HydroArtPod

The HydroArtPod (HAP) stands for a smart indoor growing garden kit that enables anyone to grow their favorite vegetables at home all year round - no knowledge required. It's elegant, efficient, and automated; as easy as making coffee!

HydroArtPod comes as a full ecosystem and is a lifestyle product that provides a ready-made solution to people on weight-loss programs, those focused on sports & nutrition, parents wanting to feed and educate their children, and urban dwellers who struggle to access fresh, locally-grown food. It's small enough to easily fit in a studio apartment, while big enough to keep you eating fresh every day!

Our vision is to give every home the option to save money and achieve health and sustainability goals by harvesting at home in an easy and convenient way.

The Problem

It's a known fact that fresh produce available in stores is treated with pesticides and preservatives. Additionally, produce loses most of its nutritional content during cross-country shipment - it looks fresh but has lost most of its benefits. While that is already frustrating enough, most food is not produced locally which means that CO2 emissions result from the transport of produce, and a lot of plastic waste is generated for packaging to preserve the produce and make it last longer in stores. No customer wants that. 

Unfortunately, until now customers lack the ability to access affordable, truly fresh organic produce at their fingertips without the packaging and nasty CO2 emissions. 

Our Solution

As a result, we have invented the HydroArtPod. Managed by intelligent proprietary software, it ofers a pain-free solution to harvest at home without the headaches that come with less technically-advanced systems on the market.

Nowadays it is all about convenience. Everyone is always busy and the last thing anyone wants is to add even more tasks to their day. The HydroArtPod uses a unique combination of device software and app management to operate the unit with minimal user involvement. It's designed to be a convenient, smart and sustainable way to harvest at home. It allows them to ditch pesticides, packaging and low nutrient content without getting their hands dirty or having to constantly measure and check on plants. 

The HydroArtPod is designed for people who have no time to grow at home and who have no green thumb. We developed a specialized software that manages all aspects of the device, acting as a personal assistant to make it easy for the user. Just like a good steak, letting the device rest on its own will get the best outcome as the growing process is fully automated. 

The Device

The device comes fully assembled, so installation is simple - it's as easy as hanging up a picture. Or use the optional feet to stand it. Once out of the box, it only needs the water tank to be filled, seedpods to be inserted and power to be connected. That’s it. There is no pre-germination or fiddling with components. Our ethos is along the simplicity of Apple: Do more with less and create a good user experience. In each step of our execution, we are striving to follow this ethos to make things as convenient as possible to our customers.

Once the unit is setup, our App with personal assistant takes over. It connects to the device and thereby knows exactly what’s going on, can detect errors or do pre-emptive maintenance. If water is low, plants need more plant food or the produce is ready for harvest, the app will send a notification. Unless the app communicates, the device will fully operate on its own and does not need looking after, checking, or measuring. It is that simple!

Packed with technology

Growing is only easy if automated and managed with the right software. We have developed, deployed, and tested the system to make sure it operates just as easy as we envisaged. Customers use the app to track their progress and monitor their nutritional intake in real-time. They can see visually how they reduce impact on the environment thanks to the automated CO2 emission and plastic packaging tracking. The combination of these elements creates a unique offering where people can compete, brag and share their success on the social media.

Screenshots of key app functions

We thereby satisfy the growing demand of health and sustainable conscious customers that are looking for a convenient way to have it all.

A fast, no-fuss way of harvesting what you want, when you want it!

Efficient spaces make all the difference, and the introduction of modern technology has made life easier by upgrading the standard of living. So much of our time is wasted on dealing with poorly designed processes which is why our team at HydroArt builds Technology that helps you to live a better life. Smart home technology is one of the most interesting and innovative options to simplify your home life.

Value creation through consumer preferences

Consumers want affordable, freshly harvested produce, free from any chemicals at their fingertips without packaging and without having to actively do anything. The key to success is the ease of use. It's not about gardening, it's about benefiting from the harvest. The HydroArtPod does the gardening, allowing customers to enjoy the harvest!

How it works

HydroArtPod is a complete hydroponic growing system - everything the user needs to harvest at home the easy, fun and reliable way. There's no soil and no mess.

