I do agree with you, from technical point of view, its not rocket science neither some things special, I look at it from business point of view, trying keep some numbers in check, maximizing some and minimizing others. Some agritech start-up belly up because they forgot to keep numbers in check despite crazy tech .

refrigerator size 400L autoclave cost 20K minimum. If you can use heating element to turn a container into extended autoclave => you are god of physics yo can sell this autoclave to me for 5K and mass sell to any one . Thermoeletric device you mean peltier effect? Its good for hobby mini size box, using peltiers to cool refridgerator sized container? you are mother of god of physics, You dont need to grow mushroom to make money just sell this cooling devices and you are rich.

refrigerator size 400L autoclave cost 20K minimum. If you can use heating element to turn a container into extended autoclave => you are god of physics yo can sell this autoclave to me for 5K and mass sell to any one . Thermoeletric device you mean peltier effect? Its good for hobby mini size box, using peltiers to cool refridgerator sized container? you are mother of god of physics, You dont need to grow mushroom to make money just sell this cooling devices and you are rich.

I don’t know which kind of mushroom you think about, but for cordyceps many companies in US already growth as mycelium, extract and selling capsules. and recently fruiting body liquid culture. Amater growers you can find on etsy just do search cordyceps. In Asia we got in hot pot and soup.

For psychedelics at least two companies got permission from gov of canada, They build millions dollar facilities in Vancouver and Calgary. In Oregon its legally to growth for owner use. Of course its niche and tough marketing.

I do agree that nobody want to buy into cost +labor but let me break it into details.

1. Making the substrate require autoclave its labor intensive process, its all my shoulder. I’ll sell them substrates put into device, the device is automated so you don’t have any things. Daily just open it watch fill in some water then close it. My Pi can act as Iot gateway so you can monitor it locally or I can monitor it remotely.
2. Let look about ROI. if you buy cordyceps from out side you will fork out 5K for 5kg dried or 50kg fresh. To grow 5kg dried you will need ~50kg-80kg brown rice or 300-400USD + other addtives ~50USD. You will need to sterilize it using huge autoclave for 2-3h 20kw -> 50khw of eletricity or 150USD ( USA price 30ct/kwh) so its 600USD. Adding labor cost transportation +administrative cost. Suppose I’ll it to you as 2000USD to make profit. Device need less than 600USD electricity you you have 5000-2000-600 = 2400 USD gain. Your get your capital back in 12 month if I charge the device 15K. if I charge 10K its <<9 month.
3. This strategy I just copy from Babylon-microfarm, they sell 15k device to grow lettuce and microgreen worth couple of hundred USD. And they raised serie A already. The freight-farm start selling their 40ft container for 75K and raised it to 149K and ready for IPO, claim 20M revenue. May be they know some voodoo magic or in US you like to throw money this way, I have no idea.
4. This strategy is out of mine mind too, but I do counting the beans so any viable idea despite how strange it look I do put on table including this and/or moving to Canada/US. I’m Canadian so its not out of option.

I think yes.

1. is substrate

2. Cordyceps cordycepin production is sensitive to temperature fluctuation and lighting. good temperature for cordycepin is not good for growing and vice verse. So system have to switch between different conditions day and night. So local top quality grower all moved into mountain.

3. I don’t compete with tractor I only make smaller cheaper easier to use tractor.

You are correct about CRT size version, their target seem to by hobbyist segment. With this CRT TV size they can only control heating and humidity not cooling. In US/Europe its ok because cold weather.

FYI Hobbyist growers there using just a cheap tent in basement + central HVAC to control temperature adding cheap humidity controller to control humidity they reduce the cost to just couple of hundred. Other just drill a hole into refrigerator and added a pc fan as controller and voila. But the system require attentions and for living room you are limited to certain kind of mushroom.

Cordyceps need 18-20 Celsius not suitable for their system but some psychedelics +edible thrive well in 23-28 Celsius so I think there segment and my are different.

Also FYI to force cordyceps producing higher content cordycepin you need 23-25 Celsius+lighting which is not good for body grow. 18-20 Celsius good for grow but not good for cordycepin production. So local top grower all have their farm in mountain area.

You are also correct about the size. Its first challenge i have to tackle. I designed it as IKEA, you will assemble it once you get things in the door. For bigger version I can use eps panel + off the self hw hvac+ low cost cnc. But for smaller (400L) version I need to out source to chinese /local manufacturing in bigger volume. So for now I trying to make MVP for my self first/ refining it before actual selling. Smaller version only in cad file for now. From eps frame to mini farm/container or bigger farm is very straight but inversely is very hard.

To sterilize, autoclave is a must. Its labor intensive process => some small growers opt to buy substrate from big growers. Cordyceps take 2 average months to grow, some people may let it longer for higher cordycepin concentration. I don’t have wholesale buyer lined up yet, until the first batch harvest and after HPLC test to verify quality its hard to discuss about price. We have local whole fb group here. Once I get MVP and up and running I’ll post video/pics to get PR first.

I’m canadian by passport, curretnly reside in SEA. That the reason I know a lot about psychedelics and cannabis things. I know Bruce Linton founder of Canopy Growth do invest in codyceps and psychedelics too… He has a cordycep coffee shop in downtown Toronto. I don’t want to promote it here.

For me US market is like girl next door.