See What's in Store at SB’25 San Diego — Explore Program Highlights!

Nona Yehia

Co-Founder/CEO
Vertical Harvest

An accomplished architect by training, Nona leveraged that expertise to building North America’s first vertical hydroponic greenhouse and founding Vertical Harvest Farms. She pioneered the company to focus on inclusive, customized employment for people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities alongside her co-founder Caroline Croft-Estay. She conceived the company based on her experiences growing up with a brother with developmental disabilities, love of fresh and local food, obsession with great design and long-standing community involvement. Her organic connection to all aspects of the enterprise fuels Nona’s insight into the business and her dynamic leadership style has been recognized by CNN’s Champions of Change and Fast Company's Best Places to Work for Innovators. She is also a Tony Hsieh Award Fellow, working to reimagine the role of Human Capital in business and a WEF "Global Future Council on Cities" Member. Her career journey has been a perfect arc between architecture and entrepreneurship – landing squarely in the camp of “community builder” and champion of climate resilient civic infrastructure. In the process she’s become a strong voice for designing the future we want from the food we need, with a seat at the table for all.

Nona Yehia is tagged in 2 assets.
Video
How Resource-Efficient Vertical Agriculture, Inclusive Employment and Upward Social Mobility Can Go Hand in Hand in Hand

This talk, delivered by Nona Yehia, Co-Founder & CEO of Vertical Harvest, will describe a fascinating win-win-win set of solutions the company has built – from developing underutilized space in underserved urban neighborhoods, to using 85% less wat... View More

Slides
How Resource-Efficient Vertical Agriculture, Inclusive Employment and Upward Social Mobility Can Go Hand in Hand in Hand

This talk, delivered by Nona Yehia, Co-Founder & CEO of Vertical Harvest, will describe a fascinating win-win-win set of solutions the company has built – from developing underutilized space in underserved urban neighborhoods, to using 85% less wat... View More

Upcoming Events

October 13-16, 2025
SB'25 San Diego
US Event
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Thursday, July 24, 2025
The ROI of Sustainability, Part 2: Sources of Financial Value and Effectively Communicating Analyses
Webinar
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Tuesday, July 29, 2025
From Aware to Empowered: Unlocking Sustainable Fluency Across Your Organization
Webinar
Sponsored by Eastman
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