Founder and CEO of Flora Aabesh De appeared in Shark Tank US and won a deal worth $300,000 (about ₹2.5 crore). But not long ago, he had a high-paying job at Microsoft in Chicago, he said. Quitting the job, Aabesh De launched a houseplant health company Flora which builds a soil meter and an app to alert people about the health of their plants.
When he appeared on Shark Tank US, he shared that the idea of Flora came to him when he ended up mistakenly killing one of his mother’s favorite plants during the Covid pandemic.
The 29-year-old founder said, “My dear mother gave me her prized rose bush plant that she had for years. And I ended up killing it in eight short days.”
Flora’s $64 (about ₹5,300) soil meter and app takes “the guesswork out of plant care, by telling you exactly what moisture, temperature, light and other vitals your plans need”, he said in his pitch, adding that his company also offers 24×7 “plant diagnosis” support, “expert plant doctors” and the ability for one soil meter to support multiple houseplants as well.