Click and Grow

Click and Grow is an Estonian indoor-gardening company founded by Mattias Lepp in 2009. The company develops consumer electronic products intended to make the cultivation of herbs, vegetables, flowers, and other edible plants possible in homes and other indoor environments. Its core system combines a powered planter or garden unit with replaceable plant pods containing seeds, a growing medium, and controlled-release fertilizer. Self-irrigation, built-in lighting on many models, and simplified maintenance are central to the brand's proposition. The company originated with Lepp's idea for a Smart Flowerpot, which won Estonia's Ajujaht business-idea competition in 2010. The concept then underwent approximately two years of development before reaching the market. The first Smart Flowerpot was introduced in 2011 as a battery-powered indoor planter designed to reduce or eliminate the need for manual watering and fertilizing. By 2012, Click and Grow had reportedly sold 90,000 units. Early experience also exposed a practical limitation: customers in Nordic countries found that the available natural light was inadequate for growing some plant varieties, helping motivate the development of products with integrated LED lighting. Click and Grow expanded its product range through crowdfunding and larger-capacity systems. A 2013 Kickstarter campaign for the Smart Herb Garden raised $625,000, supporting a three-plant indoor garden with an LED grow light. The product entered sales in January 2014. The company later developed larger systems, including the Smart Garden 9, introduced through Kickstarter in 2016, and the Smart Garden 27, which uses a three-tier stand to combine three nine-plant units. Other products included the Smart Farm, designed for up to 250 plants, and the Wall Farm, designed for up to 51 plants. By 2018, Click and Grow reportedly employed 42 people, operated offices in San Francisco, Tartu, and Tallinn, and had more than 450,000 customers. It also received investment from INGKA Holding, the parent company associated with the IKEA franchise system, although the available reference material does not establish that INGKA owns or controls the brand. During the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the company reported sales three to five times higher than normal between March and May. The cited explanations included concern about fresh-food shortages, a desire to reduce shopping frequency, and interest in home activities that could support mental well-being. Click and Grow has also participated in publicly supported research and development. Between 2016 and 2023, it received several grants from Estonia's Ministry of Education and Research through the European Regional Development Fund. The projects included work on biodegradable substrates, a new plant-growth medium developed with the University of Tartu between 2020 and 2022, and efficient LED-lighting solutions for indoor cultivation devices during 2022 and 2023. The company's overall positioning combines home convenience, compact food production, technology-assisted plant care, and access to fresh herbs or vegetables without a traditional garden.

Click and Grow was founded in Estonia in 2009 by Mattias Lepp. Its origin was a concept for a Smart Flowerpot intended to automate basic plant care. Lepp won Estonia's Ajujaht business-idea competition with the concept in 2010. Development continued for about two years before the idea became a commercial product. The first Smart Flowerpot reached the market in 2011. It was battery powered and designed to operate without routine manual watering or fertilizing. By 2012, the company had sold 90,000 Smart Flowerpots. The early product also revealed that natural light was a constraint for some customers, particularly in Nordic countries. Click and Grow responded by developing indoor gardens with integrated LED lighting. In 2013, the company ran a Kickstarter campaign for the Smart Herb Garden and raised $625,000. The product, which could grow three plants at a time under an LED light, began selling in January 2014. Click and Grow subsequently broadened its range from small countertop products to larger systems. The Smart Farm, introduced in 2015, was designed for up to 250 plants. In 2016, the company introduced the Smart Garden 9, a nine-plant system, and the Wall Farm, which could accommodate up to 51 plants. The Smart Garden 27 used a three-tier structure to combine three Smart Garden 9 units. A second generation of the smaller Smart Herb Garden was released as the Smart Garden 3 in 2017. The products use a common consumables model. Plant pods contain seeds, a growing medium, and controlled-release fertilizer, while the garden unit supplies water and, where provided, artificial light. This approach allows the company to sell both hardware and replacement pods while presenting indoor gardening as more predictable and less labor-intensive than conventional container gardening. By 2018, Click and Grow had 42 employees and offices in Tartu, Tallinn, and San Francisco. It reported more than 450,000 customers and received investment from INGKA Holding. The available reference does not provide the investment amount or establish the precise ownership relationship. The COVID-19 pandemic produced a significant reported increase in demand. Between March and May 2020, Click and Grow said sales were three to five times higher than normal. The company associated the increase with concerns about fresh-food availability, a desire to make fewer shopping trips, and the perceived mental-health benefits of home gardening. Research and development became another continuing part of the company's activity. Between 2016 and 2023, Click and Grow received several grants from Estonia's Ministry of Education and Research through the European Regional Development Fund. Supported work included biodegradable growing substrates, a plant-growth medium developed with the University of Tartu from 2020 to 2022, and efficient LED-lighting solutions for indoor cultivation devices from 2022 to 2023. These projects indicate an effort to improve the environmental profile, growing performance, and energy efficiency of its systems.

