As the world wakes up to the need for immediate action to fight climate change and plastic pollution, New York City-based startup Rocean announces a financing round of over $6 million to reinvent the bottled water industry with the Rocean One smart water countertop device.

The bottled water industry is expected to reach $334 billion by 2023, with the market for sparkling water alone up 54% in the past four years. This staggering growth is directly correlated with the growing selection of water varieties, including sparkling, flavored, and enhanced beverages.

"When we started Rocean, we knew we were building more than a device. We're building a platform with the same breadth of options as the entire bottled water industry," said Sunjay Guleria, Rocean's CEO & Founder. "Consumers are drinking bottled water that is filtered, carbonated, flavored, and enhanced with everything from CBD to caffeine. They won't give up the bottle easily. If we want to fight climate change, we need to give consumers all of their favorite beverages without the waste of packaging and shipping them around the world."

Rocean's multi-use pods give users an endless selection of natural fruit flavors, supplements, and enhancements at a fraction of the cost and total carbon footprint of pre-packaged beverages. Their patent-pending micro-dosing system supports two pods at once, letting users mix their favorite flavors and enhancements to their personal preference.

"We believe that personalization is going to drive the same level of innovation as seen in the digital music industry. By giving users full control over their beverages, the Rocean One brings hundreds of thousands of water-based beverage combinations to the common tap," said Lee von Kraus, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist at Rocean. "Whether electrolytes, natural turmeric for energy, or something that hasn't been thought of, you can make it with Rocean One. It's 'future-trend' proof."

Globally, the amount of energy required to manufacture, transport, store, refrigerate and dispose of plastic bottles each year is equivalent to over 450 million barrels of oil, enough to fuel over 25 million vehicles for an entire year.

"As the owner of Bluewater, which globally markets leading-edge water purifiers for home, commercial and public use, we're inspired by how Rocean is redefining the way US consumers connect with their changing hydration needs," said Blue co-founder and CEO Anders Jacobson. "Our global addiction to bottled water is dramatically-increasing our carbon footprint when the need to fight climate change has never been more urgent. In the Rocean team and product, we see a clear solution to address a massive challenge."

The Rocean One sits snugly on a countertop at just 5" deep and is made from high-quality, sustainable materials like recycled bamboo. "I was inspired by the iconic architecture of the Roman aqueducts and how they solved the problem of transporting water many centuries ago," says Mohini Boparai Guleria, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer. "The final product is a reflection of our connection to fresh water – and the potential for human ingenuity to do more with it."

The first units of the Rocean One will be shipping late summer 2019.

About Rocean

Rocean makes smart appliances that change how we consume water. Rocean's first product, the Rocean One, is a seamless, highly personalizable, reusable water ecosystem with best-in-class filtration that also carbonates, flavors and enhances tap water. The Rocean One gives consumers more choice and convenience than they will find in their local supermarkets, all while helping them significantly lower their carbon footprint. Based in New York City and founded by serial entrepreneurs and concerned citizens Sunjay Guleria, Mohini Boparai Guleria, and Dr. Lee von Kraus, Rocean is guided by one simple question: What if we can enjoy our planet without harming it? www.rocean.com

About Blue

Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Blue is a global investment company that serves as a catalyst for innovations that can solve some of the major challenges facing our plane. Blue invests in and operates Nordic and international companies and organizations that apply human ingenuity to deliver resourceful, sustainable solutions. Members of the Blue portfolio include Sweden-HQ'd Bluewater, Sweden-based international alternative energy company Climeon, Spain's TAPP tap filtration company, Baseload Capital, Sweden's Save by Solar, Visiba Care, South Africa's iDropwater, and Midsummer.