Aabesh De (Courtesy photo)
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – As a freshman studying at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, Aabesh De in 2012 watched as a then recent Kelley graduate Derek Pacqué handled the pressure of making a pitch for his company before a panel of potential investors on the ABC television show “Shark Tank.”
De, who earned a bachelor’s degree in operations management from Kelley four years later, this Friday (Feb. 16) will have his own opportunity to pursue an investment stake from the “sharks,” for Flora, a company that provides a patented, smart plant monitor and an AI-driven app that takes the guesswork out of caring for houseplants.
Viewers can see how the 2016 Kelley grad did when the show begins at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT).
“Flora started at the height of Covid. I was not a plant parent by any means before Flora,” said De, who resides in Nashville, Tenn. “I was killing every single plant in my line of sight. The last straw was when my mom gave me a rose bush plant that she had for years and years. I killed that thing in a pathetic eight days.
“I was getting frustrated, asking myself, ‘why can’t a guy like me figure out plants,” he added. “I wanted to inherit the green thumbs that my mom and Dad have.”
De said he decided to put on his “MacGyver Hat” to develop a “Fit Bit for plants.” He taught himself about electronics to develop a prototype moisture sensor and then learned how to code in IOS and ultimately also built an app that contained information unique to different kinds of plants.
Today, his Flora Pod is advertised as a “life alert for your plants.” Its patented technology sends owners real-time alerts about their plants’ health, including tips on moisture, light, humidity, temperature, and more.
His company sells other plant care products, and he sees it as a one-stop shop for all things plant care and gardening. The app, which has seen considerable traction in growing to more than 300,000 registered users in more than 190 countries since its launch in July 2021, provides a gamified, community-driven experience for taking care of your plants.
De patented the Flora Pod, a smart plant monitor, and an AI-driven app that takes the guesswork out of caring for houseplants.
He compares the app to DuoLingo, a successful tech startup that teaches languages through a similar gamified experience.
De grew Flora with initial funding support from venture capital firm Long Jump in Chicago, and from David Kalt, founder of Reverb.com, where De went to work for shortly after graduating from IU. In August of 2021, he left Microsoft to pursue Flora full-time. He also has worked with the Nashville Entrepreneurship Center and completed its 2023 Inflight Program.
“It’s been incredibly rewarding seeing how far we’ve come, especially in seeing the impact of the lessons I received from my teachings at Kelley; my Excel classes and Consulting Workshop experience and all the good days at IU have come back to help me with a lot of the day to day,” said De, whose grew up in Munster, Indiana, outside Chicago.
Gerry Hays
De is Gerry Hays’ second student who has appeared on “Shark Tank.” The professor of practice in venture capital also advised Pacqué, who famously turned down a $200,000 investment deal from fellow Kelley alumnus and billionaire investor Mark Cuban. Pacqué today is CEO of Chexology.
Today, Hays is co-lead of a Kelley School program where every incoming student participates in a real-life venture investing simulation called Fantasy Startup “to prime them for the business innovation economy.”
“There has been a growing interest in venture, both in investing and entrepreneurship,” said Hays, p“Witnessing another student from Kelley make it to ‘Shark Tank’ makes the venture space even more accessible for Kelley students.”
As an upperclassman at Kelley, De met Pacqué, when they each participated in a TedX-type event at the Kelley School. Years later, they reconnected and Pacqué gave him some good advice, including about “Shark Tank.” “That is one connection that I am very lucky to have kept,” he said. “He’s been very open about connecting and sharing advice which has been fantastic.”
Kelley professors who De cites as influences include Kenneth Weakley, a clinical associate professor of finance who recently retired, and the late William L. “Bill” Haeberle, who created one of the nation’s first collegiate entrepreneurship programs at IU. For many years after his formal retirement, Haeberle continued to meet with students, including De.
During a meeting, De said he told Haeberle about his admiration for one of his former students, Cuban.
“He told me, ‘I can see you working with him one day. Keep at it because he used to be a student and a mentee of mine,” De recalled.
Viewers will have to tune in to see if Haeberle’s comments come true.