1. 2023LED-efficiency research project concludes

   A grant-supported project on efficient LED lighting for indoor cultivation devices covered the 2022–2023 period.

   Source
2. 2020Pandemic-era sales surge

   Click and Grow reported sales three to five times higher than normal from March through May.

   Source
3. 2020University of Tartu growing-medium project begins

   A grant-supported project with the University of Tartu began work on a new plant-growth medium.

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4. 2018INGKA Holding investment and international expansion

   Click and Grow received investment from INGKA Holding and reported 42 employees, three office locations, and more than 450,000 customers.

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5. 2017Smart Garden 3 introduced

   A second-generation version of the Smart Herb Garden was released under the Smart Garden 3 name.

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6. 2016Smart Garden 9 and Wall Farm launched

   The company expanded into larger-capacity products with the nine-plant Smart Garden 9 and the 51-plant Wall Farm.

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7. 2015Smart Farm introduced

   Click and Grow introduced a larger indoor-growing system designed for up to 250 plants.

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8. 2014Smart Herb Garden begins sales

   The three-plant Smart Herb Garden entered commercial sales in January.

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9. 2013Smart Herb Garden Kickstarter campaign

   A Kickstarter campaign for the LED-equipped Smart Herb Garden raised $625,000.

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10. 2012Smart Flowerpot sales reach 90,000 units

    The company reported sales of 90,000 Smart Flowerpots.

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11. 2011Smart Flowerpot introduced

    Click and Grow launched its battery-powered indoor pot designed to reduce manual watering and fertilizing.

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12. 2010Smart Flowerpot wins Ajujaht competition

    Lepp's Smart Flowerpot concept won Estonia's Ajujaht business-idea competition.

    Source
13. 2009Company founded in Estonia

    Mattias Lepp founded Click and Grow to develop consumer products for automated indoor plant cultivation.

    Source

Technology-assisted indoor gardening for consumers seeking convenient, low-maintenance cultivation of herbs, vegetables, flowers, and other plants in homes or workplaces.

• Smart FlowerpotElectronic indoor planter2011

  Introduced in 2011, the Smart Flowerpot was Click and Grow's original commercial product. It used battery-powered automation to reduce the need for manual watering and fertilizing. The product established the company's basic model of combining a planter with a controlled growing environment and prepared plant inputs. Its performance was affected by available natural light, particularly in Nordic markets, which helped drive later development of LED-lit systems.

• Smart Herb GardenLED indoor herb garden2014

  The Smart Herb Garden is a compact indoor system capable of growing three plants at once. It added an LED grow light to address the limitations of indoor natural light and was designed around Click and Grow's self-watering plant-pod system. The product was crowdfunded on Kickstarter in 2013 and began selling in January 2014, helping establish the brand in the consumer indoor-gardening market.

• Smart Garden 3LED indoor garden2017

  Released in 2017 as a second generation of the Smart Herb Garden, the Smart Garden 3 is a small three-plant indoor garden. It uses the brand's prepared pods, automated watering approach, and integrated lighting to simplify cultivation in homes or workplaces. It represents Click and Grow's compact, countertop-oriented format.

• Smart Garden 9Multi-plant indoor garden2016

  The Smart Garden 9 is a larger indoor-growing unit designed to accommodate nine plants. Click and Grow introduced it in 2016 after a second Kickstarter campaign. The system extends the compact garden concept to households seeking more planting capacity while retaining automated watering, artificial lighting, and replaceable pods.

• Smart Garden 27Modular indoor garden2016

  The Smart Garden 27 is a larger configuration created by stacking three Smart Garden 9 units on a three-tier stand. Its design gives users substantially greater planting capacity than countertop models while applying the same pod-based, self-irrigating growing method. It represents Click and Grow's modular approach to scaling indoor cultivation.

• Smart FarmIndoor farm2015

  Introduced in 2015, the Smart Farm was a substantially larger indoor-growing product designed for up to 250 plants. It extended Click and Grow beyond household countertop gardening toward higher-capacity cultivation. The available reference identifies its capacity and introduction date but does not provide further technical or commercial specifications.

• Wall FarmVertical indoor farm2016

  The Wall Farm, launched in 2016, is a vertical indoor-growing system designed to accommodate up to 51 plants. It uses wall-oriented space rather than relying solely on countertop or freestanding floor area. The product broadened Click and Grow's range toward space-efficient display and cultivation installations.

• Plant podsConsumable growing supplies

  Click and Grow plant pods are replaceable growing units containing seeds, a growing medium, and controlled-release fertilizer. They are designed to work with the company's automated garden hardware and allow users to select different edible or ornamental plants without separately sourcing seeds, soil, and fertilizer. The pod system is a recurring consumables component of the brand's business model.

• 2016Smart Garden 9 Kickstarter

  International crowdfunding market

  The company used another Kickstarter campaign to introduce a larger nine-plant indoor garden.

