Problem addressed
According to the Institution of Civil Engineers, personal water use has increase by 60% in England since the 1960s. The hospitality industry in particular contributes to water use, as the average hotel can use 1,500 litres of water per room per day.
Overview of start-up
Showerkap is a unique, automated innovation for businesses that continuously monitors, reports, analyses, and improves water use and efficiency using real-time insights and data-driven optimisation. It improves water stewardship by engaging users with soft nudges about water saving.
The platform combines engineering and behavioural science in first-of-its-kind smart technology. The system features small smart boxes, nestled in every room, which upload data from the flowmeters to a centralised cloud system and mobile app, to remotely monitor and manage water temperature and safety.
The Showerkap platform enables businesses of any size to monitor and manage water in granular detail – delivering valuable insights that were previously hidden and reducing water and energy waste and carbon emissions. It gives managers the tools to easily see a building’s water use – from a managed office space to a hotel with hundreds of rooms – metrics like volume, temperature and duration are all visible.
The company is on a mission to address the water crisis – ranked among the top five global risks. In the UK, The Environment Agency predicts that we could run out of water within the next 15-20 years. Combating water and energy waste, its vision is to change people’s relationship with water and empower both users and organisations to create a lasting impact on the environment and its communities.
What makes the start-up innovative?
Founded in 2022, the company’s solution features patented technology to enable water system management, monitoring and data capture, quickly alerting users to any risks, safety and usage issues. The automation not only saves businesses water and energy, while reducing carbon emission, but saves valuable time by streamlining processes, such as important water safety testing.
In 2024, Showerkap developed the innovation further and launched Sentinel. This diversified water management product uses insights from the smartboxes with the same advanced data technology and can be retrofitted or used in any size of building, including tight spaces.
How the start-up has been designed to scale-up quickly
Showerkap is also prioritising social and environmental impact alongside commercial success by challenging the traditional business model. It initially looked outside institutional investors to secure funding – including support from individuals motivated by their cause – which allowed it to secure regular cash injections to get the business off the ground quickly and to develop at pace. As the business grew, it got to a point where it needed to go down more formal routes. Since its creation, Showerkap has completed two successful funding rounds, with an additional fundraise of £1 million running until the fourth quarter of 2024, to prepare for sales and expansion of the team in 2025.