Spadel invests in pioneering start-up Kumulus
Brussels, 19 May 2025 - The Source, Spadel’s venture capital fund, has decided to invest in the Franco-Tunisian start-up Kumulus. This start-up has developed a revolutionary technology that extracts drinking water from the humidity of the air, even in the most arid regions of the planet. This innovation could be particularly beneficial for countries facing water scarcity. This investment meets The Source’s goal of acquiring stakes in promising start-ups in the world of hydration and the beverages of tomorrow.
What if we could produce drinking water from the air, even in the desert? It sounds like science fiction, but this is exactly what the Franco-Tunisian start-up Kumulus has succeeded in doing. Since 2021, it has developed its “Amphore” machine that can produce an average of 30 litres of high-quality drinking water per day, while being completely independent of the tap water system. This year, Kumulus also launched the Boks, a cubic model equipped with a water fountain that fits their machine. And this is just the beginning because Kumulus is now working on new machines and interconnected solutions that can produce 1,000 or 2,000 litres of drinking water per day.
“A few years ago, during a trip to the desert in Tunisia, I saw dew forming in the morning, and that’s when I had the idea of turning it into drinking water,” explains Kumulus co-founder Iheb Triki, an engineer who has long worked in renewable energy. According to him, “atmospheric water generators will disrupt the water sector, just as photovoltaic panels have done in the electricity sector. This is local water production, which uses a natural source that is not used today: the water in the air. What’s more, it is an almost inexhaustible resource since there is estimated to be six times more water in the air than in all rivers combined.”
120 machines installed in offices, factories and schools
The technology developed by Kumulus, which recovers water from the air before filtering and then mineralising it to turn it into water that is healthy, fresh and ready to drink, could be a clear game-changer for regions of the world facing water scarcity and water stress. It also offers a response to the contamination of certain water resources, since the water produced by the Kumulus machines is a high-quality drinking water, thanks to meticulous selection of components, an advanced filtration system, and extensive testing carried out throughout the installation and use of the machine.
For the time being, Kumulus is active in Tunisia, Spain, France and Saudi Arabia, four countries in which it has already installed 120 machines, many of them in offices and factories, but also in several schools as part of social responsibility programmes. Thanks to these initiatives, more than 1,000 pupils have access to drinking water. Countries such as the United Arab Emirates, the USA and Morocco have also expressed interest. Generally speaking, the growth potential is enormous, as it is estimated that 50% of the world’s population currently endures conditions of extreme water stress for at least one month of the year. And by 2050, an additional billion people are expected to face severe water resource scarcity.
Partners rather than competitors
“Kumulus will continue to deploy more machines in 2025”, Iheb Triki confirms. “Our three main goals for the coming months are to accelerate our growth, strengthen our product portfolio and increase our presence in Saudi Arabia. In the longer term, I am convinced that Kumulus can go another step further and also provide water for agricultural and industrial needs.”
The Source’s investment in Kumulus is part of a funding round with several partners and business angels for a total amount of €3 million. “The reason we decided to invest in Kumulus is because we believe that the world needs additional solutions to address the essential problem of drinking water scarcity, whether through natural mineral water like the range offered by Spadel or through filtered water recovered from the air like that offered by Kumulus. We are not competitors, but partners, because there are several building blocks that have to be connected to provide a response to this global challenge”, stresses Clément Yvorra, Global Business Development Manager at Spadel. “We were also won over by the fact that it is locally produced high-quality water, allowing Kumulus to avoid any packaging or transport needs.”