Sustainable startup looking to seize functional drinks initiative with its electrolyte-infused water purification system designed to boost immunity and reduce stress.
Sküma Water has raised £300,000 in a pre-seed funding round led by early-stage focused venture capital firm Jenson Funding Partners.
Multiple angel investors also participated in the round, including William Ripley, a notable investor in sustainable technology and ex-director of product strategy at Philips.
Founded in 2020 by Alexandre Yunus Mahe, Georges Khairallah and Tony Ho, Sküma Water offers a water filter that generates minimal waste while providing consumers with electrolyte-enhanced water based on their personal needs.
The funding will enable the startups to build its D2C sales pipeline and extend manufacturing capacity. The team is also looking at promising B2B avenues with already promising conversations with a top Premier League football club seeking to cut down the use of its single-use plastic bottles. The company is also partnering in the next few months with various gyms across London, providing water fountains with its customisable hydration solutions.
Its reverse osmosis (RO) membrane removes 99% of all contaminants from tap water, requires minimal maintenance compared to most water filtration systems, and does not generate waste water – a common issue faced by reverse osmosis water purification filters.
In addition, the company’s range of customisable liquid Infusions® add function to water based on individual needs. A key market for Sküma is consumers searching for a more sustainable long-term alternative to bottled water and functional beverages.
Sküma Water’s founders have focused on sustainability as a key objective and have implemented this vision in all aspects of the business from glass based packaging for the infusions, to working with TerraCycle® where customers are encouraged to send used filters back, so TerraCycle® can upcycle them.
Alexandre Yunus Mahe, co-founder at Sküma Water, says: “Water is a critical part of our diet, but too often it’s neglected. At Sküma, we’ve developed the Super-Filter® cartridge to enhance the benefits of water. With our selection of Infusions®, customers can optimise their personal health with an easy-to-install system, while being 100% sustainable.”
William Ripley, Angel Investor and Board Advisor at Sküma Water, says: “As an angel investor, it’s important for me to invest in companies that I believe are making a difference in the way that we live our daily lives. Sküma Water benefits not just us, but the planet too. It’s clear that this goal is central to what Alexandre, Georges, and Tony have created and this is what drew me in as an investor.”
Sarah Barber, CEO at Jenson Funding Partners, says: “The functional drink industry is growing rapidly, however, few at-home water purification systems are as easy-to-use as what Sküma Water has developed while generating zero-waste. What makes Sküma Water special is not just that it’s easy-to-install, but sustainability is just as important as its functionality.
“To have real environmental impact, individuals must make small changes to their behaviour, so that when amassed together, a bigger impact will be achieved. These changes should be integrated into consumers’ daily lives, and Sküma Water makes it easy to do this.”
Sküma Water’s countertop system makes it easy to install and is renter-friendly, also, the Super-Filter® does not require an additional remineralisation filter. Remineralisation is vital to achieving the full benefits of electrolyte-enhanced water, since RO removes harmful bacteria, and nutrients like calcium, magnesium and potassium. To fully benefit from electrolyte-enhanced water, remineralisation is needed to add these nutrients back.