This innovative company is developing solutions to the problem of access to clean water in the future. The company was founded by Robin Vollmer and Tyler Breton, aiming to provide a third source of water for humanity. A device called “Spout” has been invented, which is a 3D jar that can convert thin air into 2.5 gallons of water formed from the air. The Spout is considered the smallest, quietest, and most affordable atmospheric water generator. The technology has been developed and used for quite some time, but it has become more accessible than using nets and tanks to collect water from dew and fog. With Spout, you can simply plug in the jar and let nature do what it always does.
The Need for a Product Like Spout
Just five months after launching Spout in May of this year, the company achieved nearly a million dollars in pre-orders. The idea of a water jar that makes its own water is clearly a sought-after concept. UNESCO released a report in March announcing that humanity is at “imminent risk” of a global water crisis. When reading the report findings – that 26% of the global population lacks safe drinking water, and that “between 2-3 billion people experience water shortages for at least one month a year” – it is hard not to feel that we are already in a bind. From Jakarta, Indonesia to Jackson, Mississippi, people are drinking unsafe water due to weak infrastructure, municipal neglect, climate change, or all of the above.
Vision and Challenges
Vollmer, Breton, and their team aim to make Spout available to as many people as possible. Spout is their main goal, and they are working hard to achieve it. It has taken many years of experimentation, collaboration, failure, and starting over to reach this point. Vollmer spent the last decade witnessing the cost of the water crisis on humanity. In 2014, he was working as a creative technology engineer solving problems for Fortune 500 companies and worrying about his family farm. California was experiencing its worst drought in 1,200 years when his parents received a letter from the state effectively saying, “Hello, don’t rely on having water.”
The Evolution of the Idea and the Company
After years of research and experimentation, Vollmer built a device that could produce 10 gallons of fresh water using humidity and electricity. Vollmer realized he could help more people beyond just his parents and farmers suffering from drought in California. Accordingly, Vollmer founded a company called DewGood, and the machine – now called DG-10 – was its first product, the first of many products that extract water from the air. In 2017, he launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $50,000 to finish production and expand.
Challenges and Success
But not everyone was on board. For every feature of the DG-10, there were many factors working against it. Starting with the 20-inch mass weighing about 100 pounds, with water coming out of a long clear hose. Even if aesthetic concerns were surpassed, the price – $1499 – was ultimately considered a reasonable factor for most people.
DewGood did not meet its goal, and the experience left Vollmer feeling defeated for a year. But the negative response on Indiegogo and Reddit did not reflect reality: people suffering from water scarcity wanted this technology. Vollmer saw this for himself when he attended the Flint Water Festival. The people of Flint, Michigan understood closely the need for DewGood – their tap water has been contaminated with lead and the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease since 2014. Vollmer spoke to a mother who shared a devastating story: she lost her two children due to lead poisoning caused by drinking city water.
Evolution
The Company and Focus on Spout
DewGood took Vollmer worldwide and helped him think of a new approach to the product. Its latest development occurred when he met his business partner Tyler Britton in 2018. Vollmer was supposed to evaluate Britton as a potential executive for his friend’s company, but Britton wanted to know more about DewGood. After borrowing a device, it was sold.
Vollmer and Breton decided this time to go the venture capital route. The duo sold investors a new story (and a more attractive model without a hose). They became a home technology company that produces pure, self-generating water. They tested Spout water and found it purer than tap water and bottled water. Given the current circumstances and water crises, who wouldn’t want that?
Focus on Quality and Availability
The new focus on marketing and design enabled Spout to secure funding from several investors. Vollmer and Breton then hired Bould Design to transform their model from a Brita filter to a sleek countertop kitchen device. After a successful launch, Vollmer is now focused on finding ways to make Spout more affordable without compromising water quality. Ensuring both is essential for Spout to become a third source of water for humanity.
It may not be a coincidence that Vollmer chose the North Star as a guiding principle for Spout. (It even appears in the company logo.) After all, when you look at the night sky, you can use the stars that form the Big Dipper to find it.
Source: https://blog.dropbox.com/topics/customer-stories/Spout
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