In previous Startup Spotlight articles, we mostly tried to push startups that we do not personally know. But the startups we both know as Hackquarters and highlighted in Startup Spotlight are great ones that we love. Hydrao is one of those startups that we met in Take Off Startup Summit.

While defining what Hydrao does, we use sexy words such as CleanTech, IoT, Energy Efficiency and more. They try to save the future for One Strange Rock, by conserving water without the users even notice.

You can find more detailed info about Hydrao from France in the following sections, with their founders' own words.

You can always apply for Startup Spotlight from this link. We will also include you into our network and you will be notified about our upcoming events, calls for programs and get exclusive invites.

What is the name of your startup?

Hydrao

What is the website address of Hydrao?

https://www.hydrao.com

Where is your startup based?

France

What are your targeted verticals for your startup?

SmartCity, IoT, CleanTech, GreenTech, Energy Efficiency

Tell us what your startup does.

We provide smart demand-management solutions for water conservation & management. We make the world's only smart shower that enables significant water AND energy savings.

Tell us about your team.

Sandwiched between two top-flight engineers (one of them a woman who heads our SW & data R&D), I am on the business side after 40 years in international business at IBM Europe and investment banking.

When and why did you found your startup?

Water has always been a concern when growing up and after learning that showers account for the biggest use of household water (~40%) and energy (=hot water), and that there were no smart showers on the market we decided in 2014 to try our luck.

What are your key and unique features?

Our patented leading-edge Behavioral Efficiency (Nudge) technology is unique and empowers users to change their behavior in a sustainable manner.

What is your growth like?

Slow but steady. Water is an odd "animal" with different rules in every country. On the other hand, water shortages are increasingly severe and frequent. Hydrao offers global solutions to a global problem (and we already have an installed base on most continents across the globe), but we have to obtain certification in most of our markets and that takes time and money.

Tell us about the numbers that matter to you.

Our worldwide installed base of 25K+ Hydrao devices saved 500,000,000 liters of water and 2,900 tons of CO2 in 2018, something that we are immensely proud of.

What are your plans for next year and the next 5 years?

In the next year we plan accelerating our growth in the US and UK markets, where we were very recently certified. In the next 5 years we hope to have Hydrao devices installed in every country and particularly in emerging markets experiencing acute water shortages.

Did you receive any investments?

Yes. In our 1.2 M€ seed round 1Q18 France's premier Impact investment fund come on-board as lead investor and France's biggest internet billionaire also took a stake.

Tell us 3 startups that excite you, and why?

Living Mona Lisa is leader in AI + art,
Keepen has developed a smart alarm and
Netwookie is using blockchain to securitize informal transactions in Africa.

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