HOPE HYDRATION RAISES $20M IN ITS AIM TO BUILD THE WORLD'S LARGEST FREE WATER NETWORK

Series A Financing to Support Global Expansion of Tech-Enabled HydroStations™

MIAMI, July 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- HOPE Hydration, the company which delivers free filtered water through its digitally connected water refill HydroStations™, today announced the successful completion of a $20 million Series A funding round, led by Pentair plc, with additional participation from Burnt Island Ventures. The new capital is expected to fuel the company's growth into additional markets, scale manufacturing, accelerate product innovation, and strengthen strategic partnerships to help expand its impact worldwide.

Founded by Forbes '30 Under 30' alumnus Jorge Richardson, cultural strategist Cristina Gnecco, and hardware engineer Dave Tigue, HOPE Hydration ("HOPE") is a tech-enabled company that believes water is a human right and is focused on its mission to reduce single-use plastic waste and promote sustainable hydration.

"People are traveling and enjoying outdoor activities more than ever before, and are also more mindful of the impact they have on the world around them, but public access to water hasn't kept up," said Jorge Richardson, CEO and Co-Founder of HOPE Hydration. "We built HOPE to fix that. This investment will help enable us to scale a new kind of infrastructure - one that is built for health, for exploration, and for the planet."

HOPE develops and distributes HydroStations™ utilizing Everpure filtration technology from Pentair Water Solutions to bring free, high-quality, and chilled drinking water to cities, stadiums, airports, and commercial spaces.

"Our partnership with HOPE aligns with our mission to help the world sustainably improve water, life's most essential resource," said Adrian Chiu, EVP and President, Pentair Water Solutions. "We are excited to contribute our filtration technology, expertise and resources to help HOPE accelerate their growth strategy, broaden their impact and ultimately help to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic water bottles."

A Smarter Approach to Water Refill Stations
Featuring proprietary IoT technology, each HydroStation™ is able to provide real-time data updates, including the number of refills and the amount of plastic and carbon dioxide (CO2) saved, as well as monitor water output in real time to support proactive maintenance. Each station is also equipped with 55" LED screens that display digital ads, creating a unique out-of-home (OOH) advertising experience and impactful brand partnerships that allow the company to install HydroStations™ at no cost to the venue.

Since 2023, HOPE has provided over 2 million refills and has partnered with some of the world's most notable events and major Fortune 500 brands, as well as international airports, stadiums, and city centers. HOPE's expansion through this financing will help the company reach its goal of 10 million refills by the end of the year.

HOPE is also backed by industry leaders including Boost VC, Spice Capital, Grayson Allen (Phoenix Suns), and more.

To find a HydroStation™ near you and learn more about the company and its mission, visit HOPEHydration.com. 

About HOPE Hydration:
HOPE Hydration ("HOPE") is an award-winning Certified B Corporation revolutionizing how people access clean drinking water in urban environments, with a mission to make clean water more accessible and reduce single-use plastic waste. Founded on the belief that water is a human right, the company's mission is to develop solutions to bring clean water without waste around the world through a technology solution, the HydroStation™.

Media Contact: Kacy Shaw, align Public Relations, kacy@align-pr.com, (805) 689-0845

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SOURCE HOPE Hydration