A听new听tech听startup听aims to听open up听gardening to a new generation of听people after raising 拢6.5 million led by Index Ventures.听
Sproutl鈥檚听curated online marketplace听includes听gardening products and plants from the country鈥檚 leading independent garden centres, nurseries and shops.听
The platform听also听offers inspiration and advice, making gardening accessible to everyone.听
The seeds for听Sproutl听were sown back in 2016 when former VP Trading and Strategy, Marketing at听Farfetch, Anni Noel-Johnson, wanted to plant her small听London garden. Working full time, she looked for an online option but found that they typically catered for an informed, mature audience and had huge variations in availability and delivery lead times.听
After leaving听Farfetch, over a coffee with former colleague Andy Done – previously been Director of Data Engineering at听Farfetch听and headed up data analytics at King, makers of the hit game Candy Crush –听Sproutl听was launched.听听
Hollie Newton, who swapped from being an award-winning creative director to become a bestselling gardening author, was brought on board to be the chief creative officer.听
Sproutl听manages not only logistics, packaging sourcing, and delivery but also online marketing and customer services,听allowing local garden centres, shops and nurseries to develop their online presence and reach new national audiences.听
Horticultural launch partners include听Rosebourne, Polhill and听Millbrook garden听centres, as well as specialist nurseries such as Middleton and indoor plant specialist听Bellr.听Peat-free pioneers Fertile Fibre and living wall specialist听Horticus听have also come on board.听听
/angels-back-ecommerce-verification-firm/
鈥淲e built听Sproutl听to invite a new audience to take up gardening and give them the world-class eCommerce experience听that digital natives听expect,鈥� said听Noel-Johnson and Done.听听
鈥淥ur mission is to demystify growing plants and remove the barriers to getting started.鈥澨�听
Newton added:听鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need a ten-acre plot in the countryside to start gardening. To be honest, you don鈥檛 even need a garden.听听
鈥淎 terrace, a balcony, a small sunny windowsill 鈥� the modern garden is a brilliant place and one that thousands of people rediscovered in lockdown. Who cares if you鈥檝e never picked up a trowel before? This is gardening made easy.听听
鈥淭he best plants and products, sitting alongside advice, inspiration, easy-to-shop edits, and听high-profile limited-edition collections. It鈥檚 gardening for a new generation.鈥�听
The funding听round was joined听by Ada Ventures and C-Suite angel investors from leading global tech companies, including听Farfetch, Airbnb, Made.com and Slack.听
Danny Rimer, Partner at Index Ventures, commented: 鈥淭he notion of who is a gardener, and what it means to be a grower, has been transformed in the past few years, with a whole new generation of young people breaking the long-held stereotypes.听听
鈥淢ore than anyone we鈥檝e met, Anni and Andy have understood this cultural change and built听Sproutl, a gardening destination that鈥檚 like no other.鈥�听
Check Warner, Partner at Ada Ventures, commented, 鈥淎t Ada, we are looking to invest in dynamic founders with bold ideas. The听Sproutl听team is reinventing and reshaping the online gardening landscape in the UK, making gardening more accessible and inclusive.听听
鈥淭he depth of experience of the team and their passion for celebrating independent garden retailers made us really excited to partner with them on this ambitious mission.鈥�听