UrbanStems is an NYC-based floral gifting company that creates and delivers floral designs and gifts. The company serves seven major metropolitan cities: Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, New York City, Jersey City, Chicago, Atlanta, and Miami, and offers coast-to-coast next-day delivery. Led by CEO Meenakshi Lala, UrbanStems combines floral design with logistics to provide timed gifting options. The company raised $5M in a Series C funding round to support growth. UrbanStems intends to use the funds to expand operations and broaden its business reach. Investors in the round include SWaN & Legend and DF Enterprises alongside existing backers. UrbanStems is a modern floral and gifting company that launched on Valentine’s Day 2014 with the aim of disrupting an outdated floral delivery system. It offers expressive bouquets, plants, and curated gift options, working with designers to create a gift-like experience including personalized notes and packaging. The company provides coast-to-coast next-day delivery and same-day courier service in NYC and DC, and has grown to a team of over 100. UrbanStems reported 130% growth in 2020 and says it has grown 500% since its Series B in 2018; it entered its biggest revenue week approaching Mother’s Day. The brand has formed partnerships with Vogue and Bumble and engages in philanthropic partnerships with organizations including the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Trevor Project, ACLU, World Central Kitchen, and Baby2Baby. With the new funding, UrbanStems plans to continue hiring, build on its gifting technology platform, and scale infrastructure to support accelerated growth. UrbanStems sells flowers, plants and curated gift boxes through two delivery models: bike couriers who provide two-hour delivery in NYC and Washington, D.C., and a third-party shipping partner that offers next-day delivery nationwide. The company has expanded its assortment beyond bouquets to include plants and curated gift boxes, with retail price points mentioned in the article (flowers from $35, plants $50, gift boxes $55). UrbanStems recently partnered with Vogue for editor-created bouquets and says gifting product expansion is a key growth area. The company does not charge an extra delivery fee regardless of delivery method. UrbanStems has been using new funding to push national expansion while continuing to deploy bike-courier operations where demand warrants. Seth Goldman, who joined as COO in 2017, became CEO in May of last year and is leading the growth efforts. UrbanStems operates a D.C.-based flower delivery service that sells seasonal and limited-edition bouquets directly to customers. It launched a collaboration with Vogue that lets customers choose from eight seasonal collections designed by Vogue editors, including Sally Singer, Nicole Phelps, Selby Drummond, Hamish Bowles, and Anna Wintour. The limited-edition bouquets are seasonal and priced at $138. The article highlights three inaugural arrangements — The Sally, The Nicole, and The Selby — each styled by a Vogue editor. UrbanStems has pursued brand partnerships before, including a summer collaboration with 2Chainz. In June the company raised a $6 million funding round to support long-term changes to its delivery model after a challenging Valentine’s Day in 2017. Led by Ajay Kori, UrbanStems operates an on-demand flower delivery service that designs bouquets in-house and works directly with Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms. The company hand-delivers seasonal bouquets by bike messengers, promising delivery within one hour. It leverages a vertically-integrated supply chain to reduce waste and eliminate unnecessary costs. UrbanStems intends to use new funding to accelerate growth in New York City and Washington, D.C., and to expand to other major U.S. cities starting with Philadelphia and Baltimore. The service is positioned to address common industry problems such as dead flowers, late arrivals, and high prices. No revenue or user metrics were reported in the article.

Total raised

$45M

Funding rounds

6

Latest round

Series C

Latest activity

Jan 2024