India is no stranger to the issue of water crises. In this scenario, five engineers – Vijay Krishna, Mohamed Mohideen, Abilash Haridass, Sundeep Donthamshetty and Selvakumar AB – established WEGoT with the aim to support the adoption of sustainable water use practices in buildings using technology. Growing up in Chennai and being witness to acute water shortages, these engineers wanted to contribute and help the city solve its water shortage. Having understood the power of Internet of Things (IoT), the group ventured to develop VenAqua, a sensor-based IoT device and a software platform that can be connected to water inlet pipes. WEGoT has created an integrated water management platform in real time, to address the current water crisis. “By tracking real time flow, the company’s sensor-based IoT device and VenAqua, helps in reducing the demand for water by more than 50 percent,” says Abilash Haridass, Co-Founder and Chief of Growth & Strategy, WEGoT. Sensors are installed in buildings to track water usage and generate daily reports. These granular data collected from various installations are analysed and the insights are shared with the end-users on a mobile app. Haridass adds, “The software further tracks usage patterns, which helps the building owners understand the amount of water required to be stored in tanks. It also detects leakages, abnormal water usage and inefficient water infrastructure, and informs the users and facility managers in real-time.” As part of the process, people managing buildings become more accountable and decrease their consumption by making real-time decisions. Haridass informs that the solution is offered on subscription, wherein the company gives the product free and users pay nominal monthly fee of Rs 149 (Residential) or 20 paise per sq ft (Commercial), apart from installation charges. The solution has helped apartment communities, commercial buildings and factories save up to 50 per cent water consumed. EGoT Year of establishment: 2015 Reach: Spread across 15 cities and aims to expand to 10 cities in the next two quarters. Growth graph: Solutions deployed in 30,000 homes, 20 million sq ft of commercial space resulting in a cumulative savings of 1 billion litre of water. Aim: To hit the target of saving 10 billion litre in the next two years. Business model: Stopped selling the product and gave it for free (installation charged on actuals) and charged a nominal monthly subscription fee. This helped acquire customers at a 4X pace. Clientele: Residential space: Brigade Group, Salarpuria Sattva, Mahindra, Aparna Constructions, Appaswamy Real Estates, Casa Grand Group and Ceebros;Commercial space: Godrej, ITC Group, Danfoss, Embassy, RMZ Group and Indian Institute of Human Settlements.