Access to clean drinking water remains a struggle for millions of households across India. According to a report by water.org, data shows that 91 million people (6% of the population) of India's population of 1.3 billion do not have access to safe water. Contamination, particulate matter in cans, and unreliable vendors make access to safe drinking water challenging. DrinkPrime tackled this dilemma with an innovative subscription model for the supply of purified water.
Identifying the need
The idea for DrinkPrime came about when roommates Vijender Reddy Muthyala and Manas Ranjan Hota experienced firsthand the frustration of untimely water can deliveries. This prompted them to take a deeper look at the quality and reliability of existing drinking water suppliers. Their survey found that 8 out of 10 water cans failed to meet safety standards and contained unacceptable levels of contaminants. The cost of traditional water purifiers was too much for middle class families in India in particular.
Vijender leveraged his technical expertise as a skilled senior developer in designing solutions. Understanding the consumer mindset and observing widespread reluctance among peers to adopt water purifiers due to cost concerns and lack of trust in available options. These experiences led them to delve deeper into the issue of water quality and availability.
Their experiences of living together with a desire to solve a problem inspired them to create an accessible, technology-enabled platform for safe drinking water. They envisioned a company that not only offers high-quality water purifiers, but also a seamless customer experience from installation to maintenance. This led to the beginning of Drink Prime.
Concept of subscription model
The startup idea was born out of the need to make safe water available to everyone through a subscription model. This approach means a purifier requires no large upfront investment, with only a small monthly fee based on usage and family size. The founders spent time designing flexible subscription plans that fit large families to individual families and couples. Their Solo, Couple, Family and Unlimited plans provide customized and budget-friendly access to purified water. Along with cost-effective plans, they also offer free delivery, installation and maintenance throughout the life of the purifier, annual filter replacement and relocation services when changing subscribers. This unprecedented service has set a new benchmark for the 30-year-old water purifier industry.
For subscribers, this means no more hassles tracking down filter conditions or calling repair crews. DrinkPrime proactively monitors systems and schedules services based on actual usage. Peace of mind and convenience drive remarkable satisfaction and retention rates.
Advanced technology for timely delivery
The startup uses cutting-edge IoT, AI and machine learning to monitor water quality. Purifier sensors detect TDS levels and alert Drink Prime to schedule maintenance checks and proactively deliver new filters when needed. This preventive service ensures that consumers have constant access to clean water.
Their mobile app provides complete system visibility and detects leaks or malfunctions immediately through smart algorithms. Drink Prime deploys automated supply chain technologies for inventory management. This enables faster dispatch and delivery with industry-leading SLAs. The founding duo knows that timely delivery is paramount for a water company. Even a single day's delay reduces customer confidence. They continuously optimize the drinking water experience across purifier design, mobile interface, delivery infrastructure and support channels.
Major Milestones in Startup Journey
In just 7 years since its inception, DrinkPrime has achieved notable milestones:
- * Serves over 100,000 families across metros including top hospitals and schools.
- Achieving profitability and becoming EBITDA-positive.
- Recognized by Fast Company as Asia's Best Innovative Companies.
- YourStory Challenger Brand Award.
- Obtaining funding from marquee institutional investors such as Sequoia Capital.
DrinkPrime has raised over Rs 77 crore in funding from marquee investors to fuel its growth plans. In 2017, the startup raised angel funding, which helped set up operations and product development. It is looking to raise Series B to fuel its further expansion plans.
