Aquaria is proud to be one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2024 and has secured $112 million to build the future of water!

Aquaria Secures $112M to Build the Future of Water

November 22, 2024 | 3 minute read

At Aquaria, we’re on a mission to solve one of the world’s biggest challenges: making clean water accessible to everyone. We’re excited to share some great news—our company has secured $112 million to bring water from the air to homes, communities, businesses, and cities across the globe.

A New Era of Water Infrastructure

This funding marks an important step forward for us at Aquaria. With support from investors like Mistletoe, Soma Capital, and former US House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt, we’re building Air Water Infrastructure. These systems capture water directly from the air and offer a faster, cleaner, and more sustainable way to meet growing global water needs. In the future, Aquaria will supply entire cities with renewable water from the air. 

“Our air isn’t just for breathing—it holds an untapped water supply that can change lives,” says Brian Sheng, co-founder and CEO. “At Aquaria, we’re turning that potential into a reliable, renewable resource for everyone.”

How Our Technology Works

Our technology takes water from the air and delivers it where it’s needed most. It’s quick to set up—entire systems can be operational in just days—and the process is sustainable, working seamlessly with renewable energy like solar and battery storage. The core water production modules can be stacked in parallel to scale production like battery deployments, forming what we call a “Hydrogrid” – an air-to-water farm similar to a solar farm.

What makes this approach stand out?

  • Technology: Our proprietary air-cooling atmospheric water generation has best-in-class performance and scale.
  • Speed: We can deliver clean water solutions faster as our deployments are up and running within 24 hours. 
  • Scalability: Our systems work for everything from single homes to entire communities.
  • Flexibility: Our products are designed to work both on or off the grid and can be powered by renewable energy.
  • Affordability: Our flexible payment plans lower barriers for adoption, just like in the solar industry.

Building Communities with Water from Air

One project we’re especially proud of is in Hawaii. We’re building 1,000 homes that will rely entirely on atmospheric water, combined with solar power and batteries. This project is more than a water solution—it’s proof that we can create sustainable, self-sufficient communities, even in places with limited resources or water rights. By making these homes affordable, we’re also helping address Hawaii’s housing challenges.

But it’s not just residential areas where our technology can make an impact. We’re exploring opportunities to support industries in remote locations where traditional water infrastructure is too costly or takes years to build.

Partnering for Change

With $100 million in project financing secured from Upwell, Aquaria is now actively seeking opportunities to scale AWG deployments. Aquaria will cover 100% of the upfront costs for qualifying projects, allowing partners to sign flexible, pay-over-time agreements, similar to financing models used in the solar industry. This approach significantly lowers barriers to large-scale adoption and accelerates the commercialization of our atmospheric Hydrogrid technology.

Why This Matters Now

Water scarcity is a growing issue, and the numbers are clear:

  • Nearly half of the U.S. is experiencing drought as of November 2024 (Drought.gov).
  • The American Society of Civil Engineers rates U.S. water infrastructure a C-.
  • On a global scale, 771 million people don’t have access to basic water services and 2.2 billion people are without access to safely managed drinking water services (WHO, 2023)
  • The UN estimates that water scarcity could displace 700 million people by 2030.

Traditional solutions are often too expensive or take too long to build. With our technology, we’re creating a faster, more resilient alternative to outdated systems to address the extreme water access deficiencies both in the US and globally.

Join Us in Changing the Future of Water

We’re committed to creating a world where access to water isn’t a barrier to growth or survival. If you’re a property developer, community leader, or just someone interested in what we’re doing, we’d love to connect. Please fill out this form to get in touch with our team.

We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, but this is just the beginning. Together, we can make clean, sustainable water a reality for everyone.

This blog post is rewritten from the original press release on PR Newswire.