A tech firm that has created “smart cups” to help prevent elderly people from getting dehydrated is hoping for rapid expansion
Aquarate’s Hydracare cups log how much water people are drinking to make sure they are drinking more than the minimum they need to stay healthy.
The idea has won interest from organisations in health, social care and local government - and Aquarate’s co-founder and CEO Rebecca Taylor says she hopes the idea can go global.
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Rebecca got the idea for Aquarate when she was studying design engineering at Liverpool John Moores University.
She said: “Everybody I speak to has a personal story of how their relative, or somebody in care that they're working with, has been severely affected by dehydration - whether that's from multiple urinary tract infections, kidney issues, falls, or bouncing in and out hospital with dehydration.”
Rebecca saw that fluid monitoring was done manually, which could lead to inconsistency or missed data across sectors. So she started working on a tech solution - which resulted in the Hydracare cup, whose sensors monitor exactly how much liquid has been drunk.
She explained: “Essentially, hydracare tracks individuals' fluid millimetre by millimetre, and sends that data directly into our app or integrates with third party care management records. That fluid data becomes part of the everyday data collection for carers.
“It's really as simple as a cup with sensors down the side and electronics in the base.”
Aquarate’s team also realised that any technological solution they created would have to be simple and robust enough to be used in the busiest of hospital and care home environments.
Rebecca said: “We've looked at the way busy care environments work and asked - how can somebody take any cup at any time? The answer is that it should be able to go in a dishwasher.
“It can manage seven or eight drinks rounds a day, And if a person is drinking from a hydracup, our carers and care staff can know what they are drinking in real time to prevent some of these preventable issues.”
The company had to adapt during the pandemic, switching to manufacturing in Lithuania rather than China to give it more speed and flexibility.
Rebecca hopes to sell 15,000 Hydracups over the next year, and is already well on the way to that target.
She’s hopeful the company can grow revenue to more than £1m by next year, and is aiming for an EBITDA of some £11m within five years.
She is also looking to have another investment round next year.
Aquarate is doing pilot work in Wiltshire as well as Cheshire, Merseyside and south west London.
She said: “As a young founder taking on the responsibility to kind of develop the technology, take it to market and now build out a team, it's been an incredibly steep learning curve.
“I've also sat in many board meetings or investor pitches where I've been the only female in that room at any time and I've been the youngest by 20-30 years.
“But it's been fantastic. And now we're growing our staff team, our customer base is growing, we're seeing revenue come into the business.”
Aquarate is working with a number of councils and Rebecca and her team are confident demand will continue to grow as medical and care professionals continue to focus on promoting hydration.
She said: “We believe that hydration is fundamental for all.
“There are figures and reports about thousands of individuals dying in their own home, in hospital due to dehydration.
“Now it’s starting to be picked up nationally, and by government and by councils or integrated care systems. They’re saying we need to address hydration in order to prevent falls or overuse of antibiotics.”
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