Can This IoT Startup Solve India’s Drinking Water Woes?

The best part about being a kid is that your imagination is filled with countless possibilities, whether it is about landing among the stars in a small rocket ship or wandering off to far-off neverlands. However, for kid Vibha Tripathi, it has always been about bringing electricity and water to her native village in Uttar Pradesh’s Hardoi district.

Now, before we steal a glance at Tripathi’s journey — from becoming an IITian to developing technology that has helped tackle water and electricity crises in many areas, eventually leading to her founding a watertech startup (Boon) — let’s accustom ourselves to the seriousness of these two challenges.

For starters, the country has only 4% of the world’s freshwater reserves, which makes it one of the most water-stressed nations on the face of the planet. And, as far as the energy crisis is concerned, not many know that the country’s thermal power plants are heavily dependent on water to keep cool and run optimally. 

While 40% of the country’s thermal power plants were located in areas facing high water stress until 2018, about 70% of India’s thermal power plants are expected to face high water stress by 2030.

But it was not the dilapidated state of the country’s resources that bothered Tripathi the most, but the uneasiness of how to make her native village water and energy sufficient if not surplus. 

As the dots connected, her interests started leaning towards solar energy and how adept this source of clean energy is at handling other crises.   

She spent several years researching and studying solar materials and the electronic energies of solar power. With enough experience in the field, Tripathi, a PhD graduate and professor from IIT Kanpur, decided to create an ecosystem for solar energy with her husband in 2008-2009.

Beyond providing electricity, she wanted to harness the Sun to bring clean drinking water to underserved regions of the country. This made her quit her job as a research engineer at IIT Kanpur in 2008, and she began to develop a solar-powered water purification system.

“At the time, solar technology was still in its infancy, and the Internet of Things (IoT) was not yet widely recognised. I began developing a control panel for IoT on my own, feeling confident in my technological abilities,” Tripathi said, adding that the first machine came together quickly and later became a popular initiative named “Swajal”.

The project soon gained recognition and was supported by grants from organisations like the UNDP and the Energy Efficiency Partnership.

Currently, as many as 500 of Swajal’s water ATMs are deployed at around 150 villages. These water systems are also used by the UN in Africa, including Ghana and Zimbabwe.

However, what began as a social initiative evolved into a full-fledged business after Tripathi’s son Advait joined her cause and saw how her mother’s tech could help not just the deprived but also the well-to-do strata of society.

The result was Boon, a watertech startup which is focussed on addressing India’s water concerns with innovative, tech-driven solutions.

The Birth Of A Cleantech Startup, Boon

Founded in 2015 by the mother-son duo, the startup leverages IoT for sustainable water usage and conservation. Additionally, the startup specialises in water purification solutions. Using IoT technology, Boon delivers real-time assessments of drinking water quality and quantity. The company’s smart water system allows homes and businesses to track, customise, and analyse drinking water 24/7.

The Gurugram-based startup also claims to have saved 2 Lakh bottles and removed 10 Lakh kg of plastic, serving a diverse clientele including hospitality chains, multinational companies, and Fortune 500 enterprises.

The startup is present in all major Indian cities and works with around 400 hotels, including names like JW Marriott, Accor Hotels, IHG, Hyatt, Radisson, and Oberoi, among others. “Our water filter solutions hold an 80% market share in the hotel sector, primarily in Tier I cities,” Advait said.

With a current team size of 400 and total funding of $6.6 Mn, it counts Spanish Roca Group Ventures and Rajasthan Venture Capital Fund (RVCF) as its key investors. 

The startup’s unique selling proposition lies in its patented technologies that enable predictive filter maintenance using AI, ensuring high efficiency and reliability in its water purification systems.

On the financial front, Advait claimed that the startup reported INR 25.2 Cr in FY24 revenues, reflecting a 105% rise from the INR 12.25 Cr posted a fiscal year ago.

