17.07.2018
Dortmund-based technology specialist wilo is investing in the start-up hydropoint data systems, inc. from petaluma, california. established in 2002, hydropoint is the market leader in the field of smart solutions for water management and focuses on sustainable water savings in public buildings, administration and educational facilities.
As part of a venture capital investment, Wilo has acquired shares in smart water management specialist HydroPoint. A corresponding minority shareholding agreement was signed on 15 May 2018. “The investment is an important building block for us in our continued orientation towards intelligent system solutions for the digitally networked areas of life,” explains Oliver Hermes, CEO of Wilo Group. HydroPoint offers smart technologies for water use and distribution in urban infrastructures and buildings. The ‘HydroPoint 360º Smart Water Management Platform’ identifies potential savings in water management, including real-time water consumption data or weather analyses.
DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE MARKETS AND NEW BUSINESS AREAS
“Together, Wilo and HydroPoint offer a large repertoire of future technologies, networking and knowledge. This investment is a further step in expanding our expertise as a system provider of tailor-made, intelligent and resource-efficient solutions and allows us to access new business areas and cooperation opportunities,” explains Oliver Hermes. Wincubator in Berlin manages the investment for Wilo. Wincubator is the external think tank of Wilo Group and was founded in November 2016. From its offices in Berlin, the start-up capital of Europe, this think tank is dedicated to the identification of strategic growth opportunities in the digital age. Chris Spain, CEO of HydroPoint, also welcomes the new partnership: “We are proud to have Wilo as a strategic investor,” he explains. “We know Wilo as a committed and innovative pioneer in the pump industry and we look forward to working with them.”
INTELLIGENT CONNECTIVITY FOR LIVEABLE CITIES
“We are seeing a global trend towards progressive urbanisation, with the consequence that cities continue to grow and merge into so-called ‘Smart Urban Areas’,” Oliver Hermes explains. “The task of intelligently networking these cities in order to make them liveable and conserving resources at the same time is one of the great challenges. Our response to these challenges are intelligent system solutions.” In 2017 alone, HydroPoint solutions saved more than 75 million litres of water.