Sunday: Redefining the Outdoor Home
Today I’m thrilled to announce our partnership with Sunday, a new lawn and garden brand redefining the outdoor home.
From the moment I met Coulter, I knew he was special. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who has the unique combination he does: deep domain knowledge in plant science (and a team around him with a PhD in grass!), consumer chops and customer empathy — all honed from his experiences building products at IDEO and co-founding Quinn Snacks.
From our very first conversation, we talked about the deep-rooted problems in the lawn & garden products industry — including the ongoing Monsanto lawsuit that has now reached an $11B settlement for Roundup cancer claims. I was drawn to the need to shed light on an outdated lawn and garden product industry: ironically right in our backyard, yet so hidden from mainstream consumer knowledge, undermining millions of people’s health and wreaking havoc on our environment.
Traditional brands are antiquated, and I deeply felt it was about time for some change. Coulter approached the industry from a fresh, first principles perspective. I loved Coulter’s vision of finally building a brand that resonates with the modern consumer and turning this industry on its head — redefining the lawn and garden category with healthy, personalized, and accessible products.
The core first product is a simple lawn care subscription plan, easy to buy online, and consisting only of healthy and environmentally friendly ingredients. To get started, it’s as simple as entering your home address online, waiting for Sunday to do it’s magic behind the scenes (leveraging software and data science to tailor your lawn care plan to the climate and soil acidity of your home). Once your seasonal shipment arrives, it’s as simple as attaching a pouch and spray to your backyard hose, and you’re ready to go!
The market is massive: in the US, the outdoor lawn and garden market generates $50B in annual retail sales, and the majority of which in the DIY segment. Growth of the market is accelerated by a new generation who are starting families, moving to the suburbs, buying their first homes, and who want to take care of the spaces their kids and pets spend all day in.
We knew Sunday struck a chord by the raving reviews from Sunday’s customers — among my favorites:
“We have lived in our house for 14 years and each year we’ve struggled with what to do to make our yard the healthiest it can be and not put chemicals into the ground in order to accomplish that. This year, with using Sunday, is the BEST it has ever been! Our neighbors have asked us what we’ve been using because they notice the difference too!”
“A friend walked in our yard recently and said it looked like a golf green.”
“My lawn looks amazing and neighbors are in envy!! They’ve been informed it’s because of Sunday!! Thanks Sunday!!”
“My lawn is super green! I have lots of dogs and I feel totally safe using Sunday products on my lawn. I recently tried the pet spot Patch repair and it works great! My pups agree :)”
“One of my neighbors (whose lawn is the envy of the block) told me about Sunday so I gave it a shot, and I couldn’t be happier!”
Notice a theme? ;)
It’s rare we find that level of customer love, and it was no surprise that it was accompanied by incredible adoption of the product since Sunday’s inception, best in class retention for consumer subscription products, and most importantly a team that had impressive operational discipline and command of the business.
We’re thrilled about the opportunity ahead and love the team’s vision to create a new category around lawn and garden and over time, the entire outdoor home. For the first time ever, we think taking care of your home can be easy, healthy, personalized, and fun.
By leading the Series B and joining the Sunday board, we’re thrilled to be on this journey with Sunday to make it a household name, and to help the mainstream consumer take pride and joy in their lawns again.
