Clean technology company Gaia Agricultural Technology is working to help Los Angeles address some of those challenges through Gaia Box, its patented infrastructure system designed to generate and store energy while supporting plant growth.
Using a closed-loop water system, Gaia Box integrates energy infrastructure with plant-growing space. It can work alongside solar, utility power, or battery storage, addressing multiple energy needs while contributing to a more attractive streetscape.
Gaia's first public Gaia Box installation is operating near the Los Angeles Department of Transportation's Pico Station, close to Crypto.com Arena. Through a pilot partnership with the Los Angeles South Park Business Improvement District, the system is supporting decorative lighting along Flower Street while being tested in a high-traffic urban environment. The year-long pilot could include up to 10 Gaia Box units.
For founder and CEO James Highsmith, Gaia Box was never intended to solve an infrastructure problem alone.
"We come from the community," Highsmith said. "We weren't trying to build a product just to sell. We were trying to solve problems that we were experiencing ourselves."
The idea grew from a challenge Highsmith and co-founder and inventor DeMarco Millard encountered firsthand. When colder temperatures required crops they were growing outdoors to be moved indoors, the resulting increase in energy costs raised a larger question: Could they create one solution that addressed both energy use and food production?
Building it came with challenges. As a hardware startup operating across agriculture, clean energy, and infrastructure, Gaia did not fit neatly into an established category. Highsmith recalls years of skepticism from people who struggled to understand the concept.
"We went through years of being told we didn't know what we were doing," Highsmith said. Those experiences forced Gaia to refine both its approach and how it communicated its value. That evolution became an important part of the company's work with the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) at Georgia Tech.
With coaching from ATDC Sustainability Catalyst Jennifer Singh, Highsmith said Gaia learned to explain the company from a systems perspective, connecting energy, agriculture, infrastructure, and community needs, while also communicating its impact on a human level.
"ATDC taught us the importance of communicating with story and not losing the plot," Highsmith said.
Through ATDC's coaching, Feedback Friday, Entrepreneurs Night, mentorship, and strategic guidance, Gaia also gained relationships and feedback that helped prepare the company for conversations with customers and partners. Highsmith credits Singh, Lisa Bailey, and other advisors with contributing to the company's growth.
In Los Angeles, Nolan Marshall III, CEO of the Los Angeles South Park Business Improvement District, became a key pilot partner, allowing Gaia to demonstrate Gaia Box against real infrastructure needs. Another step toward commercialization came through Gaia's partnership with the Alabama Mobility and Power Center (AMP) at The University of Alabama. Working with AMP Research Director Mike Malley and his team, Gaia gained support related to battery-backed infrastructure, customer energy requirements, battery sizing, safety considerations, installation, and maintenance. AMP also provides engineering expertise that strengthens Gaia's ability to prepare for larger projects.
The company's vision extends beyond the technology. Gaia plans to incorporate workforce development into future rollouts, creating opportunities for people to gain experience and certifications in plumbing, electrical work, and construction — trades directly connected to building and maintaining Gaia Box units. "These systems should create value for the people who live around them, not just the people who purchase them," Highsmith said.
With its first Los Angeles Gaia Box operating and additional configurations planned, Gaia is exploring opportunities in Georgia, Maryland, and other markets as it moves toward broader commercialization. For a company that spent years being told its idea did not make sense, the Los Angeles rollout is an opportunity to test how resilient infrastructure can address multiple challenges while creating value for the communities it serves.
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