Maryland-based Gaia lands downtown Los Angeles pilot for planter boxes that generate power

This story was made possible through support from TEDCO, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, which enhances economic empowerment growth through the fostering of an inclusive entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem. TEDCO identifies, invests in, and helps grow technology and life science-based companies in Maryland. Learn more at tedcomd.com.

As Los Angeles gears up to host the 2028 Summer Olympics, a Maryland startup is helping with beautification efforts while keeping sustainability in mind.

Gaia Agricultural Technology, based in Fort Washington, is heading to California to pilot its planter boxes that can house greenery and generate power for light fixtures. In partnership with LA Social District, a nonprofit working to redevelop parts of downtown LA, it’s part of a larger effort to repair street lights and other infrastructure as the city prepares to host millions of spectators. 

The startup hopes the high-profile gig will help with expansion efforts back home as it looks to find more local customers, CEO James Highsmith said. 

“They want to implement us in these spaces to add value to these commercial companies coming back,” Highsmith told Technical.ly, “and see what it actually looks like to be able to be ingrained into a downtown versus just coming in and going home for work.”

The startup has a contract to create 10 boxes along a major retail street in downtown, with deployment starting in May. 

The team didn’t initially market its tech as an opportunity for urban planners. Founders designed the system more for developers to put inside apartment complexes or office buildings. 

The self-contained system builds on hydroponics, or using nutrient-rich water instead of soil to grow plants. It starts with a relatively low energy input, about 2 kilowatt-hours (kWh) out of the roughly 30 kWh a typical household uses in a day, and captures additional energy from water moving through its turbines. That energy is then stored and redistributed to power components like fans and lighting from within the system itself.

Outside of its LA plans, Gaia also recently committed to building the system for a new set of townhomes in DC, cofounder and chief designer Marco Millard said. 

“It’s exciting to have the pilot and see people gravitate towards using the system outside,” Millard said, “but now we get to step back to what we originally planned for with developers.” 

Turning a hobby into a business

Millard bills the project as a way for people to bring a little green into their homes, since he designed it with that goal for himself.

A decade ago, Millard turned to gardening for its calming effects and as a way to start producing more of his own food. 

He quickly realized indoor gardening isn’t cheap. So, Millard channeled his experience as a car mechanic into developing a DIY way to help power the grow lights while still nurturing the plants.

“It’s kind of like working on a car, just rewiring the electrics,” Millard said. “It’s basically like a garden car.”

After selling the system to friends and family, Highsmith came on later to turn it into something bigger. He helped the startup qualify for a Techstars accelerator for Watertech and Sustainability, which expanded their market outside of indoor gardening enthusiasts. 

Now, the team is also looking at ways to get its system into schools in the US and abroad to offset food costs and power campus infrastructure. 

“Schools could take a cost that’s already there for food,” Highsmith said, “and apply it to a system that can keep your school going.”