A 29-Year-Old CEO Quit Microsoft to Take Care of Plants [Video]

Three years ago, Aabesh De quit his customer service job at Microsoft to work on an idea that became his plant sensor startup, Flora. On a “Shark Tank” episode that aired on February 16, the 29-year-old founder and CEO earned a deal worth $300,000 for his houseplant care solutions.

Shark Tank investor Lori Greiner gave De $300,000 for 15% equity and 5% in advisory shares, along with a $2 per unit royalty until she recoups her investment. De revealed that Flora brought in $192,000 in gross sales last year, but isn’t yet profitable.

Flora came to life when he tried and failed to keep his houseplants alive during the pandemic. He was overwhelmed by the plethora of articles out there, and the different instructions that were needed to care for various species of houseplants. More personally, he was frustrated that every plant he touched kept dying — even a prized plant that his mom gave him.

“My dear mother gave me her prized rose bush …