Floraponics, which aims to combat climate change by advancing sustainable floriculture with aquaponics technology, has raised $150,000 from an unidentified investor, according to a Reg D filing.
The Poolesville, Md., startup, whose parent firm is called Grateful Gardeners, has previously received $215,000 in grants to research and advance floriculture in aquaponics.
Love for Flowers
The company was co-founded by the wife-and-husband duo of Sarah Daken, an attorney in Montgomery County, and Tom Precht, who has a Ph. D. in Neuroscience from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colo.
Precht’s mother Diana has been a lifelong gardener and avid Dahlia grower. Daken credits her recent passion to a “chance encounter” with a flower farming instructional video.
“My number one goal is to grow our organic flower farming business into a successful and stable company that is producing well over $500,000 a year in revenue in 5 years,” Precht, who serves as the startup’s vice president, said in a LinkedIn post.
Dahlia Breakthrough
Aquaponics mimics a natural ecosystem, similar to a pond or a lake. It creates an enabling atmosphere for plants as a special kind of bacteria, called “nitrifying,” converts ammonia waste into nitrates, producing critical nitrogen required for plants. Citing Marianne Cufone, executive director of the Recirculating Farms Coalition, Floraponics says that “recirculating aquaponic and hydroponic farms are sustainable options” that meet and exceed current organic standards.
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So far, Floraponics says it has been able to grow over 20 varieties of flowers using aquaponics, including the “first ever aquaponic dahlia blooms.” Currently, it runs an 1,800 square-foot greenhouse and commercial-scale aquaponics system.
Precht says the company strives for recognition in the seasonal and local flower community, and plans to promote other small businesses and support local agriculture. Floraponics also aims to educate the public about the benefits of environmentally friendly and sustainable growing practices.
Daken, who serves as Grateful Gardeners’ president, has been a practicing attorney for over two decades. She focuses on litigation in areas of child abuse and neglect, and police misconduct.
