When you take your next shower, the water flowing from the faucet may just be recycled. Thats the vision fueling Hamwells, a Netherlands-based startup that launched in the Startup Battlefield atDisrupt London 2015.
In the Battlefield, the company presented their e-shower with a re-circulation mode that recycles each drop of water 7 times, significantly reducing the waste thats inherent in the showering process. About 150 people from around the world pre-ordered the device after Disrupt, and the company will begin shipping to these backers this week.
Hamwells Director of MarketingWouter Chmpff tells TechCrunch that the company has also raised 1.2 million from a group of suppliers and angel investors.
Today, Hamwells is ready to launch its e-shower more broadly. The company is now accepting orders internationally, with orders to customers in the Netherlands delivering within 2 weeks. International orders, however, wont ship until the second half of 2017.
For customers looking to add a single unit to their home, the e-shower will cost 2,890. Businesses ordering in bulk, defined by the company as over 100 units, will pay just 1,500 each.
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Hamwells admits it cant quite manage large volumes of products across the world from its base in Europe. The company is actively looking to solve that problem for at least one region the Americas with plans to launch a subsidiary in the United States as soon as 2017.
Focusing on the U.S. could help locations like California, which in 2016 faced another year of record-setting drought across the state. Solutions like the Hamwells e-shower, which can significantly reduce the amount of water people use when they take their daily showers (by up to 90 percent, the company claims), can help locations like California reduce how much water they need and help stave off future droughts.
In addition to mass-producing the e-shower so the company can get it in the hands of the most people, Hamwells has plans to further enhance the product. Specifically, Chmpff tells TechCrunch that the next iterations of the e-shower will have options to addthings like speakers, aromas and steam functionality.
And, like with any connected or smart device, the e-shower will have apps. Chmpff says the company plans to build an application platform for the e-showers screen, beginning with a weather app that will be available this week. With the app, users will be able to check the weather while taking a shower so they are able to mentally pick out their wardrobe for the day while soaping up.
Were excited for a former Startup Battlefield contestant making a splash in their industry, and we cant wait to see what the next batch of startups have in store for us at Disrupt London 2016.
Applications are open now through October 5th for the Startup Battlefield at Disrupt London.You can view eligibility requirements and apply to the Battlefield here.
