Hidrate Closes Successful Kickstarter Campaign, Meeting More Than 17 Times its Goal

    MINNEAPOLIS, MN, July 29, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Hidrate, the team behind the HidrateMe smart water bottle, announces the close of its highly successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for its first product, the HidrateMe smart water bottle. The campaign closed after 43 days and raised $627,644, with more than 8,000 backers globally. Hidrate will now begin offering pre-orders of the HidrateMe bottle via its website, http://www.hidrate.me

With an initial goal of $35,000, which was raised in one day, and surpassing multiple stretch goals, HidrateMe will be offered in six colors and will also include a "don't leave me behind" feature that will track the bottle if forgotten or misplaced.

HidrateMe is a BPA-free, smart water bottle that automatically tracks water intake via Bluetooth to a smartphone application. The bottle is 24-ounces and emits an ambient glow as a visual reminder to drink more water. The smartphone app calculates a daily water goal specific to each user with a hydration equation that factors in gender, age, height and weight, along with other external factors like temperature and elevation. The HidrateMe app can also connect to multiple wearable fitness devices, like Fitbit or Jawbone. The application monitors water intake and sends push notifications as a reminder to drink more water.

Hidrate officially unveiled the HidrateMe smart water bottle at Startup Weekend powered by Google for Entrepreneurs in Minneapolis in 2014. The team also showcased the product at Sprint Accelerator TechStars Demo Day in June 2015, receiving $120,000 in funding for the product.

"We are beyond thrilled for the support we have received throughout our campaign," says founder and CEO Nadya Nguyen. "We've kicked off manufacturing and our engineers have been hard at work making small adjustments to ensure we deliver the best possible product. We can't wait to ship these out to our backers and fill preorders next year, helping our supporters stay hydrated and meet their health and fitness goals!"

Hidrate has launched the ability for preorders via the Hidrate website starting in July 2015. Set to ship in January 2016, the HidrateMe smart water bottle will be available for $46.95 via preorder.

The Hidrate team is seeking out opportunities with retailers, specifically fitness stores and boutique gyms. They are also looking at potential partnerships with big box retailers as well. Hidrate is currently focusing on manufacturing of the HidrateMe smart water bottle, and plans to bring more hydration and wellness products to the market.

For more information about Hidrate, please visit: http://www.hidrate.me

About Hidrate

Launched in 2014, Hidrate is the company behind the HidrateMe smart water bottle. Synced to a smartphone app, Hidrate creates a customized hydration plan and sends notifications if you forget to drink. HidrateMe, made from a BPA-free plastic, automatically tracks water intake and sends reminders both on the bottle itself and through the Hidrate app. Embedded with LED lights, the HidrateMe water bottle gives off an ambient glow to remind consumers when to drink more water. The 24-ounce, dishwasher-safe bottles have a battery life of over a year with no charging needed.

Created by University of Minnesota students, Hidrate won third place in the Startup Weekend powered by Google for Entrepreneurs in Minneapolis, Minnesota and was accepted into Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator Program powered by Techstars.

For more information about Hidrate, please visit: http://www.hidrate.me

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