Waterhub, an Indonesian startup that offers clean and affordable drinking water using filtration systems, has received an undisclosed amount in seed funding round to expand its operations throughout Indonesia.
The seed funding round was led by Archipelago VC, with participation from The Radical Fund.
The company will use the funds to grow its operations and tackle serious water access problems and environmental issues across Southeast Asia.
Indonesia faces a big health and environmental problem: 192 million people lack reliable clean drinking water, and 14 million do not have proper sanitation. Many rely on single-use bottled water, creating a nearly $10 billion industry that adds to plastic pollution and carbon emissions.
This problem is worse across Southeast Asia, where a 40% gap between water supply and demand is expected by 2030. The region’s water infrastructure is old, centralized, and unable to handle fast urban growth, industrial expansion, and changing rain patterns.
Waterhub fights this crisis by setting up networks of water dispensers and large filtration systems. These systems treat different water sources—like city water, rainwater, groundwater, and even seawater—to make them safe to drink. By cutting out plastic bottles and lowering transportation needs, Waterhub offers a greener and more affordable alternative to bottled water.
Archipelago VC’s Managing Partner Nicolo Castiglione stated: “Clean and affordable water is a fundamental right. Waterhub’s scalable model addresses both climate and public health challenges, and their rapid traction proves this isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s also the smart thing to do.”
“Waterhub is not just about providing water; it’s about environmental justice, public health, and building resilient communities,
“This investment accelerates our mission to make safe drinking water accessible, affordable, and sustainable for all Indonesians,” said its Chief Executive Officer Lyonda Huwaidi.
Since starting in 2024, Waterhub has installed 36 filtration units, including 32 community dispensers and 4 heavy-duty systems for clients in fitness, food, and hospitality. They plan to add over 100 units in 2025 and reach 2,000 by 2029.
Waterhub’s business model offers pay-per-use and subscription plans, providing cost-effective water solutions with good profit margins. Each unit uses advanced reverse osmosis, Internet of Things (IoT) monitoring, and optional app-based payments.
Waterhub plans to filter over 21 million liters of water in 2025, which will stop millions of single-use plastic bottles from polluting the environment. By 2029, the company expects to prevent more than 16,500 tonnes of plastic waste and save over 300,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