The HydroArtPod device has enough room to grow 30 plants at once. Intelligent software analyzes water and nutrient levels and the app (iOS and Android) tells the user when action is required: No monitoring, measuring or knowledge required!

The device also comes with everything the user needs to grow: seedpods & plant food. Customers can use their own seeds and plant food if they wish. While we will guarantee results with our branded seeds and plant food, we want as many people as possible to harvest locally. 

Our business model is not like printers - over-priced consumables for a captive market. If users wish to use their own consumables, the personal assistant app will be limited in its functionality, however all the device-based automations will be fully operational. 

There is a vast number of plants one can grow and we are adding more varieties on a regular basis. Most notably the HydroArtPod is able to grow larger fruiting plants such as snack peppers and cucumbers. This is thanks to its superior LED growlights compared to other brands and the ability to get the right amount of nutrients to the plant tailored to the growth stage thanks to our unique software solution.

As a bonus: HydroArtPod users save money! Because users are growing their own food, HydroArtPod helps them save money from their weekly shopping bill. 

The Story of the HydroArtPod

Cofounder and inventor of the HydroArtPod, Aline, didn’t initially set out to create a consumer product. She was just solving a problem she herself was experiencing as a mom with a professional career. How to get access to affordable, chemical-free food for her family, while maximizing freshness and nutrition, and minimizing food miles?

Retail options didn't offer much and were expensive. She didn't have the climate to grow outside for much of the year, and there was no existing home gardening product she would want inside her home.

So she built one.

What Customers Say

People love the HydroArtPod because they can see how it helps them live more sustainably. They have an emotional reaction when they see it - they love how it looks and are surprised at the range of food you can grow. 

We're seeing 1000+ new subscribers/week. We had 125+ units on our waitlist within the 1st month of our pre-launch phase. We hit our target on Indiegogo launch within 12 hours. We 4x'd that within 14 days. Early customers love that it grows by itself, just as easy as making coffee with pods. Customers who already have one or two growing systems buy HydroArtPod as they feel it gives them exactly what they are looking for - something that competitors couldn't!

And they ❤❤❤ how amazing it looks in their home!

Our Partnerships

In December 2020 our UAE subsidiary joined the Middle East's only sustainability-focused accelerator, The Catalyst LLC (a joint venture between BP and Masdar). Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, is the leading global investor in renewable energy projects. Masdar and BP formed The Catalyst in 2019 to support tech startups in the sustainability and clean technology space. We joined their accelerator program in late 2020, securing funding.

We partnered with KidZania (interactive education & entertainment city for kids) in a co-branded initiative for 6 months in 2 of the Middle East's largest shopping malls.

HydroArtPod was a winning entrant in the Sustainability Pioneer TV show on Emarat TV in the UAE.

Value Proposition

The HydroArtPod helps to address 5 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals:

Business Model

Our business model is a hybrid sales & subscription model. Customers will buy a HAP device and then either purchase consumables (SeedPods and plant food pods) from us on an as-required basis or sign up to a monthly subscription to have these sent to them. 

Go-to-Market Strategy

We are driving sales through multiple distribution channels:

We've been approached by distributors and marketing companies in Japan (30+ of them!), USA, Canada, Spain, Italy, India and the Middle East. It's clear that there is a strong market for this product.

Customer Acquisition

The HydroArtPod is a lifestyle Eco-system as it helps everyone to achieve their personal health, fitness and family goals with ease. Kids learn healthy eating habits by snacking from it as it grows; for those on a weight-loss or fitness plan, replacing one meal a day with a serving from the HydroArtPod will get them quickly closer to their target. 

Customers who are focused on their sustainable impact or those who care about the chemicals on purchased produce and prefer nutritionally dense foods love the fact that harvesting at home avoids plastic packaging, food waste and transportation. We are therefore working with all the above industries and sectors to establish partnerships and establish distribution channels.

Future Growth

Our initial stage product launch to US, Canada, EU and UAE has so far generated $111,000 and counting. Next stage launch will be to Japan, UK, SE Asia and Australia, currently planned for Q2 2023.

