Irrigation is considered the biggest use of household water in the U.S. at nine billion gallons every day. And half of this water is wasted by inefficient irrigation systems that overlap and spray on sidewalks and streets. Irrigreen is a company that designs and manufactures a sprinkler system that uses software-controlled precision sprinkler heads to deliver water uniformly across your landscape and reduce unnecessary water usage. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Irrigreen CEO Shane Dyer to learn more.
Formation Of Irrigreen
How did the idea for the company come together? Dyer said:
“The idea of Irrigreen was born out of watching how inefficient traditional sprinklers were spraying on sidewalks and driveways. My co-founder, Gary Klinefelter, has a background in inventing technology for inkjet printers. He actually holds 35 patents in the space. So, he’s essentially an expert in placing liquids in very precise places. Watering a lawn by “printing” the water is much more precise vs. the mechanical spraying sprinkler heads we use today, and it saves about 50% of the water for the same green grass.”
Challenges Faced
What challenges were faced in building the company? Dyer acknowledged:
“Our biggest challenge is just finding the right team and scaling it fast enough. The demand for the product is there, so we just need to make sure we are scaling the supporting departments like shipping and training customers.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Dyer explained:
“Irrigreen systems are built using inkjet printing technology to digitally control water placement. In other words, they’re much better than your typical in-ground system or method of moving the hose around your yard. The system “prints” water on your yard exactly where it’s needed, reducing water use by about 50%.”
“Irrigreen prints water, instead of haphazardly spraying water like traditional systems. Our sprinkler heads have 14 individual printer ports that print water at exact distances and precise patterns to lay an even coat of water across your lawn. The exact shape is determined by a mobile app, controlled by the homeowner, and can be reprogrammed at any time. Irrigreen leverages hyper-local weather data, including heat, wind, precipitation, and cloud cover to accurately predict the exact amount of water your lawn needs.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Dyer cited:
“We announced our $15 million seed series early this year. That was a big milestone for us and has allowed us to accelerate growth and improve the product.”
“We are growing rapidly year-over-year, with 3x growth in July.”
Customer Success Stories
Can you share any specific customer success stories? Dyer replied:
“We have one customer is Texas that got in touch with us because he couldn’t stand the hard water marks his sprinklers were leaving on his glass. We had tried everything. After Irrigreen was installed, he was able to easily program his zones to map his lawn and nothing else, and never had the issue again.
Although saving water was not his driver to purchase Irrigreen, he later reported saving $100s of his monthly water bills and was thrilled with the system.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size the company is pursuing? Dyer assessed:
“There are 80 million lawns in the US alone. And irrigation is a multibillion dollar market.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Dyer affirmed:
“Irrigreen is the most precise irrigation system available on the market, saving homeowners up to 50% more water than traditional systems. Water conservation is more important than ever, and Irrigreen is an environmentally-friendly, efficient, and economic solution. This innovative system uses technology that precisely “prints” water, accurately placing liquid in the shape of a lawn, and not on cars, driveways, wood fences or sidewalks.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future company goals? Dyer shared:
“We are looking to achieve sustainability and efficiency, saving water while maintaining the beauty of green spaces.”
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? Dyer concluded:
“Irrigreen is the first and only all-digital Irrigration system. Unlike smart controllers which are readily available and save about 10% of water, Irrigreen’s real differentiator is in the digital sprinkler. No other company on the market makes a digital sprinkler head, and that is how we’re able to save ~50% of water for our customers.”
“Irrigreen is connected so you can monitor and update the system from anywhere – even laying on the beach hundreds of miles away. Irrigreen is DIY friendly. It’s so easy to install that most customers actually do it themselves.”
