A gardening convention in Tallinn's Pirita district is exhibiting the world's first mass-produced, automatic potted plant grower for personal use, which allows people to grow plants without having to regularly water or care for them – just change the batteries.
Known by the trademark Click & Grow, the device will hit the market in June and has so far attracted 18,000 pre-orders for the 59-euro product. The device was chosen as Estonia's best new entrepreneurial concept last year in the contestAjujaht (Brain Hunt).
The electronic potted plant is self-operated by sensors and software that can regulate the growing process for up to three years. Click & Grow representative Mattias Lepa said the venture is unique and that he does not yet know of any competitors.
The company currently offers four types of edible and ornamental plants, but it is developing 50 other types of plants, such as tomatoes and pepper, in laboratories at Tartu's research park.
The winning business concept for Ajujaht 2011, sponsored by Enterprise Estonia and financed by the EU Social Fund, will be announced on May 12. There is a 64,000 euro award.
The eight finalists comprise a virtual garden that allows city people to grow organic food on a real piece of land; a University of Tartu laboratory director's project that involves breeding mice with human genes to develop treatments for Hepatitis C; fingerboard parks, a popular hobby among youth, produced by local rapper Revo Jõgisalu; an energy management system for big consumers that is used in one of Estonia's shopping centers; software for checking pets' health that has attracted interest from several international clinics; and the Quotista website, which was a finalist in a Seoul entrepreneurial ideas competition.
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