Aja Atwood is the co-founder of everblume, LLC. It’s a startup that is getting ready to launch a product that is destined to disrupt the horticultural industry.
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The product is called everblume. It’s a turnkey, automated smart appliance designed to help consumers grow and cultivate medicinal plants, produce and flowers, even from a small apartment.
Atwood co-founded everblume last year with Michael Morgan, who is the CEO. She is the CTO; a fitting title, since Atwood has also been a mechanical engineer for over 13 years. The company is committed to creating solutions that support customers who advocate the benefits of home cultivation.
“I’ve worked with the leading defense system companies,†Atwood said to BlackEnterprise.com.
She has helped develop satellites for naval ships and also did some work with medical device companies. However, she has worked in a diverse range of organizations with a variety of responsibilities, including risk management, engineering consulting, and organizational management. A large portion of Atwood’s engineering career has been helping manufacturing plants protect themselves from fire and natural disaster.
“I go to their plants, see their processes: [For example] how do you replace a piece of equipment if there is a fire or a hurricane? What can we do to continue your business?â€
Atwood, who holds a B.S in mechanical engineering from Northeastern University, is a serial entrepreneur. She launched her first venture, a trading software company in 2013.
Everblume is a futuristic way to grow plants, no matter what natural environmental conditions the plants require. The scientifically-designed sealed growing box automatically adjusts humidity, soil PH balance and light depending on the type of plant. Customers can also manually adjust these settings.
Using the mobile app, everblume provides easy monitoring, so that you can keep tabs on all elements of your growth. The app will alert when levels are off; measure progress; emails monthly reports and lets users make modifications to the everblume box’s settings. Atwood and her team are slated to launch a Kickstarter campaign for everblume in September.
“Right now we are conducting market research and doing beta testing,†says Atwood.
They are also trying to figure out the best way to manufacture the product in the U.S.
“We definitely want to assemble in the U.S. and manufacture [here] as much as possible. We’re focusing on the northeast, trying to find the best pricing,†says Atwood.