Our Story.
In 2014 a group of friends from the University of Minnesota, founded HidrateSpark after they graduated. They believed there had to be a better way to prevent dehydration after a friend fell ill due to lack of water.
Research showed that 75% of Americans were chronically dehydrated, but they saw that not enough was being done to address this problem. Deciding to take matters into their own hands they began combining hardware, software and psychology to help people drink more water and form lasting hydration habits.
Over the last 10 years HidrateSpark has grown into the leading global brand, owning the smart water bottle category, and helping over a million people drink more water. Today HidrateSpark is sold globally by Apple and powering clinical trials at world class hospitals, including the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland clinic. Today they are still hard at work innovating and improving the ecosystem they created.
11 Years Of Product Evoloution.
HidrateSpark has come a long way since its first prototype.
Prototype
We went to work to create a "smart" water bottle at a Startup Weekend hackathon event in 2014. In just 54 hours we created a bottle that used a flow meter to track how much you drank and synced via Bluetooth to an app.
Although flow meters work well in industrial systems, we learned that they don't work well in a water bottle. The low flow rate of each sip a person takes causes inaccurate measurements and is hard to detect. It also limits the product to a straw lid only.
HidrateSpark
We fine-tuned our tech during a Techstars Accelerator program in Kansas City. That culminated in the successful launch of the HidrateSpark on Kickstarter.
The first bottle had a diamond pattern shape and used a capacitive touch sensor stick that snapped into the lid to detect the water level and would glow with a gentle pulsing white light. The plastic bottle came in one with a chug lid.
HidrateSpark 2.0
After shipping our Kickstarter orders, we had a lot of customer feedback and moved quickly to make improvements.
We adjusted the lid of the sensor and how it was attached to the bottle lid. The glow became more visible by changing the LEDs to red and green instead of white. We also changed the glow to a more eye-catching fast-paced on-off sequence. The plastic bottle came in one size with a chug lid.
HidrateSpark 3
We moved the sensor stick to the base of the bottle and added LEDs to the entire length of the sensor for a much more vibrant glow reminder. We also increased the battery life dramatically with a larger replaceable battery.
The bottle body changed from having a silicone spray to a silicone sleeve for a comfortable grip that wouldn't scuff. The plastic bottle came in one size with a chug lid.
HidrateSpark PRO
With the PRO, we reinvented our sensor tech and glows to work in stainless steel bottles, since most people like their water ice-cold.
We swapped out the sensor stick that didn't measure accurately with ice for a new, rechargeable sensor puck that fits into the bottom of the bottle. It uses SipSense technology with a load cell to accurately weigh what's inside, ice included. The vibrant 360° glow can be fully customized in the app. We launched the HidrateSpark PRO in several sizes, materials, and lid types.
HidrateSpark PRO 2
With the PRO 2, we redesigned every aspect of the product. New bottles, lids, sensors and even a new highly requested 30 oz tumbler form factor.
We overhauled the sensor with USB-C charging, sound reminders and more glow patterns and customizability. Apple Find My is now built into the sensors, so you'll have a tough time losing it. We integrated large ergonomic cary handles to the bottle lids, and our new tumbler. |
