INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
With so many scandals around the quality of tap water these days, especially in the United States , many people are turning to bottled
But this requires single-use plastics that are wreaking havoc on the environment.
One startup in Europe, Mitte, thinks it has the answer:
filtering water direct from the tap
It has raised $10.6 million in a seed round
But it hasn''t started manufacturing yet
A new United States -based startup thinks it has a competitive solution.
oollee provides people with an unlimited supply of filtered
drinking water for a small monthly fee
It now raised $1 million in pre-seed funding from investors, including Mission Gate Inc
and Columbus Holdings.
The idea is that with ordinary filters, people forget to maintain them and the water quality deteriorates
With oollee, maintenance and cartridge replacements are included in the monthly fee
To subscribe costs $29 per month (so less than $1 a day).
oollee uses the Reverse Osmosis method, where water is forced across a
semipermeable membrane, leaving contaminants behind, which are then flushed down the drain
The clean drinking water collects in a holding tank
Usually, the installation and maintenance of an RO filter is costly and is too cumbersome for a house.
Umit Khiarollaev, CEO and co-founder
of oollee says: &The small device connects to Wi-Fi and allows customers to monitor the water
The app reminds users to replace the filter element and lets them order new filters with a single click
Users can also check water condition, volume, temperature, and other factors.& Users also can check water condition, volume, temperature and
The oollee water purifier filters water in four stages, re-introducing essential minerals in the final stage.
Competitors are all major
bottled water or smart filter manufacturers, plus delivery services like Nestlé or Alhambra and the tech giant Xiaomi in China with water