  Outcome. The Smart Garden 9 became part of the company's larger-capacity product range and could be combined into the Smart Garden 27 configuration.

  Source
• 2013Smart Herb Garden Kickstarter

  International crowdfunding market

  Click and Grow used Kickstarter to promote and finance a three-plant Smart Herb Garden with an integrated LED grow light.

  Outcome. The campaign raised $625,000, and the product began selling in January 2014.

  Source
• 2010Ajujaht Smart Flowerpot competition entry

  Estonia

  Mattias Lepp entered the Smart Flowerpot concept in Estonia's Ajujaht business-idea competition and won the competition.

  Outcome. The award helped validate the concept before its subsequent development and commercialization.

  Source

• 2022Research into efficient LED lightingStrategy

  Artificial lighting is important to Click and Grow's indoor systems, especially where natural light is limited.

  What changed. The company undertook grant-supported work on efficient LED lighting solutions for indoor cultivation devices.

  Aftermath. The project covered 2022–2023 and extended the company's research focus toward energy-efficient cultivation.

  Grant-supported project value. €59,453 (2022–2023)

  Source
• 2020Continuation of indoor-gardening development during the pandemicStrategy

  The COVID-19 pandemic created concern about fresh-food availability and reduced shopping frequency while increasing time spent at home.

  What changed. Click and Grow continued supplying indoor-gardening products and reported unusually strong demand from March through May.

  Aftermath. The company reported sales three to five times higher than normal during that period.

  Source
• 2020Research partnership on plant-growth mediumStrategy

  Click and Grow pursued grant-supported research to improve the materials and performance of indoor cultivation systems.

  What changed. The company collaborated with the University of Tartu on a new plant-growth medium in a project running from 2020 to 2022.

  Aftermath. The project formed part of a wider program covering biodegradable substrates and other growing technologies.

  Grant-supported project value. €281,173 (2020–2022)

  Source
• 2018Investment from INGKA HoldingM&A

  Click and Grow was scaling internationally and reported more than 450,000 customers.

  What changed. INGKA Holding invested in Click and Grow.

  Aftermath. The available reference confirms the investment but does not state its amount, ownership percentage, or subsequent governance effects.

  Source
• 2016Expansion of modular garden capacityGeneration change

  The company sought to offer more planting capacity while retaining its automated pod-based system.

  What changed. Click and Grow launched the Smart Garden 9 and introduced the Wall Farm; three Smart Garden 9 units could be arranged as a Smart Garden 27.

  Aftermath. The brand gained countertop, modular, and vertical formats for different indoor spaces.

  Source
• 2015Expansion into larger indoor farmsProduct launch

  After establishing compact home-gardening products, Click and Grow expanded toward higher-capacity indoor cultivation.

  What changed. The company introduced the Smart Farm, designed for up to 250 plants.

  Aftermath. The product broadened the brand's scope beyond small countertop gardens.

  Source
• 2013Launch strategy for the Smart Herb GardenProduct launch

  The original product's reliance on available light limited cultivation of some plants in northern climates.

  What changed. Click and Grow developed and crowdfunded a three-plant garden with an integrated LED grow light.

  Aftermath. The Kickstarter campaign raised $625,000, and the product entered sales in January 2014.

  Crowdfunding raised. $625,000 (2013 Kickstarter campaign)

  Source
• 2011Commercial launch of the Smart FlowerpotProduct launch

  The company spent roughly two years developing the Smart Flowerpot concept after its founder won the Ajujaht competition.

  What changed. Click and Grow introduced a battery-powered indoor pot designed to automate watering and fertilizing.

  Aftermath. The product generated reported sales of 90,000 units by 2012, while limited natural light in some Nordic markets highlighted the need for integrated lighting.

  Source

• 2023Click and Grow develops new growing media and LED technologies through research grants

  Estonian and European Regional Development Fund-supported projects covered biodegradable substrates, plant-growth media, and efficient LED lighting for indoor cultivation.

  Other
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• 2020Click and Grow reports sharply higher sales during the early COVID-19 period

  The company reported sales three to five times higher than normal between March and May, attributing the increase to food-supply concerns, reduced shopping, and interest in home activities.

  Other
  Source
• 2018INGKA Holding invests in Click and Grow

  Click and Grow received investment from INGKA Holding as the company reported 42 employees, offices in Estonia and San Francisco, and more than 450,000 customers.

  M&A
  Source
• 2016Click and Grow launches the Smart Garden 9

  The company introduced a larger indoor garden designed to grow nine plants, following the earlier Smart Herb Garden.

  CampaignProduct launch
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• 2013Click and Grow raises $625,000 through Kickstarter for the Smart Herb Garden

  The company used Kickstarter to fund a three-plant indoor garden equipped with an LED grow light.

  CampaignProduct launch
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1. Click and Grow