-founded Trifecta Systems after successfully building an aquaponics system in their dark, cramped apartment. The co-founders soon moved back to Glastonbury where they created an experimental aquaponics system in their backyard that grew all year long, through the winter. Today, Trifecta Ecosystems operates a facility in Meriden, Connecticut, where six employees work to empower communities to grow their own food. Murphy visited the Meriden facility earlier this year, where he met with the Trifecta Ecosystems team and other local farmers to learn how he can better support Connecticut farms. 

Trifecta Ecosystems provides aquaponics systems to organizations for educational purposes, workforce development, therapeutic gardening, and high-quality food production. Trifecta Ecosystems’ aquaponics systems range from commercial scale production facilities to small educational units for use in classrooms. The team recently completed their first full winter season at their Meriden facility, where they grew fresh food for 34 Connecticut families every week, all season long. To date, Trifecta Ecosystems has installed aquaponics systems in every CREC (Capital Region Education Council) high school, with 10 systems installed throughout the CREC school district. The innovator is also collaborating with CREC Teaching and Learning to create lesson plans for teachers to integrate aquaponics tools into their classrooms. Trifecta Ecosystems is currently looking to expand their programs to other Connecticut cities, including New Haven and Hartford, and is looking for organizations to partner with them in making their own city a City that Feeds Itself™.

Murphy said, “Trifecta Ecosystems is on a mission to help people grow their own healthy food. Spencer and Kieran were amateur farmers when they developed the Trifecta Ecosystems technology, but their work will have lasting and widespread impact on the future of food production in Connecticut. I had a wonderful time visiting their Meriden facility and seeing their aquaponics system up close.”

Spencer Curry, co-founder and CEO of Trifecta Ecosystems, said, "At Trifecta, we're working on accelerating the pace at which the urban farming industry can fulfill its amazing potential.  We look forward to continuing our work empowering individuals to feed their communities to create a new model of food security. Where we go one, we go all!"

Murphy believes entrepreneurship and innovation are building blocks for a strong economy. In the U.S. Senate, he has introduced two bipartisan pieces of legislation to incentivize angel investors to put more money into startup companies – the Angel Tax Credit Act and the Helping Angels Lead Our Startups (HALOS) Act. Last month, Murphy’s HALOS Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives. Startup companies create an average of 2 million jobs each year.

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