- Leading direct-to-consumer plant company Bloomscape has raised $7.5 million in Series A funding
Bloomscape — a leading direct-to-consumer plant company — redefining the way consumers purchase and care for plants announced it raised $7.5 million in Series A funding today led by Revolution Ventures. Endeavor also participated in this round as did existing investors and consumer brands founders including Joseph Zwillinger (Allbirds co-founder), Jen Rubio (Away co-founder), Kevin Hartz (Eventbrite), Jeffrey Raider (Harry’s co-founder and co-CEO), Charlie Cheever (Quora co-founder), and Warby Parker co-founders Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa.
As the plant industry has been slow to come online due to the complexity of warehousing and shipping living plants along with the lack of scaled players whose supply chains can support an e-commerce offering. And consumer shopping preferences and millennials’ interest in becoming self-proclaimed “plant parents” are driving growth in the $50 billion category — which is stagnated by the lack of high-quality online options.
This is a problem that Bloomscape is addressing by filling the void between big box stores, fading gardening centers, and nurseries unable to compete online by building a direct-to-consumer brand that is leading the field in providing the greatest diversity of plants ranging from 10-inch aloe plants to 5-foot Birds of Paradise shipped directly from local and high-tech greenhouses.
Bloomscape is led by founder and CEO Justin Mast — an entrepreneur who comes from five generations of horticulturalists. So Bloomscape provides unmatched plant quality and care support by leveraging its proprietary packing and shipping systems to quickly deliver fully potted plants and post-purchase direction and advice.
“Growing millennial interest in plants has created significant pent up demand for a reliable online retailer. Bloomscape is meeting that need by offering more than 90 kinds of plants and shipping them to consumers’ front doors from our greenhouses near Grand Rapids, Michigan,” said Mast. “Plants make any space feel more welcoming, but the experience of buying and caring for plants can be daunting. We make it easy for millions of people to select high-quality plants that fit any space and lifestyle.”
And Bloomscape’s comprehensive care instructions and free expert advice come from its Plant Mom platform, powered by Justin’s mother Joyce Mast. And this platform gives customers the confidence to fulfill the role as proud “plant parents.” Joyce now brings over 40 years of horticulture expertise and deep industry knowledge directly to consumers’ fingertips.
“Plants are a highly fragmented, fast-growing industry, but the market has been slow to come online – warehousing and shipping living things is hard,” added Clara Sieg — a partner at Revolution Ventures. “Drawing on five generations of horticultural experience, Justin and the Bloomscape team combine the ease of e-commerce with care and maintenance resources in a beautifully branded, consumer-centric experience that empowers even the least green-thumbed among us to be successful plant parents.”
Bloomscape is carefully curating its inventory by size, level of care required, availability of natural light, and pet-friendliness. And this simple and seamless experience has garnered a rapidly growing and loyal following, generating millions in sales, and has shipped over 100,000 plants in just over a year.
“We’re thrilled to invest in Bloomscape alongside world-class consumer investors and founders,” explained Endeavor co-founder and CEO Linda Rottenberg. “With high-impact entrepreneurs like Justin building truly innovative companies, we see enormous potential for Detroit’s growing ecosystem and beyond. Bloomscape is one of the youngest companies in Endeavor and we believe their success so far is indicative of more growth to come.”
