In two days across two of Chicago's most respected innovation stages, the Aquager Hydroponic Home Farm reached audiences it had never reached before — and the response confirmed what we've believed from the start: people are ready for a better way to grow food at home.
→ Shop the Aquager Home Farm Bundle
Thursday: The 1871 Innovation Summit
The first event was the 1871 Innovation Summit: Emerging Tech, held at the Merchandise Mart — one of Chicago's most iconic buildings and a permanent fixture in the city's entrepreneurship scene.
Aquager was showcased by Hopscotch Research, a 1871 member startup building a secure online marketplace for verified third-party products. Aquager was selected as one of the first products featured on the platform — a meaningful endorsement from a company whose entire model depends on identifying products worth trusting.
The 1871 audience — investors, founders, and tech-forward professionals — brought sharp questions: How does the water system work? What's the yield per cycle? How does it compare to buying fresh herbs weekly? These are the questions that emerge when people are genuinely calculating whether something fits their life.
🌿 What People Kept Asking About
Across both events, three things consistently came up: how simple is the daily maintenance? (5 minutes), what can it actually grow? (herbs, microgreens, greens, vegetables, fruit), and where can I buy one? The answer to the last one is on this page.
Friday: The Kaplan Institute at Illinois Tech
The second event was Pitch Tank at the Kaplan Institute at Illinois Tech — a program Aquager has graduated from not once, but twice.
We weren't pitching this time. We were exhibiting — showing students, mentors, and investors where a company that came through this program can go when it has the right product, the right team, and the right support. It was a proud moment to return as a company with a physical product shipping to customers, rather than a pitch deck and a prototype.
The Illinois Tech audience skewed younger and more curious — students who grew up thinking about sustainability, food security, and how technology can close the gap between what people want and what the world currently provides. They got it immediately.
What Both Events Had in Common
The audiences were different. The settings were different. But the response was the same: when people see the Aquager Home Farm in person — understand its simplicity, its compactness, and its genuine output — the mental leap from "interesting" to "I want one" happens faster than it does through any other medium.
Across both days, the pattern was clear: people are frustrated with grocery store produce quality. They're concerned about pesticides and supply chains. They want to eat better without spending more. Aquager answers all three of those frustrations in a single product.
→ See the Farm That Stopped the Conversation — Shop Now
The Aquager Hydroponic Home Farm
The system showcased at 1871 and Illinois Tech is the same one available to order today. Two complete farm units in the Chef's Organic Set. Herbs, microgreens, vegetables, and fruit grown indoors, year-round, with no soil and five minutes of daily care.
- No experience required — designed for first-time growers
- Furniture-quality design — Natural or Dark Brown, four color combinations
- Fully organic — no pesticides, no chemical treatments
- Up to 90% less water than traditional gardening
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 1871 Chicago?
1871 is one of Chicago's premier technology and entrepreneurship hubs, based at the Merchandise Mart. It supports startups, scale-ups, and established companies with workspace, programming, mentorship, and community.
What is the Kaplan Institute at Illinois Tech?
The Kaplan Institute is Illinois Institute of Technology's center for innovation and entrepreneurship. It runs programs including Pitch Tank, which Aquager has participated in and graduated from twice.
What was Aquager showing at these events?
The Aquager Hydroponic Home Farm — a complete indoor growing system that grows fresh herbs, microgreens, vegetables, and fruit at home, year-round, with no soil and minimal daily effort.
Can I order the Aquager Home Farm now?
Yes. The Chef's Organic Set is available to order now and ships directly to your door.
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