StartupRealities

Startup No 185 - StartupRealities 2020 series GardenPackaging is a garden architecture company which wraps entire gardens and lawns under a giant tensile awning to reduce the intensity of sunlight in the summer and create an artistic visual effect. CEO QUOTE "I was inspired by environmental artist Christo Javacheff  and architect Frei Otto to start this company. Christo and Jeanne-Claude focused on wrapping famous landmarks in their art installations. While I thought: 'Shouldn't someone democratise this beautiful mix of art and architecture and bring it to the people?' This is how my company was born: by the people, for the people!" - said GardenPackaging founder and CEO Garda Packer . Tensile canvas structure in a Park (image source: Wikipedia )

Startup No 176 - StartupRealities 2020 series HighestPlatform installs raised observation decks and platforms at the top of houses and buildings or at the highest place in gardens where legally possible. This allows the building owners to climb up the stairs to the platform to look at the sky or film the sunset. CEO QUOTE "Most people dream of being up high - unless you have vertigo, of course. We make this happen: we install platforms on rooftops; we build a balcony above the balcony; we put up platforms in the canopy of trees. And it is an amazing experience to be standing at the top of the world, your world, looking at the sky. We can even lend you a temporary mobile platform, just to try for yourself the feeling of being up there. It is a real treat!" - said HighestPlatform founder and CEO Higgins Platt. Mobile platform (image source: Wikipedia )

StartupRealities No 91 PondMapper is a geographical information systems company that catalogues and maps artificial ponds in urban environments. The company asks for a $5 dollar donation to include each garden pond in its database and on its maps. The information is used by biologists exploring aquatic and amphibian habitats, while pond photos are shared on the website and on Instagram. Each pond owner has a dedicated page on the PondMapper website where they upload current photos of their pond. CEO QUOTE "People with garden ponds really care about their ponds and are proud of their ponds. We help create a community of pond lovers, but we also give a scientific and research purpose to this community. Exploring biodiversity and species migration is a central part of what we do," said PondMapper founder and CEO Pony Mascarpone. Garden pond in California (image source: Wikipedia )

StartupRealities No 76 YardWiFi is an IT equipment maker which produces extender internet cables that plug into a home router and allow people to access WiFi internet in their garden or front/back yard. The cables are normally affixed to walls or fences circumscribing a garden or back yard. CEO QUOTE "Being out of range is the number one or number two complaint about home WiFi connections, after slow internet. We try to level the playing field by widening access to WiFi, especially in outdoor areas," said company founder and CEO Yan Wyer. Internet router (image source: Wikipedia )