--- title: "Reforming serial plant killers with SmartyPlants" id: "415610" type: "post" slug: "founder-interview-smartyplants" published_at: "2025-01-30T12:17:35+00:00" modified_at: "2025-01-30T12:17:35+00:00" url: "https://seedlegals.com/resources/founder-interview-smartyplants/" markdown_url: "https://seedlegals.com/resources/founder-interview-smartyplants.md" excerpt: "Millions of us can’t stop killing our houseplants. Learn how SmartyPlant’s smart sensor helps plant owners track moisture, nutrients, and light – making plant care simple and stress-free." taxonomy_category: - "Startup Guides" - "Founder Interviews" - "Video Zone" --- 1 min read Expert reviewed This article has been fact-checked by a SeedLegals subject matter expert. [Meet our experts](https://seedlegals.com/authors-and-experts/) and learn more about our review process and quality assurance in our [editorial policy](https://seedlegals.com/editorial-policy/) . # Reforming serial plant killers with SmartyPlants Published: Jan 30, 2025 Contents [Key takeaways](#key-takeaways) [CEO and Co-Founder Anthony Rose Co-Founder and CEO](https://seedlegals.com/resources/author/anthony/) So many of us love houseplants, but keeping them alive is another story. In the UK alone, 11 million plant owners struggle with care, often relying on guesswork – leading to millions of plants dying each year. That’s where [SmartyPlants](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/smartyplants/smartyplants-sensors-to-monitor-your-plants-every-need) comes in. Co-founded by [Ben Beavers](https://www.linkedin.com/in/benbeavers/) , SmartyPlants gives plants a voice with a smart sensor that tracks moisture, nutrients, light, humidity, and temperature. It provides simple, tailored care recommendations, so even the most forgetful plant owners can keep their greenery thriving. SeedLegals Co-Founder and CEO, [Anthony Rose](https://seedlegals.com/resources/author/anthony/) , caught up with Ben to find out how SmartyPlants is transforming plant care with technology and the company’s rapid early success. - Read transcript **Anthony Rose:** Hello, I’m Anthony, founder at SeedLegals and every day I meet amazing founders. So today I’m talking to Ben from SmartyPlants. So Ben, what’s the problem you solve? **Ben Beavers:** So the UK is a nation of house plant lovers with 23 million people buying house plants each year, but 11 million of those are serial killers, killing an average of five every single year. It’s not through lack of trying, but 80 % of people rely on best guess as their plant care approach. And clearly that isn’t working for them. **Anthony Rose:** I’m delighted you’ve got a solution. Because I have to say, when I get plants, I get these wonderful plants and slowly they kind of wither and I’ve really no idea what to do. So how do you solve this problem? What’s the magic gizmo that you’ve got? **Ben Beavers:** So effectively we give plants a voice. So we use our smart sensor to analyse data on everything you need to know. We give tailored recommendations to each specific plant. And for the user, you don’t worry about anything complicated. You just get told this is what your plant needs and this is how to do it. **Anthony Rose:** All right. So we’re familiar with hygrometers, just tells you the moisture content. But you’ve got smartyplants.ai in your domain. So there’s something more happening here. Tell me about the secret ingredients. **Ben Beavers:** So we’ve got some really clever innovations in it. A number of them are we’re looking to patent and protect. So I’ve got to be careful going into too much detail. But effectively we analyse soil moisture in a very clever way. We can look at the nutrient levels in the soil. We look at light. We look at humidity. We look at temperature. Everything a plant needs. **Anthony Rose:** So it’s not actually in the soil. You’re checking the air and the light as well. **Ben Beavers:** Everything a plant needs, exactly. So we look in the soil and we look above the soil as well. **Anthony Rose:** That is amazing. So what’s your background and what got you out of bed one day and going, I’m going to build a smart sensor for plants. **Ben Beavers:** So, weird background. So I’ve spent a decade as a management consultant solving technology and data challenges. Way back when I was a biologist by training. But the thing that really got me out of bed to solve this problem is my partner loves houseplants, but she is a serial plant killer. And it pains me to see it. So I knew I had to step in and help her solve that problem. **Anthony Rose:** All right, now I’ve got a dirty secret to share that I’ve never shared with anyone, which is when I moved into my apartment, it came with very nice plants, which I diligently watered for a year until I noticed after I came back from a two week holiday and the plants were just as fine afterwards that they were in fact plastic. And I had been watering plastic plants. So I’m definitely a customer. I think I’m the serial killer, I mean, for real plants. So how much does the device cost? **Ben Beavers:** So in a bundle, it’s 25 pounds, but individually, they’re just over 30. **Anthony Rose:** All right. And what’s your traction so far? **Ben Beavers:** So we’ve had a really successful pre-sales campaign. So in 30 days, we managed to sell five and a half thousand sensors to over 1400 people, which has generated us over 130 pounds in revenue. **Anthony Rose:** 130,000 pounds. **Ben Beavers:** 130,000 pounds in revenue. **Anthony Rose:** All right. Amazing. This sounds fantastic. So where can people go to find you and to get one of these amazing sensors? **Ben Beavers:** So you can still pre-order them on Kickstarter and you can find us on smartyplants.ai or me, Ben Beavers on LinkedIn. **Anthony Rose:** Amazing. Thank you very much, Ben. **Ben Beavers:** Thank you, Anthony. ## Key takeaways ### The problem with houseplants - The UK has 23 million houseplant buyers, but nearly half struggle to keep their plants alive. - 80% of people rely on guesswork for plant care, leading to millions of plants dying each year. ### SmartyPlants’ solution - SmartyPlants uses a smart sensor to monitor key plant needs, including soil moisture, nutrients, light, humidity, and temperature. - The device provides simple, tailored recommendations, so users always know exactly what their plant needs. ### Traction and growth - A successful pre-sales campaign sold 5,500 sensors in just 30 days, generating £130,000 in revenue. - The device is available for pre-order on Kickstarter, with future plans to scale and expand. ##### SeedLegals events ### Connect with fellow founders Sign up to our newsletter and be the first to hear about our next webinar or in-person events By subscribing, you agree to receive information from SeedLegals. 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