HOPE Hydration, a company that provides free filtered water through its connected HydroStations, recently completed a $20 million Series A funding round led by Pentair plc, with participation from Burnt Island Ventures. This funding will help expand into new markets, scale manufacturing, and enhance product innovation.
Founded by Jorge Richardson, Cristina Gnecco, and Dave Tigue, HOPE Hydration believes water is a human right and aims to reduce single-use plastic waste. Its HydroStations utilize Everpure filtration technology to deliver free, high-quality chilled water in cities, stadiums, airports, and commercial spaces.
Each HydroStation features IoT technology for real-time data updates on refills and environmental savings, as well as 55-inch LED screens for digital advertising, which enables free installation at venues. Since its launch in 2023, HOPE has achieved over 2 million refills, partnering with major events and Fortune 500 brands. With this funding, HOPE aims to reach 10 million refills by year’s end and is supported by investors such as Boost VC and Grayson Allen of the Phoenix Suns.
KEY QUOTES:
“People are traveling and enjoying outdoor activities more than ever before, and are also more mindful of the impact they have on the world around them, but public access to water hasn’t kept up. We built HOPE to fix that. This investment will help enable us to scale a new kind of infrastructure – one that is built for health, for exploration, and for the planet.”
Jorge Richardson, CEO and Co-Founder of HOPE Hydration
“Our partnership with HOPE aligns with our mission to help the world sustainably improve water, life’s most essential resource. We are excited to contribute our filtration technology, expertise and resources to help HOPE accelerate their growth strategy, broaden their impact and ultimately help to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic water bottles.”
Adrian Chiu, EVP and President, Pentair Water Solutions
