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Sproutl
Online marketplace for garden centres, nurseries and shops
- 21-100 employees
- Marketplace
- Sustainability
- eCommerce
- London, UK
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Company mission
To demystify gardening and make it accessible to all, inspiring fresh new audiences across the country who may never have planted anything before.
50% female employees
Our take
There are millions of gardeners in the UK, yet there's relatively little space devoted online to serving this big potential market. For the most part, gardeners still rely on brick-and-mortar shops and garden centres. This is the market that Sproutl is seeking to disrupt.
Its platform is a marketplace for all things gardening-related, ranging from roses and shrubs to gardening accessories. Working on a partnership system that allows existing garden centres, shops, and nurseries to sell on the platform, Sproutl is able to benefit from an already well-established supply line combined with the huge range of potential buyers that online marketplaces allow.
Whilst other competitors do exist, following seed funding, which is to be invested into expansion and growth, Sproutl will be able to establish itself as a major player in the market. With time to build a loyal customer base, Sproutl could prove itself a significant presence in the eCommerce space. As more people look to their gardens as sources of wellbeing and even sustainable produce, Sproutl's target market could be set for even greater growth moving forward
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Benefits
- We are based at Uncommon, London Bridge (B Corp pending), where you can enjoy group social events from free breakfasts, afternoon teas and drinks throughout the month, plus access to yoga and other fitness classes.
- We know that the typical office environment does not work for everyone. Being at home, in your garden, a field, a garden centre. Wherever you like working, works for us
- Equally we understand that outside interests or commitments (from courses, to childcare or focussing on your wellbeing) mean that you would prefer to work flexibly. We hear you! Let’s talk about your needs and see how we can make it work.
- Enjoy 33 days’ holiday (including a day off for your birthday). Bank holidays can be taken any time during the year.
- Equity ownership
- You will have access to our pension scheme, eyecare vouchers, and a laptop choice to suit your needs.
- Team community gardening and outdoor off-sites
- We support working parents through our partnership with Bubble, a parent-led trust and community-based app providing easy access to planned and last minute childcare.
Company values
- We’re committed to achieving great success together, celebrating our individualism and challenging each other to go further.
- We leave our ego at the door, bring our curious minds to work and trust each other to get stuff done.
Funding (1 round)
Jul 2021
$8m
SEED
Total funding: $8m
This company has top investors
Leadership
Anni Noel Johnson
(CEO)Previously VP of Marketplace Trading and Strategy at Farfetch.
Andy Done
(CTO)Ex-Director of Data Engineering at Farfetch, and also headed up data analytics at King.
Hollie Newton
(Chief Creative Officer)Award-winning creative director and bestselling gardening author.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Sproutl
Alice Flaye (Legal & Strategic Projects)
- Sproutl's mission is to make gardening accessible for everyone. Diversity, equity and inclusion has therefore been a guiding principle from day 1.
- As a female co-founded tech start-up, we cherish celebrating, and uniting in, our differences. We’ve put our hearts into creating a diverse, inclusive and energising place to work. We value flexibility, trust, autonomy, and responsibility along with a supportive environment to grow and develop. We want you to be able to do the best work of your career, and we’ve put a lot of effort into making sure Sproutl is the place you can do it.
- We are also an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to creating a working environment which provides equality of opportunity and freedom from unlawful discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, pregnancy and maternity, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, disability, religion or beliefs, age or sexual orientation. We actively oppose all forms of discrimination.
- We have team members ranging from 20 - 50 years old, 23% of our workforce are parents, and almost a fifth work part time. We only work with investors and suppliers who match our company values and are as diverse as we are. 50% of our Angel investors are women.
- We are actively working on eliminating bias from our interview process. Our first step has been to screen all job descriptions for gender bias before publishing them.
- There's a lot more work to be done. Join us to help shape Sproutl's inclusive and supportive culture.
Articles
Endorsements
All
Intelligent people (3)
Opportunities to learn (2)
Tech & tools (1)
Autonomy (1)
Hard working team (1)
Open and honest communication (1)
Supportive management (1)
Team energy (1)
Focus on employee wellbeing (1)
Amazing team behind a great innovative business. A true start-up... fast-paced, diverse, open and honest. A great place to work! :)
Operations & Strategy
Opportunities to learn
Sep 2021
The team are carefully picked out to ensure that they fit the team. No one is ever left behind, and everyone is treated the same - no matter high up the ladder they are.
Operations & Strategy
Team energy
Sep 2021
From leadership all the way down, all staff are equal, being told the ins and outs of the business, and any desired detail.
Operations & Strategy
Open and honest communication
Sep 2021
The people at Sproutl come from really diverse backgrounds and bring some great cross-pollination of ideas to the table. But more than that, everyone's always willing to take 5 minutes to brainstorm with you about how to tackle complicated problems, and even though everyone is incredibly smart and capable, no one makes you feel small - all ideas are appreciated and built upon.
Software Engineering
Intelligent people
Aug 2021
The management team at Sproutl are really willing to give you a lot of responsibility and agency in determining a path towards our collective end goal. They're always asking questions and willing to be vulnerable when they don't know something, which means that the wider team is also oriented towards honesty and growth. There's something really special here!
Software Engineering
Supportive management
Aug 2021
There's something new going on at Sproutl every week - I've tackled projects ranging from inventory management to creating image loading tools to diagramming order flow to making business cases for new infrastructure. You get the chance to dig into a whole range of topics you haven't before - I've learned a bunch of new concepts and tools since joining and there's no end in sight!
Software Engineering
Opportunities to learn
Aug 2021
I always seem to be learning something new after collaborating with colleagues, especially on new ideas. Everyone takes their time to explain new concepts to ensure I understand.
Marketing
Intelligent people
Aug 2021
It feels like everybody has a really clear idea of what Sproutl will become. This makes for a really streamlined driven working environment.
Marketing
Hard working team
Aug 2021
I'm given loads of room to explore new idea. In fact I am actively encouraged to set time aside for projects that will drive my (and Sproutl's!) development. There are also no stupid ideas!
Marketing
Autonomy
Aug 2021
The team at Sproutl is amazing, everyone brings their A game every day and it really shows. We're all able to trust each other to deliver great work and help each other out when needed.
Software Engineering
Intelligent people
Aug 2021
Sproutl is the first place I've worked at where there's a genuine focus on taking holidays, avoiding burn-out and helping the team have downtime away from work. This really shows in the way we work as a team.
Software Engineering
Focus on employee wellbeing
Aug 2021
We're given a lot of autonomy to use the latest technologies at Sproutl. Everyone is really receptive to change and new tools that can help improve the way we work.
Software Engineering
Tech & tools
Aug 2021
