From Startup Weekend to Sprint Accelerator to Kickstarter campaign, HidrateSpark finally ready to take the world by storm.

Founded by University of Minnesota alumni, HidrateSpark was built out of passion and necessity. CEO Nadya Nguyen pulled together a team of classmates for a Startup Weekend powered by Google for Entrepreneurs in Minneapolis to build the first working prototype in just 54 hours, after coming up with the idea while feeling dehydrated from a long day of volunteering.

After finishing in third place in the competition, the team decided to move forward with the official launch. HidrateSpark relocated to Kansas City and was part of the Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator Program powered by Techstars in Spring 2015, where they got funding and support from a wide network of mentors, advisors, and investors to push their startup forward. During that time they focused on product market fit and developing a product that wasn’t just the next tech candy, but a necessity for many.

“We have spent the last year focusing on the people who have the problem and who have the funds to buy our solution. We dug really deep into our markets. We even got as far as pretending to be them for the day,” Nguyen said. “On the product side not only are we trying to build the best product, but build something that is worth talking about.”

Three days prior to the Sprint Accelerator Demo Day, June 1st, 2015, they launched their Kickstarter campaign. In just under 6 weeks they raised 17 times their original goal of $35,000 (which they met within the first 20 hours) and raised $627,644 from 8,015 backers.

What HidrateSpark does

HidrateSpark, the first smart water bottle, will sync with a corresponding app available for iOS and Android devices. HidrateSpark won’t just help you on track with your daily water intake, but give off an ambient glow if it is been too long since your last sip. The bottle also allows users to dictate their sleep time. For some this may seem like no big deal, but for night workers, especially nurses this is crucial in making sure they are drinking water at the right time of day.

HidrateSpark also connects with other popular health apps including Fitbit, MyFitnessPal, Jawbone and Misfit automatically, making adjustments to your water requirements based on weigh ins and increased activity. In addition, the recently announced “Don’t Leave My Water Bottle Behind” feature has a built in censor so whether it’s at the gym, daycare or LAX airport, you might just be able to keep track of your water bottle. On top of all that, it is dishwasher safe, BPA free, and it has 1 year built in battery life.

Over 16,000 units have been presold to date, and you can snag your own at hidratespark.com for $59.95. Presales are set to ship in March. Their focus in 2016 is putting out the best product people can get, but watch out they have new products in the pipeline set to be released sometime in 2017.

—

Abagail Pumphrey is the founder of ThinkCreativeKC.com, an online resource that shares ideas to excite, empower and motivate small business owners.