GeekWire’s in-depth startup coverage tells the stories of the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial scene.
Grayl, the Seattle-based maker of portable water-purification bottles, is seeking additional funds through a Kickstarter campaign for its latest offering, the Ultralight — billed as the world’s best purifier and filter bottle.
With a goal of $25,000, Grayl needed just three days to hit that mark on Kickstarter. With a month to go, 561 backers had pledged more than $43,000. Grayl was founded in 2012 and named one of GeekWire’s Seattle 10 innovative startups in 2014.
Grayl’s Ultralight bottle comes in black or orange through its Kickstarter campaign. (Grayl.com)
Grayl’s Ultralight bottle comes in black or orange through its Kickstarter campaign. (Grayl.com)
The company says it has spent four years obsessing over every detail of the design and performance of the new Ultralight bottle — its third iteration of a water-purifying system. At 10.9 oz, the Ultralight uses Grayl’s French press-style system of pushing water from almost any source through its replaceable purifier cartridge. Clean, better-tasting water is available in just 15 seconds, in what Grayl says “may very well be the only water bottle that anyone, anywhere, will ever need.”
For travelers, outdoor enthusiasts and those facing emergency water situations, Grayl says its system promises protection against pathogens (viruses, bacteria, protozoa), particulates, chemicals and heavy metals.
“We learned a ton from our first two launches,” co-founder Travis Merrigan told GeekWire. “We learned exactly what this bottle needs and meticulously stripped away anything that it didn’t.”
Merrigan said Grayl’s focus was simply creating the “perfect hydration compadre for your next adventure — be it in India or Mount Si.” He added that the Ultralight also aims to help travelers completely eliminate single use of plastic bottles “wherever their adventure takes them.”
We learned exactly what this bottle needs and meticulously stripped away anything that it didn’t.
In a 2013 Startup Spotlight story on GeekWire, co-founder and CEO Nancie Weston said, among other things, that Grayl is truly unique because, “We’re the holy Grayl of water filtration. Best design, best materials, best technology — no compromises.”
Aiming to be that key piece of equipment any adventurer makes part of his or her travel kit, Merrigan stressed that the newest bottle “is so much better — not because we’re geniuses — but because we’re adventurers, travelers, explorers, end-of-rainbow chasers.”
For anyone who has messed with other filtration bottles and pumping, squeezing or sucking systems, the company loves to press this particular point:
graylgif2 2
Grayl’s Kickstarter contributors can earn a variety of rewards depending on pledge amount. A pledge of $49 or more will get you the Ultralight bottle. The Go Anywhere Traveler Package, at $299, includes a bottle, T-shirt, backpack, replacement purifier cartridge and 32 oz. growler.
Track all of GeekWire’s in-depth startup coverage: Sign up for the weekly startup email newsletter; check out the GeekWire funding tracker and venture capital directory; and follow our startup news headlines.