Flower Power
In 2013, Ajay Kori was living
in Washington, D.C., and
smitten with a woman in
Philadelphia. He didn’t love
the long-distance flower-
buying experience, though,
so he turned that frustration
into an opportunity, teaming
with a college buddy to
launch a company that would
bypass the old model, in
which consumers buy flowers
via national aggregators who
then use local florists for
fulfillment. Here, at Urban-
Stem’s Washington-area
warehouse, bouquets get a
final trimming, packaged,
and then handed to couriers
for same-day local delivery.
UrbanStems has had some
growing pains—including a
disastrous 2017 Valentine’s
Day—but it’s become a
favorite of tech-centric flower
buyers. “Every day is a curve
ball,” says CEO Seth Gold-
man. “From crazy launch
sprints, to quick redesigns,
to figuring out different
challenges, there are great
days and horrible days.
There are no plain days.”
—KATE ROCKWOOD
Three-year growth 1,192.4%
2018 revenue $12.8M
Washington, D.C.
Founded in 2014
Seth Goldman
URBANSTEMS
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