An Ottawa startup has raised $250,000 in seed investment less than two weeks before what could be its biggest business opportunity of the year – Valentine’s Day.
Nectar Flowers has created a flower delivery app for Android and iOS devices. The app allows customers to send flowers without actually knowing the recipient’s address.
“In today’s connected world you don’t have time to look through the phonebook just to send someone flowers,” Nectar COO Andriy Azarov said in a statement. The customer could provide Nectar with as little as a Twitter handle and Nectar will take it from there, contacting the recipient to arrange delivery.
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Andrew Waitman, a former managing partner of Celtic House Venture Partners, is leading the team of investors in the app. The startup says there could be more investors on the way.
Nectar has been in the works for several months. Dan Gagliardi brought the idea to the table, Mr. Azarov organized the operations and 2010 OBJ Forty Under 40 recipient Samer Forzley took on the role of chief marketing officer.
Nectar says it cuts out the middleman by working directly with farmers to ensure freshness and minimize travel time for flowers as well as cutting the cost for customers.
Flowers are sent from Ottawa and Calgary, with certified partners working from other areas. In another effort to ensure quality, every florist is tested and approved by a team of specialists.
“When I send flowers, I don’t want to worry about the delivery being nothing like the picture I saw on the website, which is common issue with today’s service providers,” Mr. Forzley said in a statement.
