Kumulus, Tunisia’s Water Service Startup, Raises $969K Pre-Seed to Generate Solar-Powered Portable Water

Kumulus Water, a Tunisian water service startup, announced a $969, 000 pre-seed funding round from Paris Techstars Accelerator, Flat6Labs, WILCO, and Bpifrance, as well as a number of business angels.

In 2021, Mohamed Ali Abid and Iheb Triki founded the water service startup. Its flagship product is a machine that extracts drinking water from the air directly. Kumulus also manufactures thermal machines that can produce several liters of drinking water per day.

The startup only uses solar energy and humidity as its resources. Data collected via the Internet of Things is fed into predictive algorithms, which then work to improve water output and energy efficiency. The system includes filtration and mineralization components. The founders of Kumulus stated that their goal is to target “markets where there is no reliable source of renewable drinking water or where water scarcity has become such a burden on the local community.” The goal is to enter markets where there is no consistent source of renewable drinking water.”

Kumulus’ machine, which is powered by a solar panel, draws air into it to process it into water. The moisture in the air is in turn separated after passing through a series of filters, resulting in water that can be consumed. As a result, the startup’s mission is to address Tunisia’s water scarcity. “Existing alternatives in Tunisia, such as bottled water, transported cisterns, or nonrenewable groundwater, are not always available to the country’s most impoverished citizens,” the company’s founders claim.

These funds will enable the startup to improve its product further and even deliver the first pre-ordered copies. According to the company, “a liter of mineral water costs around 10 cents in Tunisia and Egypt, but more than 15 cents in Morocco.” Kumulus’ technique will produce 25 liters of water per day for less than eight cents.”