The Startup Showcase at the Smart Kitchen Summit is always a crowd favorite, and our first ever SKS Europe show was no exception. This June, eight innovative startup leaders took to the stage to pitch their ideas for a product/app/system that they believe will revolutionize the kitchen of the future.
We were so impressed by their pitches, we decided to share the videos of the finalists’ pitches with you. First up, it’s the winner of SKS Europe’s first Startup Showcase: Mitte. Moritz Waldstein, co-founder and CEO of the Berlin-based startup, took the stage to tell the SKS Europe crowd about the future of water.
“30 years ago, bottled water didn’t exist,” he said. And 30 years hence, because of its environmental cost and inefficiency, he’s predicting that bottled water will be a thing of the past. Instead, people will get “healthy” water — that is, H20 that’s pure (free of bacteria and micro-plastics) and has essential minerals — at home.
How will they get it? Through Mitte; the company’s eponymous countertop appliance which turns tap water into mineral water. They claim their purification system (patent pending) is about 60 times cleaner than other filtration systems, and doesn’t need to be replaced every few months. After it’s purified, the water runs through one of Mitte’s three mineral cartridge options, each with a distinct mineral composition and taste (one is supposed to imitate Evian, another Vittel).
According to Waldstein, healthy hydration is a 200 billion industry. Mitte is optimizing on this trend as well as the global retreat from single-use plastic.
As of now, their product is pretty niche. I could see them eventually adding in a carbonizing component (capitalizing off the seltzer fad) or even flavor pods to their system, upping the customization aspect of their product. While Moritz said that they’re initially introducing Mitte into the home, I think that the countertop system would do especially well in an office environment. Their first products are set to ship later this year.
Watch the full video below to see Mitte’s winning pitch.
If you have a startup changing the way we eat (or drink), take note! Apply to be part of our Startup Showcase at SKS North America in Seattle this October for a chance to win the $10,000 prize.