Boon’s Early Days & Tech Stack

As mentioned above, Boon is the byproduct of Tripathi’s vision and passion for creating a social impact. Speaking with Inc42, Tripathi said that while she was always confident about her technical skills, she often faced challenges on the business front. 

Then, as stars aligned, her son, Advait, who had earlier shown little to no interest, decided to fully commit to Tripathi’s endeavour and rebrand “Swajal” to Boon.

Before the incorporation of Boon, “Swajal” (between 2015 and 2018) was purely focussed on installing water ATMs at railway and bus stations, providing drinking water for just INR 1 or INR 2.

“A lot has changed since the Swajal rebranding. Now, instead of primarily providing WaterATMs, we have become mainly the providers of water tech, which comprises IoT to power and manage water ATMs. Our technology enables water quality and filter monitoring, which is crucial for remote areas,” the founders said.

As per Kumar, the Swajal initiative was focussed only on making a meaningful impact  on society by providing clean drinking water to underserved communities. “Our target from the start was simple, we just wanted to do something for the people,” the cofounder said. 

However, it was only in 2018 that Advait initiated discussions about expanding the brand’s reach, and the first thing was to rebrand the business and then view its offerings with a fresh perspective. 

Next, the cofounders began developing a purification management system (Boon Purify). Launched in 2018, Boon Purify is a smart purification system that is designed for commercial use. Per the founder, Boon Purify goes beyond traditional RO systems with its state-of-the-art water purification technology. 

The AI-based purifier provides hydration without generating plastic waste or carbon emissions, all at a cost lower than 20-litre plastic water bottles. Further, it allows users to monitor filters, track water wastage, and measure total dissolved solids (TDS) to ensure optimal water quality. 

Another significant development during that time was the cofounders’ growing concern about plastic waste. To address this, the cofounder duo of mother and son launched Boon Refill. Introduced in 2019, this refill system helps organisations produce sustainable packaged glass water in-house. It includes washing, filling, and sterilising systems, catering primarily to hospitals, schools, and hotels, allowing them to bottle their water on-site instead of getting water from outside.

The startup is currently working on a device, called Water Stick, which integrates Boon’s WaterIoT and WaterAI technologies to transform any standard purifier into a smart system. It collects and analyses data to improve water quality monitoring. The work-in-progress is yet to be launched in India.

Besides this, the founders leverage IoT and AI to monitor water health, TDS levels and filter maintenance. In areas like Greater Noida and Bengaluru, the startup’s AI recommends appropriate filters and predicts associated costs.

Its technology simplifies the management and upkeep of water systems, ensuring they function efficiently across different locations.

What’s Next For Boon?

Currently, the startup is focussed on affordability. Besides, its strategy is aimed at creating a sustainable business model centred around high-end clients, enabling them to reinvest profits into affordable water solutions for underserved communities.

“WaterATM has both upfront costs and operations and maintenance (O&M) expenses. While income from selling water covers some of these expenses, the initial setup still relies heavily on government tenders and CSR activities. As a company, we were economically dependent on external funding for our operational costs. However, by targeting the top of the pyramid, we were able to significantly reduce the cost of WaterATM units and lower the O&M,” Advait said.

Going forward, the company will focus on its refill solutions, particularly in sectors like hotels, hospitals, and universities, to reduce plastic usage. Its primary focus will also be on developing and refining its solutions. 

The startup is also planning to launch its Water Stick by FY26 in India, marking its entry into the consumer product space. The company also plans to launch this stick globally to make water purifiers smart.

Apart from this, Boon currently offers larger purifiers but is exploring smaller options to help users better track their water consumption. The founders project to reach a revenue of INR 75 Cr revenue by FY25. 

While the founders take pride in Boon’s tech stack, they also see several challenges related to the country’s depleting water quality and levels in India. Per the founders, it is getting challenging to manage the rising costs of filter replacements, leading to subdued quality water filters and devices creeping into this market.

[Edited By Shishir Parasher]