About Mary

Meet the founder.

Hi! I’m Mary Staudt, an Agricultural Business and Entrepreneurship major at Iowa State University. I developed CultivAIte based on my own gardening struggles — my goal is to help both people and their gardens be as fruitful as they can.

Made by a gardener, for gardeners

I have dedicated my summer to developing CultivAIte through an Iowa State program called CYstarters. I’ve been gardening since I was a kid, and grew my passion learning from my grandma, Donna. I have a huge passion for clean food, regenerative agriculture, and using the resources God gave us. I have spent countless hours developing the app mindfully, with an emphasis on making it as functional and useful as possible.

The app idea came to me in an Entrepreneurship in Agriculture class here at Iowa State. I pitched the idea and was a selected winner. Since then, I’ve been working tirelessly on making this a tool that is inexpensive, accurate, and useful to gardeners of all levels.

I value my faith, health, integrity, and the Cyclones (of course). I believe we were put on this Earth to tend to all living things and to nourish each other. I hope you find as much value in this application as I do!

A green watering can held over Grandma Donna's clay pot, gloves, and hand fork on a wooden stool — Photo by Belle Brand Artistry, a fellow CYstarters alum. The violet tattoo — Grandpa Roger's February birth flower — is in memoriam of him: a farmer, seed dealer, devout Catholic, and family man. The clay pot, watering can, gloves, and fork are Grandma Donna's, a master gardener who passed that passion down to me.

Who CultivAIte is for

CultivAIte is designed for gardeners of all levels. Whether you're intimidated, overwhelmed, or are simply wanting organization, CultivAIte is for you.

New gardeners

CultivAIte is a great tool for beginners to learn, organize, and minimize risk within the investments gardening takes.

Busy families

Busy lifestyle? No problem. CultivAIte provides reminders for tasks like watering, transplanting, harvesting, and any other task that's easy to forget.

Organic growers

As a regenerative agriculture enthusiast, it is important to me that CultivAIte provides organic solutions. The AI is designed to ensure that you and your plants aren't consuming anything you shouldn't be.

Past, present, and future

CultivAIte allows you to see past gardens, journals, and saved posts. In addition, you can also plan next year's garden any time you'd like. This gives you time to plan your garden, and prepare prevention solutions.