Hyd-Based Tech Start-Up Water Raises $2.5 Million

Hyderabad: Hyderabad-based technology start-up Water has raised $2.5 million (about Rs 23.7 crore) in a funding round led by Endiya Partners, with participation from angel investors including Pullela Gopichand, Rohit Chennamaneni and Nandan Reddy.

Water is developing AI-powered adaptive surfaces that can sense and respond to the human body in real time. Its current products are Flow, an adaptive chair, and Cama, an adaptive bed, both built on its foundational model, Vortex.

The company is addressing a gap in connected furniture and sleep-tracking products, which largely focus on sensing and monitoring. Water's system combines sensing, decision-making and physical response, allowing its surfaces to adjust based on the user's needs.

Flow is designed to respond to posture, movement and load, while Cama focuses on sleep, recovery and respiration.

“Our thesis is simple: intelligence in the physical world should upgrade the human being at the center of it,” said Teja Vinukollu, founder and chief executive officer of Water. “We call that layer biophysical intelligence. The body is constantly telling the surfaces it lives on what it needs, and Vortex is the first model built to listen and respond.”

The funding will be used for further technical validation, including testing whether Vortex's understanding can transfer across products and users. Water is also exploring applications in automotive and aviation.

The company said it has developed a near-production-ready adaptive sleep system that was showcased at CES and has filed a foundational patent related to its approach to safety, according to a release.