UrbiGo: A Smart Garden in Your Home

Anja Varničić and her team have created UrbiGo — a smart garden that grows everything from herbs and mini vegetables to even strawberries inside the apartments using a mobile application. The potential of UrbiGo innovation was recognized by the Innovation Fund in 2018, and today, with the support of the Katapult Acceleration Program, UrbiGo continues its development toward the target market.

“Today there are fewer green areas in our cities, and more young people want to bring nature indoors. We have noticed that urban gardening is quite challenging. Growing plants is useful for us, but also necessary because we are forced to fight with numerous environmental problems in our immediate environment”, Anja Varničić has pointed out for Katapult.

UrbiGo startup is a pioneer in the world of smart home devices for urban gardening. Their smart garden uses advanced sensors that monitor plant health and special lights that replace the Sun. The user connects to his smart garden via an iOS or Android mobile application, which allows him to grow and nurture favorite plants remotely.

The UrbiGo app has algorithms that create ideal conditions for the different plants and teach users how to nurture them over time properly. It is also a unique platform where modern urban gardeners share their experiences and the challenges they face.

The mission of UrbiGo startup is to bring this innovative, green IoT device to every urban home. Anja and her team hope that Katapult will help them with that.

Anja has found out about the Katapult through the network of her friends, also entrepreneurs. In the process of searching for support that can improve their business and attract investment, she has applied with her team to participate in the Katapult program. After the selection process, UrbiGo became a part of the Katapult community.

Finding investors and mentors who understand the complexity of developing an innovative hardware solution, as well as those who have successfully launched hardware and software solutions to markets outside Serbia, is the biggest challenge that the UrbiGo team is currently facing.

Experienced Katapult mentors from various fields will make it easier for this startup to enter the European market. In addition, with significant financial support and assistance in structuring the financial plan for raising future investments, the UrbiGo team will, during the Katapult program, acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for further development.

Thanks to Katapult, UrbiGo has already received interest from several regional investors and access to partners that will allow them to launch their solution on the Amazon platform and the European market.

“Technology could help us create innovative solutions and adapt to the changes in nature that have already occurred, as well as those which await us in the future. Our value is that we are not just creating another product but that with IoT technology and app experience, we could make indoor gardening fun and a long-term habit for millions of millennials. That is the greatest value of our product”, Anja has concluded.

With the Katapult support, in front of the UrbiGo startup are numerous challenges and opportunities for accelerated development. Read about the experience of other participants in the Katapult Acceleration Program in our following blogs.