Munich Startup: Who are you and what do you do?
Felix Lill, Plantura: Our Plantura founding team consists of Dominik Cadmus (27, Business Administration), Melissa Raupach (27, Communication Sciences, Journalism, Media & Globalization), and me, Felix Lill (30, TUM Business Administration). Dominik and I met at the Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM). Melissa and I have known each other for several years, since Melissa moved to Munich for her Bachelor's degree.
Since 2017, we've been working to build Plantura, the leading direct-to-consumer brand in the gardening sector. Our vision is to make sustainable gardening accessible to everyone. This requires a place where sustainable products meet instructional and inspiring content, and we're creating precisely this digital hub with Plantura.
Digital contact point for sustainable gardening
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Felix Lill: Of course, there are already garden brands, but not with our approach. What do we do differently? We work extremely data-driven — in the development of our products, but also on the content pageThis allows us to develop products that people truly love and reach our target audiences across all channels with content relevant to them. This allows us to have direct contact with our customers, something that's almost impossible for traditional manufacturers who sell through retail outlets.
Munich Startup: What are the three main ingredients for your recipe for success?
Felix Lill: A strong, interdisciplinary team, consistently data-driven work and a close relationship with our customers.
“Demand is extremely high”
Munich Startup: Let’s get to the point: How is business going?
Felix Lill: We are really happy with what we have achieved as a team over the last two years. On our digital garden magazine Over a million gardening enthusiasts are active every month, and we reach more than five million users a month through our social media channels. Demand for sustainable gardening products is extremely high, so we're right on trend. Our Plantura organic autumn lawn fertilizer is currently sold out again, and our first plant protection product, Xentari, was already out of stock three weeks after its launch.
Added value: Exchange with other founders
Munich Startup: What does Munich mean to you?
Felix Lill: Munich is home to all of us, even if I'm the only one who's a true Munich native. The city is the right size for us, you can get anywhere quickly by bike, and the proximity to the mountains is, of course, unbeatable.
The startup scene here is also exciting and offers us a strong network. Through the CDTM, where Dominik and I studied, we are friends with many other founders (for example, Personio, Capmo and WorkpathWe exchange ideas and learn from each other. Here in Munich, with two large and renowned universities, we also have access to talent in the tech, design, and language fields, which is obviously very relevant for fast-growing companies.
Plantura: “Clearly a unicorn course”
Munich Startup: Will your startup become the next unicorn? Or will we see you soon at Epic Fail Night?
Felix Lill: Even though we have a fairly broad skill set on the team, unfortunately none of us can predict fortunes. But we can read sales figures, and they're trending steeply upwards. So, it's clearly a unicorn! The market potential is enormous, the industry is lagging behind digitally, and Plantura is already establishing itself as an authentic brand with high customer loyalty.
The next steps are to expand our product portfolio, implement a digital add-on, and prepare for international rollout. We're also currently expanding our team and are always looking for applications from motivated people who want to revolutionize the gardening industry with us.
Munich Startup: Isar or English Garden?
Felix Lill: English Garden, the Isar flows through the northern part anyway – and of course there is plenty of room to fertilize.
