luce labs

Luce Labs is a Chicago-based technology company founded in 2025 that is developing Iris, an AI-powered digital farming and precision indoor growing platform. The platform is designed to help chefs and producers access high-quality, authentic, and rare global crops year-round by replicating native growing conditions through AI and controlled environment agriculture. The system integrates hardware and software to support both on-site and distributed cultivation models, aiming to optimize the expression of high-value plant compounds while reducing dependence on complex global supply chains. The company is backed by accelerator programs, including the Alchemist Accelerator, and is currently focused on prototyping and scaling its technology.

By providing a controlled, AI-driven environment for localized plant production, Luce Labs addresses challenges related to ingredient consistency, reliability, and quality in the culinary industry. The company operates at the intersection of deep tech, culinary science, and biosciences, employing a multidisciplinary team of experts in plant physiology, robotics, and engineering. This approach is intended to provide chefs and partners with superior fresh ingredients that would otherwise be difficult to source consistently or sustainably. Through its work in what it calls Flavor Intelligence, the startup is working to push the boundaries of how food is produced and accessed in professional culinary environments.