We had the opportunity to interview Shane Dyer. Founder of Irrigreen. The company that is  reinventing landscape irrigation with smart sprinkler systems. Interested in investing? They have a crowdfunding campaign live now. This round ends on June 20^th.
 

Q. When was Irrigreen launched, and what type of traction has your company seen to date?
A. The C Corporation was launched in 2014. Last year we did $163k - this year we have $250k bookings (all of these have paid deposits), so should be about 4x- 5x growth this year. We have previously raised over $5 million in funding.
 

Q. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and Irrigreen? When was the company first launched?
A. Irrigreen was started when my partner Gary Klinefelter took his expertise in inkjet printing and created a way to revolutionize irrigation by “printing” with digital sprinkler heads instead of spraying the way traditional mechanical heads have always worked. The wow moment was when we found we could save about 50% of the water used in landscape irrigation and have the same green lawn and plants.

Our system centers on this technology leap, using software techniques from inkjet printing to vastly reduce the amount of water wasted.

Q. At what point did you realize you had a viable business model?
A. I think we realized this going to catch fire when we started to have hundreds of people per week request quotes for digital irrigation systems on our website. I don’t think I fully grasped how much pain people were feeling around their sprinkler system spraying on the sidewalk, water running down the street, and having to fix and adjust heads all the time. Also, getting that multi-hundred-dollar water bill in the summer really drives you to find a more sustainable and simpler sprinkler solution. Once they see a robotic sprinkler precisely follow the curves of their landscaping, putting water only where they want it driving water savings, they buy an Irrigreen digital system. Mechanical sprinkler systems made by companies like Toro (TTC) seem too complex and wasteful as persistent droughts and climate change make water more precious and expensive.

Q. The green-tech market is on the rise as awareness concerns increase amongst consumers. Do you see this market opportunity continuing, and how might Irrigreen fit in amongst other eco-friendly companies?
A. We see a big drive from customers that want to make sure they can sustainably keep the green landscaping they love, but also value environmental stewardship and make sure their yard uses only as much water as needed without waste. Water bills are rising much faster than inflation, by choosing a digital system they are also saving money while doing good and saving water. As communities plan how to find water for the next ten years, conservation must play a much larger role as there is little new water to find. Our goal as a green technology company is to bring innovation to the water conservation we all desperately need.
 

Q. What are Irrigreen’s strengths and advantages over its competitors?
A. The major advantage of an Irrigreen sprinkler system is the use of digital heads that not only use about half the water of traditional sprinkler systems but also vastly simplify irrigation. An Irrigreen system needs 80% fewer heads, 80% less pipe and trench digging as compared to a traditional system saving both install time and maintenance headaches. We use weather data from the cloud to give each head its own weather-aware smart watering schedule, giving customers a simple setup and a sprinkler system that just works. Of course, all this is controlled from an app on your phone so you can check up on your lawn from thousands of miles away on your summer vacation and know you will have green grass to come back to. Think of it as Fitbit for your lawn, helping you care for your landscaping, and saving water while you do it.

Q. What intellectual property do you own?
A. Irrigreen has 5 years of R&D and 6 issued patents covering digital sprinkler heads.

Q. What customers does Irrigreen attract?
A. We attract customers that are tired of an inconsistent and frustrating sprinkler system that leaves wet places and dry spots. They want to have more control of their water use to grow a great lawn but also save water to lower their water bills. They also feel good about doing the right thing to be sustainable by using less water with digital sprinkler heads. You can go to the Irrigreen website www.irrigreen.com and get a quote in 24 hours with not just how much it would cost to get the system but also how much water and money you will save based on your local water costs.

Q. If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of business/financial advice, what would it be?
A. I don’t think any of us envisioned how much research and development it would take to completely change the paradigm for irrigation. Never confuse a clear view for a short distance as they say, but this is a mission for saving water with breakthrough technology that we are deeply passionate about.

Q. Are you looking for additional funding? If so, what are you looking for in a potential investor, and how can interested readers get in touch/learn more?
A. We have an equity crowdfunding offering that is ending soon where anyone can invest in Irrigreen for as little as $150 at https://republic.co/irrigreen and we are starting our institutional round shortly and interested institutional investors can reach me at shane@irrigreen.com.