Lively Root
Lively Root is a San Diego-based direct-to-consumer e-commerce brand selling live plants, subscriptions, accessories, and corporate gifts to U.S. consumers and businesses. Founded in 2020, it operates livelyroot.com and a dedicated B2B portal sourcing from a U.S. nursery network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Lively Root does
Lively Root is a San Diego-based direct-to-consumer horticultural e-commerce brand founded in 2020 that sells live indoor and outdoor plants, plant subscriptions, accessories, and customized gifts to U.S. consumers and corporate buyers. The company operates a Shopify-based storefront at livelyroot.com, supported by a dedicated B2B portal at b2b.livelyroot.com for corporate gifting, with fulfillment sourced through a network of U.S. nurseries and growers that ship directly to customers, including cold-weather handling. The product portfolio spans pet-friendly, easy-care, smart-watering, hanging, large, and outdoor plants, alongside a recurring quarterly subscription program (Pet Friendly $49, Easy Care $55, Not-So-Common $58, gift subscriptions from $109), plant accessories and fertilizers, personalized pots with engraving, and digital gift cards. Supporting features include a Plant Finder Quiz, a Garden Club loyalty program, an extensive plant-care content library, and a 30-day happiness guarantee.
The business generates revenue across five streams: direct plant sales (one-time unit pricing), quarterly plant subscriptions (recurring), plant accessories and care products, digital gift cards, and B2B corporate gifting. Go-to-market is multi-channel, combining content marketing, an active presence across seven social platforms, email, referral, and affiliate programs, and earned media coverage in The Spruce, BuzzFeed, Martha Stewart, Men's Journal, Mindbodygreen, and Who What Wear. The company is privately held, employs 11-50 people, has raised approximately $5.1M across two seed rounds ($1.1M in July 2020 and $4M in June 2022), operates exclusively in the United States, and has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, patents, M&A activity, or international operations.
Leadership includes CEO Colin Barceloux, VP of Business Development Brian Bates, Director of Operations John Arathoon, and Senior Marketing Manager Jenna Dower. The June 2022 seed funding was directed at expanding the nursery supply network and executing market expansion beyond the original West Coast base. The company has progressively broadened its product surface and channel mix, but remains a sub-scale, single-geography, single-platform retailer with no disclosed revenue.
Lively Root firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lively Root
- Legal name
- Lively Root
- Website
- https://livelyroot.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Lively Root is a San Diego-based direct-to-consumer e-commerce brand selling live plants, subscriptions, accessories, and corporate gifts to U.S. consumers and businesses. Founded in 2020, it operates livelyroot.com and a dedicated B2B portal sourcing from a U.S. nursery network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lively Root industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Horticulture Retail
- NAICS
- Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (44424)
- SIC
- Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Plants, Seeds & Nursery Retail (Garden Centers) (CRAIAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Indoor Plants, Faux Florals & Botanical Décor Retail (CRAIACAG)
Keywords
Where Lively Root is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Lively Root business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct Plant Sales: One-time purchase of individual live plants, potted plants, and plant bundles sold directly to consumers through the e-commerce platform. Products range from small starter plants to large statement plants.
- Plant Subscriptions: Recurring subscription service delivering surprise plants quarterly. Options include pet-friendly, easy-care, and unique plant subscriptions. Starting at $49 for pet-friendly subscription, $55 for easy-care, and $58 for not-so-common plants.
- Gift Cards: Digital gift cards allowing recipients to choose their own plants and accessories. Delivered instantly or scheduled for future dates.
- Corporate Gifting: B2B program for bulk orders of plants for corporate clients, employee gifts, and promotional marketing. Dedicated B2B portal available.
- Plant Accessories: Sale of plant care products including fertilizers, pots, planters, mister bottles, plant supports, pest protection, and decorative items.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual Plants |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Plant Subscriptions |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Cards |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Plant Accessories |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Lively Root product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lively Root operates a direct-to-consumer horticulture e-commerce platform that sells a wide assortment of live indoor and outdoor plants, pet-friendly plants, easy-care plants, smart-watering plants, and hanging plants through livelyroot.com. The company also offers quarterly plant subscriptions, plant care accessories, customized/engraved pots, gift cards, and a dedicated B2B corporate gifting program via b2b.livelyroot.com, with plants shipped directly from its network of U.S. nurseries.
