Rise Gardens offers IoT-connected, smart hydroponic systems in three system levels that enable year-round growing of vegetables, herbs and microgreens; entry kits start at about $300. The company pairs hardware made from powder-coated metal and glass with a mobile app that monitors water levels and plant progress and alerts users when care is needed. Its modular design allows users to add microgreens kits, plant supports for larger crops, denser tray lids and trellises for vining plants. Rise launched its first products in 2019 after prototyping since its 2017 founding and emphasizes design and ease-of-use to attract non-hobbyist consumers. Commercial traction included sales that eclipsed seven figures in 2020, gardens selling out three times that year, roughly 100,000 plants purchased and 50,000 harvested; the company says it has helped prevent over 2,000 pounds of food waste and saved 250,000 gallons of water since 2019. Rise has about 25 employees and plans to add roughly eight more this year while expanding channels and into schools. Rise Gardens sells a hardware-and-software indoor hydroponic planting system that users assemble in about 45 minutes and that is designed to look like home furniture. The system comes in three sizes and uses vertical hydroponics, a pH meter, and shelf-specific configurations so users can grow everything from root vegetables to tomatoes and lettuce. Rise offers a companion app that tracks watering schedules and a subscription service that delivers monthly seed pods and nutrients. The company says it can grow a head of lettuce in 22–25 days and that the entry price starts at $550, with a claimed payback in produce after about 16 months. During recent shelter-in-place orders Rise reports sales increased 750% and that it sold roughly 6,000 seed pods per week over two months, representing more than 1,500 pounds of produce. With new seed capital the company is betting consumers will turn increased interest in food sourcing into action.

Total raised

$12M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Jul 2021