Irrigreen – a leader in robotic irrigation systems – announced it has raised $15 million in Seed Financing. Ulu Ventures led the funding round with Sage Hill Investors, Burnt Island Ventures, MFV Partners, Anorak Ventures, Echo River Capital, Tamiami, Catalyst Innovation Lab, and Sum Ventures also participating.
Homeowners across the U.S. have been struggling to maintain their landscaping with rising water costs. And at the same time, many household irrigation systems are not precise, low-tech, and not customized to the specifics of the yard, which results in sprinkler systems that inadvertently water hardscapes while also underwatering or overwatering large sections of lawn. Plus with irrigation systems contributing to the 8 billion gallons of water used daily for outdoor landscaping – more than showering and washing clothes combined – traditional sprinklers leave households wasting tens of thousands of gallons each year as water bills skyrocket.
To combat water waste, Irrigreen arms consumers with a revolutionary smart sprinkler system that utilizes inkjet printing technology to deliver perfectly irrigated landscaping that saves water with less equipment. And with Irrigreen, homeowners use about 50% less water compared to conventional technology and can save about 50% on outdoor water bills annually.
Through enhancements to Irrigreen’s Web Design Tool, homeowners can enter their address, design a smart sprinkler system matching their yard’s exact shape and contour and see their potential water savings in seconds. And it can also simulate spraying angles around obstacles to ensure the entire yard is covered without waste. This tool offers homeowners the power to automate and streamline their irrigation design without using expensive professional software or finding and hiring designers.
After homeowners map out its irrigation system, they can choose to purchase a system for self-installation or work with an install partner. And once installed, Irrigreen customers can benefit from key product features, including:
1.) Simple design with seamless installation – Irrigreen utilizes a patent-pending nozzle design that eliminates wasteful overlap. And each digital sprinkler head replaces 6-10 mechanical heads from traditional systems and is configured with the Irrigreen app to trace the contours of the landscaping accurately. Plus Irrigreen uses 80% less underground piping while eliminating the need for problematic valves and wiring, making it simple and easy for anyone to install.
2.) Adaptive climate software – Unlike traditional irrigation systems, Irrigreen matches each landscape’s specific precipitation needs (including water volume and when the water should be applied) based on live integrations with weather data that feed into software on each sprinkler head. However, unlike current smart controllers, the Irrigreen system uses its smart robotic head to print the exact amount of water, weather, and soil conditions called for.
3.) Digital experience for maximum convenience – Ranging from designing an irrigation layout to controlling water pressure and flow and monitoring and maintenance, Irrigreen is built on software that learns and adapts over time for enhanced performance. And homeowners can control their irrigation system from the comfort of their smartphone with Irrigreen’s app, making it easier than ever to water and maintain landscaping.
With this funding, Irrigreen plans to further develop the company’s product and software. And Irrigreen serves homeowners nationally, including California, Texas, Florida, Colorado, and Utah.
KEY QUOTES:
“Designing irrigation systems has traditionally been expensive, manual and imprecise. Because of the flexibility and elegance of Irrigreen’s robotic heads, we democratized the process by enabling anyone to design an efficient irrigation system from the convenience of their computer while also instantly calculating how much water they’ll save annually.”
— Shane Dyer, CEO of Irrigreen
“We’ve seen smart products inside the home drive meaningful resource savings by engaging the consumer. Irrigreen can become that platform for outside the home. While landscapes consume a lot of water, they contribute to quality of life and even help keep our cities cool. Finding ways to keep our surroundings green while using less water is a massive opportunity.”
— Kathy Chen, Partner at Ulu Ventures and Irrigreen board member