Product overview
Lively Root is a direct-to-consumer horticulture lifestyle brand operating an e-commerce platform built on Shopify. The core offering consists of live potted plants across multiple categories including indoor plants, outdoor/porch plants, pet-friendly plants, hanging plants, and easy-care plants for beginners. The company offers a subscription-based model with quarterly plant deliveries (Pet Friendly, Easy Care, and Not-So-Common varieties) starting at $49-$109. Plant accessories include fertilizers, self-watering pots, and care tools. Gift options include personalized/customized pots, gift cards, and corporate gifting services. The company operates a Garden Club loyalty program and provides educational content through a plant care blog. The product portfolio is supported by a 30-day happiness guarantee and expert customer support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Live Indoor Plants
- Pet Friendly Plants Curated collection of non-toxic plants safe for households with cats and dogs, including Ponytail Palm, Areca Palm, Calathea, Spider Plant, and Boston Fern, targeted at pet owners.
- Smart Watering Plants Plants pre-potted in self-watering smart pots with a hidden water reservoir system, allowing plants to absorb water as needed for low-maintenance care, including Money Tree, Peace Lily, ZZ Plant, and other varieties.
Quantifiable outcome
- Plants actively purify indoor air by absorbing pollutants and releasing oxygen, supported by NASA research on air-purifying houseplants
Companies that use Lively Root
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Lively Root technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Lively Root partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Nursery Network (Unnamed)corePartnerships with nurseries and growers across the U.S. to source and ship plants directly to customers, enabling fresh products and expanded geographic reach.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Lively Root competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Sill: Direct-to-consumer indoor plant e-commerce brand offering potted plants, subscriptions, and accessories with a strong content and lifestyle positioning. Highly comparable to Lively Root in product mix, target customer, and DTC GTM.
- Bloomscape: Online plant retailer selling pre-potted houseplants direct from greenhouse to consumer, with proprietary planters and a plant care subscription. Closely matches Lively Root's direct-from-grower model and curated houseplant focus.
- Léon & George: Premium indoor plant delivery service offering large statement plants, designer pots, and plant care subscriptions targeting design-conscious urban consumers. Comparable to Lively Root's higher-end plant offerings and subscriptions.
- My Garden City: DTC plant e-commerce retailer offering indoor plants, pots, and accessories with a focus on beginner-friendly content and care guidance. Closely comparable in merchandising and customer education approach.
Broad incumbents
- ProFlowers: Established online floral and plant retailer with nationwide delivery and a gift-focused merchandising approach. Comparable in DTC gifting and plant delivery, though broader and less curated than Lively Root.
- The Bouqs Co. Online floral and plant gifting retailer with subscription programs and a strong corporate gifting motion. Comparable in gifting-centric DTC model, recurring subscriptions, and B2B channel.
- 1-800-Flowers: Large incumbent in the gifting and floral category with broad assortment, nationwide fulfillment, and a corporate gifting business. Comparable as a scaled player in plant-adjacent gifting with similar corporate use cases.
- Amazon (Plants & Garden Center): Massive online marketplace with extensive live plant and garden supply assortments, plus Prime-enabled fulfillment. Represents the price and convenience benchmark Lively Root must differentiate against.
Emerging players
- Horti: Plant subscription service delivering curated houseplants on a recurring basis. Overlaps directly with Lively Root's Pet Friendly, Easy Care, and unique-plant subscription tiers.
- Plant Proper: DTC plant brand selling indoor houseplants with a content-rich, lifestyle-forward presentation. Comparable in targeting design-conscious millennial and Gen Z plant parents with curated assortments.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Lively Root social profiles
Digital presenceLively Root financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lively Root leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Lively Root funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lively Root M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lively Root
What does Lively Root do?
Lively Root operates a direct-to-consumer horticulture e-commerce platform that sells a wide assortment of live indoor and outdoor plants, pet-friendly plants, easy-care plants, smart-watering plants, and hanging plants through livelyroot.com. The company also offers quarterly plant subscriptions, plant care accessories, customized/engraved pots, gift cards, and a dedicated B2B corporate gifting program via b2b.livelyroot.com, with plants shipped directly from its network of U.S. nurseries.
Is Lively Root a public or private company?
Lively Root is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Lively Root founded?
Lively Root was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Lively Root based?
Lively Root is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lively Root make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Direct Plant Sales are the primary driver. The others are plant Subscriptions, gift Cards, corporate Gifting and plant Accessories.
Who are Lively Root's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Sill, Bloomscape, Léon & George and My Garden City. Broad incumbents are ProFlowers, The Bouqs Co., 1-800-Flowers and Amazon (Plants & Garden Center). Emerging players are Horti and Plant Proper.
Does Lively Root have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lively Root.
What industry is Lively Root in?
Lively Root's product category is Online Horticulture Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAIAIAB, Plants, Seeds & Nursery Retail (Garden Centers), with a secondary code of CRAIACAG, Indoor Plants, Faux Florals & Botanical Décor Retail. Its NAICS code is 44424 and its SIC code is 5200.