Who we are
What we do
CapEx and OpEx due diligence, a baseline your CFO signs, an implementation strategy with owners, a KPI dashboard to track it, and project due diligence on the opening date.
Who we work for
Boards, shareholders and owner families, investors and lenders, and the CEOs and CFOs who ask them for capital, in licensed medical cannabis, floriculture and horticulture.
How we are paid
We invoice the buyer for every review. No supplier pays us to win your business.
No commission, referral, success or reseller income from any supplier.
Where we work
Headquarters in Lisbon, with a network of more than 25 professionals across Europe, Canada and the United States.
How we check
Every conclusion carries its evidence. Your finance function keeps the gate. Quality is not negotiable currency.
Confidentiality
Your data, the suppliers in scope and the characteristics of your project stay confidential. We never publish them, including in our own marketing. A confidentiality agreement can come before the first document.
The founder
Gonçalo Neves
Gonçalo Neves founded APTA Advisory in Lisbon after 17 years building businesses in horticultural lighting and controlled environment agriculture, including as former co-CEO of a lighting manufacturer. He has sat on every side of the table: manufacturer, supplier and grower.
His work spans large-scale projects, up to fully automated vertical farms where lighting, climate, energy and automation must perform as one system. He has written the quotes, specifications and contracts that boards are now asked to approve, and knows what they leave out: installation, commissioning, spares, warranty terms. No supplier pays APTA Advisory to win a client's business.
Independent due diligence strengthens business performance through valuable data insights while reducing CapEx and OpEx.
Gonçalo Neves
The network
More than 25 professionals
A lead, a technical reviewer, a commercial and contract analyst and a financial modeller on every engagement, and a second reviewer outside the team. As the decision requires, we add counsel, credit and sanctions checks and technical specialists. You deal directly with the people who do the work.
Named in advance
Specialists brought into an engagement are named to you in advance.
Checked for conflicts
Before step 1, every party in scope is checked against our conflict register. Where disclosure cannot manage a conflict, we decline.
Our purpose
Controlled environment agriculture grows food, ornamental crops and licensed medical cannabis close to the people who depend on them, year-round, and can use less land and water per kilogram than open-field growing. It delivers that only when the equipment, the energy supply and the contracts behind each facility are sound.
Too many projects are specified on supplier claims. A lighting, climate or automation package that underperforms wastes capital, energy and the harvest it was bought to protect.
APTA Advisory reviews those decisions for the buyer, independently, before the money is committed. No supplier pays us. Better-specified facilities mean food crops grown with less energy, fewer failed projects, and licensed medical cannabis produced on a more reliable, compliant footing.
What we do not claim
We do not claim to deliver the goals ourselves. Where we quote an energy or carbon effect, it is modelled for the project reviewed and labelled as modelled.
Core
Supporting
Where our work meets the goals
Three goals are core to what we review. Four more are supported by how we work.
SDG 2
Zero Hunger
Indoor food crops are only as reliable as their facilities. We review the investments behind them.
Core
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SDG 2
Zero Hunger
What we review
- Lighting, climate and irrigation specifications against the crop plan
- Yield and uptime assumptions in the business case
- Spares, service response and supplier support terms
SDG 9
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Specifications, commissioning and spares reviewed before capital is committed, so infrastructure lasts.
Core
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SDG 9
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
What we review
- Tender documents and specifications before award
- Commissioning plans and acceptance criteria
- Spares lists, warranties and lifetime service costs
SDG 12
Responsible Consumption and Production
Total cost of ownership over the asset's life, not the quote price, so less capital and resource is wasted.
Core
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SDG 12
Responsible Consumption and Production
What we review
- Total cost of ownership over the asset life, not the quote
- Energy, water and consumables per kilogram
- Replacement cycles and end-of-life terms
SDG 3
Good Health and Well-being
Licensed medical cannabis needs compliant production. We review the equipment and contracts behind it.
Supporting
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SDG 3
Good Health and Well-being
What we review
- Equipment against GMP and GACP requirements
- Validation and documentation obligations in supplier contracts
- Continuity of supply for regulated production
SDG 7
Affordable and Clean Energy
Lighting and climate dominate energy use. We test efficiency and lifetime energy cost before purchase.
Supporting
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SDG 7
Affordable and Clean Energy
What we review
- LED efficacy (µmol/J) against independent test data
- HVAC and dehumidification loads in the energy model
- Lifetime energy cost compared across bids
SDG 13
Climate Action
Lower energy demand and a lighter equipment footprint, shown as modelled figures for each project.
Supporting
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SDG 13
Climate Action
What we review
- Energy demand modelled per project and labelled as modelled
- Equipment footprint and replacement frequency
- Measurement and verification against IPMVP where agreed
SDG 16
Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Transparent procurement: no supplier fees, a conflict register, evidence behind every conclusion.
Supporting
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SDG 16
Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
How we work
- No fees, commissions or referral payments from suppliers
- A conflict register disclosed with every engagement
- Evidence cited behind every conclusion
SDG names follow the United Nations 2030 Agenda. This page is not endorsed by or affiliated with the United Nations. Alignment states how we work; it is not a certification.
Bring the challenge and its deadline. In 30 minutes, at no charge, you will know if we are the right people.