this startup founder raised $1.5 MM in 40 days in an industry you’d never expect

I love reading stories about founders who are able to 'skate where the puck is going' and jump on opportunities before the rest of the world.   Here's what I mean:   Last year inside our Trends analysts saw promising signs about the indoor plant industry.   It was poised to sprout into a $700MM annual business, with the potential to take off… just like the mattress industry did in 2010.   That meant tons of opportunity for new players to do what Casper, Nectar, and Purple did for mattresses -- all brands that do hundreds of millions in revenue -- but for plants.   That's where Trendster* Narek Vardanian came in…   *(Yes, our Trends members call themselves Trendsters..)   After reading our deep dive into plant analytics, Narek decided to go all-in on house plants.   He announced his plant startup in our private community, asked for advice, and brought on collaborators.   Here's the part that'll blow your mind:   Just 40 days later, he raised $1.5MM for his wall-mounted, self-watering indoor gardening system.   Now, Narek didn't have a crystal ball. He couldn't 'see' the future.   But...   He did have Trends.   We showed him the possibilities. We showed him the data and where that market was headed. And Narek turned this one single insight into a $1.5MM fundraising round.   Look, I can't tell you exactly what'll happen in your own business or life. But what I can tell you is what's possible when you're armed with the right kind of data and insights.   It's all happening inside Trends.   Trends is kind of like The Hustle… you get fast, easy-to-read stories and case studies. But while The Hustle is about what's happening NOW, Trends is about what's happening NEXT in the world of business.   What exactly is waiting for you inside Trends?   A whole lot, actually. Trends isn't just another email newsletter. It's so much more than that. Once inside, you'll also get access to:   All of our past Signals reports (plus three new ones every single week) that break down industries and markets that are about to blow up fast. This'll give you a massive head start on the rest of the business world. All past issues of our weekly Trends newsletter (if you can't get enough of The Hustle, you're going to love this). Access to our entire 'private' library of articles (including how-to articles, industry deep-dives, business profiles, and Q&As with industry leaders) Admission into the Trends private community with ~14,000 of the smartest people in the world of business, entrepreneurship, and tech. It's full of hustlers, operators, builders, and founders… just like you. Invites to weekly AMAs and learning events with top founders, C-level executives, and VCs. Some people that we've recently had on: Andrew Kagan, Shane Parrish, and Noah Kagan. Every episode of the My First Million podcast. Access to our growing database collection, including: funding data for ~2,400 Kickstarter campaigns, 100+ stories of businesses that survived the Great Recession, our database on Shopify's top 1,000 stores… and more. Recordings from EVERY one of our past live events, interviews, and Q&A sessions. Our growing collection of eBooks, including: The Operator's Guide to Building a $100MM Business, 50+ Ideas from My First Million, 30 Companies Defining The Future of Media & Pop Culture, and How 19 Small Businesses are Responding to COVID-19. Try out Trends today for just $1.   If you love it, stick around for our annual membership ($5.75/week, billed annually). No catch, no commitment, cancel anytime.   In the meantime, we'll continue scouting "the Casper of X".   -Sam Founder & CEO of The Hustle & Trends   P.S. If plants aren't your thing, no worries… we've featured dozens of industries. To catch a glimpse of the next surprising big thing, start your $1 trial here.   P.P.S. I've got a really cool story to share with you in a couple of days.   It's all about my "quarter-life crisis"... and why I peeled out of Silicon Valley on an $1,800 motorcycle and high-tailed it for 9,000 miles before finding what I was looking for.   Stay tuned for that one…   I think you're gonna like it. 25 First Street, 2nd Floor, Cambridge, MA 02141 | USA | 888.482.7768 Never want to hear from us again? Break our hearts and unsubscribe.