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Filip Mijatović
Episode · #446

POSLOVNA ŠPICA Filip Mijatović

Guest Filip MijatovićHosted by Saša PetarMay 3, 2026
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation

For centuries, 'agriculture' has meant fields, soil, and weather. But what happens when global supply chains falter, climate patterns become unpredictable, and cities demand fresh food without the carbon footprint of transport? Filip Mijatović, co-founder of City Greens Farming, is building a future where food production is not only independent of these forces but also happens in your basement or on your rooftop. His company specializes in aeroponic vertical farming, a system that grows crops without soil, using 98% less water than traditional methods. Mijatović’s work challenges the conventional image of farming, transforming it into a high-tech, climate-independent enterprise. This conversation explores how a hobby project can evolve into a commercial solution for food security, and what it means to grow food in the air, not the ground.

Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
Filip Mijatović's aeroponic farming venture began not with his own invention, but with his brother-in-law's hobby device, built after his electrical engineering studies. Not every commercial idea needs to originate with you; sometimes, the skill is in recognizing and scaling the market potential in someone else's passion project.
02
Mijatović describes his own thinking as 'business development oriented,' focused on imagining how any concept could function on a larger scale. The ability to conceptualize a small-scale innovation into a large commercial system is a distinct entrepreneurial skill, often more valuable than the initial invention itself.
03
The Suez Canal blockage and the war in Ukraine were not isolated incidents for Mijatović; they served as clear signals that global food distribution chains are fragile. These geopolitical and logistical disruptions are creating an urgent market demand for localized, climate-independent food production systems.
04
When people hear 'agriculture,' the image is still often one of village life, dirt, and long hours. The public's mental model of agriculture is outdated; the real challenge for new food technology isn't just technical, but shifting the perception from traditional farming to a high-tech, urban industry.
05
Mijatović challenges the common belief that food must grow in soil, explaining that soil is merely 'a mechanical medium that holds the root and collects minerals.' Technology can replicate and improve upon soil's functions, making it an optional, rather than essential, component for plant growth.
06
City Greens Farming's aeroponic system uses '98% less water than classic soil cultivation' and 30% less than hydroponics. This radical reduction in water consumption is a core driver for adopting new agricultural technologies, addressing a global resource scarcity beyond just climate independence.
07
The long-term goal is to become 'completely energy independent of external sources,' aiming for a 'perpetuum mobile' system powered by renewables. True resilience in future food production extends beyond climate and logistics; it demands energy independence, eliminating all external dependencies for a fully self-sustaining model.
08
Mijatović emphasizes that his systems 'do not use pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides.' Controlled-environment agriculture offers a path to cleaner food by removing the need for chemical interventions common in traditional farming, directly addressing consumer demand for healthier produce.
09
The system enables growing in 'hostile climates' like Iceland, combining with local renewable energy sources such as geothermal. The market for climate-independent food production isn't just about mitigating risks in existing zones; it's about enabling food production in regions previously considered agriculturally unviable.
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