HydroArtPod's financial model forecasts $1 million in top-line revenue in its first operational year, ramping up to $21.3 million by Year 5. To date, 60% of our customers have taken up a monthly subscription, and assuming that continues at this level with a 5% churn rate, we are projecting paid subscribers to reach or exceed 31,000 by year 5, representing $11 million in ARR. 

We are projecting our valuation at $56m in 2026, based on standard industry revenue multiple.

* Forward-looking projections cannot be guaranteed

** Valuation based on standard industry revenue multiple for this sector

The Market 

The world needs to find solutions on how to grow plant-based products more sustainably as it is the only way to feed the world population by 2050 - it’s a naturally and exponentially growing market as land is limited.

So there is no question as to whether there is a growing market, it’s a question of how quickly we can provide solutions to this market demand.

As Deloitte nicely put it in their article: “Adoption of sustainable lifestyles is on the rise, but consumers need more help” (Ref: https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/consumer-business/articles/sustainable-consumer.html). Growing customer awareness in regards to their lifestyle choices and the related impact on the environment indicates plant-based diets will become more popular.

Opportunity 

Investing in us enables you to benefit from the rising demand and new trend of health and sustainability-conscious customers and to join other known investors who believe that the market for home growing consumer goods is just at its beginning and will grow rapidly over the next few years.

We are targeting a $17.3B addressable market. The global smart indoor garden systems market is forecast at nearly 450% growth between 2020 and 2026 alone as per 360 Research Reports, a CAGR of 28.2%. The global hydroponic market growth is estimated at 22.5% CAGR to 2025 and 35% of hydroponic sales are within the US & Canada.

A competitor product, Gardyn, started in Q1 2019 and has raised $55m to date from a single investor and is currently seeing annual revenue of $21m. Note that HydroArtPod cannot guarantee the same results as Gardyn.

Another competitor product, which has no technology, app or software to help the user, is currently undergoing a priced round valued at $17.9m, based on current revenue of $700k.

This is a market that is hotting up and the potential for growth that HydroArtPod represents is huge.

We've seen 270% market growth in sales of seeds within the past decade (Reuters - Home gardening blooms around the world during coronavirus lockdowns). There's been a huge acceleration of existing trend towards growing at home since start of the global pandemic (eg 26% of U.S. Consumers Planted Food Gardens Because of Coronavirus).

Over and above the market for people who want to grow, the weight-loss market is huge, growing and here to stay, clocking in at $946bn globally. The market for those who are focused, disciplined sports competitors who want to control their food chain is also very large and durable at over $45bn (CAGR 7.5%).

A Possible Exit

We would love to see you join our journey and to become part of this new era of people caring about their food security and sustainability impact. We do understand though that investors might want to exit at a certain point in time and we see the following as the most likely exit options in the future:

• Acquisition by major agtech company (ie vertical farming such as Bowery Farms, AeroFarms) as horizontal integration as they look to move into the consumer market
• Acquisition by consumer product/appliance retailer (eg Bosch, Nestle, IKEA) as they look to enter or further establish a presence in the smart home indoor garden market.

Our Journey So Far

Our Game Plan

We're fanatical about product development. During 2021 alone we developed and tested 4 new versions of the HydroArtPod, folding our learnings into new and improved designs. 

We're also agile: We pivoted our design within weeks in order to reduce production costs by 20%.

Use of Funds

Competition

The market is busy with small (3 to 9-plant) kitchen countertop products, which shows people want to grow at home. Small “herb gardens” are nice for pizza garnish but do not enable real change. Recent trends show strong customer demand for larger capacity products however there are very few in the market. 

Few competitors offer the full benefits of technology despite the fact that they are all called smart. NONE provides an eco-system and the combination of features of the HydroArtPod, which together make it so easy for the user to achieve great results.

Our Investors

We've raised $110k in pre-seed funds + bootstrapped $100k+ 

Prior to our Wefunder campaign, HydroArt has raised $110K in funding from investors. Our investor group includes angel investors as well as the Catalyst start-up accelerator, which a joint venture between BP and Masdar, the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company that is a global leader in renewable energy and sustainable real estate development.

Participate in the global trend towards harvesting at home and adopting a more sustainable lifestyle - join us in our mission and let's do this together!

Our Team

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