Meet Hai, the smartest shower head in the world – TechCrunch

If you had “my shower head needs a small turbine, a Bluetooth connection, an app and a fine spray mist” on your bingo card 2021, congratulations, you will win the prize. The price is in knowing that shark exists – and this good news that will tell you all about how the company raised $ 6 million to break into your business. And we’ll likely have some good, clean fun – i.e. shower puns – thrown in for safety.

A good measure that is the point of shark in a nutshell. The founders claim that your daily disgusting routine is one of the biggest consumers of water in a residential area. Lots of people care about the environment, but how do you know how much water you are actually blowing through on your way to an oasis of piety neighborhood? The answer is some really expensive electronics, or that (possibly equally expensive) $ 250 shower head. Hai is designed so that it can be easily installed and removed with your hands. The Hai shower head is a kind of platform, aimed primarily at apartment residents who want “a spa-like shower experience” that they can take with them on their way from apartment to apartment.

“When I was 20, I moved into a new apartment every year. One of the things I looked at every time I moved was the shower. I’m pretty tall and it was very important for me to have a shower that was big enough – and of course the pressure was important, ”recalls Leah Stigile, co-founder and CEO of Hai. “I am the mother of two young children and the time I shower every day is of vital importance to my personal wellbeing. When I talked to others, I realized that the ritual of showering is very important to others too, but for very different reasons. I was inspired to be part of building a company that offers an amazing experience but also helps to be mindful of the resources you are using. “

It seems that a bevy of investors agree with the Hai team that this is an area worth investigating further. Trousdale Ventures led the $ 6 million round and is supported by Will Smiths Dreamers VC, A-Rod Corp, The Najafi Companies (owner of Phoenix Suns and McLaren F1), Amity Supply (Jesse Derris), the social media stars Josh Richards and Griffin. supports Johnson, Noah Becks Animal Capital (Marshall Sandman), former board member and former investor at Peloton, Howard Draft and Local Globe.

“We invested in Hai because they created an innovative, high quality shower head that meets consumer demand for sustainable household products,” said Phillip Sarofim, founder of Trousdale Ventures. “We believe Hai offers the best shower experience as consumers continue to switch to personalized and environmentally conscious products.”

“You’re looking at a $ 9 billion market. If you look at the size of the space, according to my calculations there is room for five or six large newcomers in this market. The interesting thing is that the same five companies made those $ 9 billion over the past 75 years. What’s interesting is that the brand was almost irrelevant in the room, ”explains Leonard Brody, co-founder of Hai. “More than 85% of Millennials said the shower was the most important self-care ritual in their home, but the vast majority of them couldn’t tell you what brand of shower head they were under every day. This is extremely unusual in a consumer world. I bet 60% of the same people could tell you what brand of toilet paper they are using. “

Hai’s shower head was super easy to install – removing the old shower head took longer than installing the new one. Best of all, no leaks and no tools required. Photo by Haje Kamps for TechCrunch

With a huge market and no clear winner, we’ve seen a number of new companies enter the battle. It seems like the latest company dribble began with Kickstarter darling Nebia selling $ 3 million in finely misted shower heads in 2015 before taking in and later being swallowed up by bathroom giant Moen.

“Actually, one of the biggest wastes of water in the shower is turning on the water, running away, and being busy waiting for it to warm up. The shower runs and you’ve washed three loads of laundry. We made a little hydropower bluetooth turbine and it does a couple of things. First of all, it turns on the LED light on the shower that will notify you when the water is warm and ready to come in. It’ll also send you a push notification on your phone when you’ve left, ”explains Brody. “Secondly, with a partner app developed by us, you can set the number of liters of water that you want to use when showering. The average shower is about 20 gallons of water. You can configure that of course, but our product default is set to 20 gallons. When you reach this limit, you will be notified by a small light reminding you to pack up and jump out of the shower. “

The device tracks your water usage over time, which takes care of one of the first challenges of consciousness; namely consciousness. The company suggests that by measuring your baseline and setting goals for yourself, you can help the environment and use a little less water. The company would also like to use the collected data to personalize the shower experience.

“The next step on the roadmap for us, coming in early 2022, is that we take our product and add a layer of consumables. First, we have what we call IV fluids. We developed a single-use, no-waste pill that can be added to a capsule that fits on the existing shower head, ”explains Stigile. “You can pour aromatherapy or hair and skin treatments directly into the water. This really helps deliver the spa experience we want to create in your bathroom at home. And then the next step beyond that is filtration. With the sensors we have we can tell you what is in your water, a very personal experience. We can even take into account the temperature you want to shower at and recommend the consumables that are best suited for your particular use case. This is a huge opportunity for us. “

The company only started shipping its products a few weeks ago, but it’s off to a good start so far, with promising sales through its direct channels and retail presence on the Bed Bath & Beyond website and New York flagship store.