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The world is running out of clean water, not because it is disappearing, but because of how inefficiently we manage it. According to the United Nations, more than 2.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and nearly half of the global population experiences severe water scarcity for at least one month each year.
By 2030, the OECD projects a 40% shortfall in the world’s available freshwater supply if current consumption and pollution trends continue.
Climate change is compounding the issue.
Droughts, floods, and erratic rainfall are disrupting water systems in every region. The World Bank estimates that water scarcity could cost some nations up to 6% of their GDP by the end of the decade.
Meanwhile, aging infrastructure leads to an estimated 32 billion cubic meters of water lost annually through leaks.
In response, a new generation of WaterTech startups is tackling the global water crisis through technology, data, and circular design.
These companies are building scalable systems for leak detection, wastewater reuse, desalination, atmospheric water generation, and precision irrigation — turning one of humanity’s oldest challenges into an innovation frontier.
Here are some WaterTech startups proving that technology and purpose can work together to secure the planet’s most vital resource for generations to come.
HQ: Scottsdale, Arizona
Founded: 2015
SOURCE Global turns air and sunlight into clean drinking water. Its patented hydropanel technology captures water vapor from the atmosphere and condenses it into pure, mineralized drinking water.
The system operates entirely off-grid, powered by solar energy, and produces up to five liters per panel per day.
The company partners with schools, communities, and governments in over 50 countries, providing climate-resilient water access in arid regions and disaster zones.
Impact: Over 1.5 billion liters of renewable water produced, reducing dependency on bottled and trucked water.
HQ: New York, New York
Founded: 2021
Hope Hydration is transforming how people access clean water in cities, airports, and events through its smart Hydrostations, sleek, tech-enabled refill hubs that dispense chilled, filtered, UV-purified water on demand.
The company’s mission is simple yet powerful: make hydration free, universal, and sustainable, while eliminating single-use plastic bottles from daily life.
Each Hydrostation features Pentair Everpure carbon filtration and UV stabilization, ensuring premium-tasting, safe water that exceeds public health standards.
With a 16-second average refill time and dynamic 55-inch digital displays, Hope Hydration turns refilling into an engaging, brand-powered experience.
Its ad-supported model allows stations to remain free for consumers while generating revenue for host venues and brand partners, a circular approach that connects sustainability and business innovation.
The impact is measurable. Hope Hydration’s real-time analytics dashboard tracks plastic bottles diverted, CO₂ savings, and refill volumes, providing data transparency to clients across airports, music festivals, stadiums, and retail destinations.
With installations in major cities like New York, Miami, Austin, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis, the company is building one of the world’s largest networks of free, clean-water access points.
Impact: Millions of plastic bottles diverted from landfills and waterways each year, while providing free, safe hydration to travelers, event-goers, and city residents around the world.
HQ: San Francisco, California
Founded: 2015
Epic Cleantec is redefining how cities use and reuse water. The company’s onsite water reuse systems recycle graywater from showers, sinks, and laundry for non-potable applications such as irrigation, toilet flushing, and cooling towers.
By decentralizing water treatment, Epic Cleantec reduces strain on municipal infrastructure while helping buildings achieve LEED and WELL certifications.
Its systems have been adopted in high-density developments across San Francisco and Los Angeles, proving that water reuse can be both efficient and elegant.
Impact: Reduces up to 95% of wastewater output per building and recycles millions of gallons annually.
HQ: Leeuwarden, NL
Founded: 2021
HULO Raises €2.3M to Tackle Global Water Loss with AI-Powered Leak Detection
HULO.ai uses artificial intelligence and hydraulic modeling to detect water leaks before they become major losses. Its SaaS platform analyzes pressure, flow, and acoustic data to pinpoint anomalies in real time.
Traditional leak detection is manual, expensive, and often too late. HULO’s data-driven approach enables utilities to identify issues early, saving both water and repair costs.
The company’s mission is to eliminate “non-revenue water”, water lost through leaks, which currently accounts for up to 30% of global water supply.
Impact: Utility partners report 25–30% reductions in water loss during early deployments.
HQ: Argentina
Founded: 2014
Kilimo empowers farmers to grow more with less water. Using satellite imagery, weather data, and AI algorithms, its platform provides irrigation recommendations tailored to each plot of land.
Agriculture consumes about 70% of global freshwater, making efficient irrigation essential for sustainability.
Kilimo’s subscription-based model helps farmers track water savings and monetize them through water offset credits, creating financial incentives for conservation.
Impact: Over 150 billion liters of water saved and 150,000 hectares monitored across Latin America.
HQ: Tel Aviv, Israel
Founded: 2009
Watergen has developed atmospheric water generation (AWG) systems that extract humidity from air to produce clean drinking water. Its scalable units serve homes, hospitals, schools, and entire communities.
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Each machine uses a proprietary heat-exchange process and advanced filtration to ensure safety and taste. With installations across 100+ countries, including emergency deployments after natural disasters, Watergen offers a climate-resilient alternative to bottled and piped water systems.
Impact: Supplying millions of liters of safe water daily in regions facing severe drought and contamination.
HQ: New York, New York
Founded: 2011
WINT Water Intelligence prevents water waste before it happens. Its AI-powered sensors and shutoff valves detect leaks, identify anomalies, and automatically stop the flow to prevent damage.
Used in commercial buildings, data centers, and construction sites, WINT helps enterprises cut both water usage and insurance costs.
The platform integrates with ESG reporting tools, giving companies verifiable data on their water footprint reduction.
Impact: Up to 25% reduction in water consumption per site and millions saved in property loss prevention.
HQ: Austin, Texas
Founded: 2020
Aquaria is redefining residential and community water independence through air-to-water generation. Its flagship product, the Hydropack, extracts moisture from the atmosphere and converts it into premium-quality drinking water that exceeds EPA standards.
Each system uses multi-stage filtration and UV purification to remove contaminants, producing thousands of gallons of clean water each month — without relying on wells, pipes, or municipal infrastructure.
How Aquaria is Pulling Clean Water from the Air
Designed for flexibility and resilience, the Hydropack can operate entirely off-grid and integrate with solar power or other water sources such as rainwater collection and wells.
Aquaria’s modular Hydrogrid system allows multiple units to link together, creating distributed water networks capable of producing over 10,000 gallons per day, enabling housing developments and off-grid communities to build anywhere without utility dependence.
Through transparent financing programs offering $0 down and no payments for six months, Aquaria is making water self-sufficiency accessible to families and businesses alike. With installation times measured in days and no permits required, the company empowers homeowners to take control of their most essential resource.
Impact: Aquaria is helping families and communities across Texas and the western United States achieve true water independence, replacing failing wells, eliminating plastic waste, and delivering sustainable, safe drinking water directly from the air.
HQ: Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Founded: 2005
Aquaporin merges biotechnology and engineering to mimic nature’s own filtration process. The company’s Aquaporin Inside® membranes use natural proteins that allow only water molecules to pass through, delivering ultra-efficient purification with minimal energy.
These membranes are used in household purifiers, industrial wastewater treatment, and space missions through partnerships with NASA and ESA.
By combining bio-inspired science with industrial scale, Aquaporin is paving the way for energy-smart water purification.
Impact: Up to 70% energy savings and significant chemical reduction compared to conventional filtration.
HQ: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Founded: 2013
Drinkwell transforms groundwater into safe, affordable drinking water through its micro-franchise kiosk model. Using proprietary filtration media, the kiosks remove arsenic and fluoride contamination common in South Asia.
Local entrepreneurs operate and maintain each unit, creating jobs while providing safe water. The company partners with governments and NGOs to scale across Bangladesh and India, blending social impact with sustainable business.
Impact: More than one million people served and thousands of jobs created across South Asia.
HQ: Oxford, England
Founded: 2017
BlueTap designs low-cost, in-line chlorinators to ensure safe drinking water in off-grid and low-income communities. Its devices can be easily installed on gravity-fed or pressurized systems without electricity, providing continuous disinfection.
The startup’s open-source design supports local manufacturing, reducing dependency on expensive imports. BlueTap is part of the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Global Equality, emphasizing social innovation through engineering.
Impact: Improving water quality for thousands of people across East Africa and South Asia.
HQ: San Francisco, California
Founded: 20201
Waterplan helps corporations understand and act on water-related climate risk. Its SaaS platform integrates satellite data and hydrological models to map water availability, predict future scarcity, and guide adaptation investments.
Enterprises use Waterplan to align with CDP, CSRD, and TCFD frameworks while reducing operational risk. The platform supports data-driven water stewardship, turning sustainability goals into measurable outcomes.
Impact: Trusted by Fortune 500 companies to manage billions in climate-exposed assets.
HQ: Los Angeles, California
Founded: 2019
Spout merges technology and behavior change through its smart hydration products. Its connected water bottles and app ecosystem track hydration habits while offsetting plastic waste through global clean water projects.
By partnering with nonprofits, Spout donates a portion of proceeds to fund well construction and filtration systems in developing regions. It’s part of a growing trend of consumer brands aligning lifestyle tech with measurable social good.
Impact: Thousands of bottles sold have funded new wells and clean water access in rural communities.
These WaterTech innovators prove that solving the world’s toughest water challenges requires both creativity and commitment. By merging data, engineering, and social impact, they are reshaping how humanity manages this finite resource.
WaterTech sits at the center of climate adaptation, health, and equity. Each of these startups shows how mission-driven innovation can create scalable, sustainable change — one drop at a time.
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