“You have to imagine, and this is shocking, that worldwide 30% of drinking water is lost through leaks,” says founder Robbert Lodewijks. “That's a big problem, financially speaking, because every cubic meter of water is worth money. But within creasing water scarcity in the world, this problem takes on a whole new dimension.”
“We started with one method and expanded it considerably. You can best think of it as a framework of algorithms, in which we apply AI, but also many physics- and hydraulics-basedalgorithms. These models function on the basis of sensors that are already present in the networks of water companies, such as pressure and flow sensors,”he explains.
By way of this unique method, HULO is able to locate leaks quickly and accurately. Robbert: “Based on this technology, we can say: there is a leak and it is located approximately here and here. This saves water companies a lot of time that they would normally spend just finding out that there is a leak and then searching for its precise location.”
“Our technology makes that search much faster and simpler. Our software provides real-time insight. This often reduces lost time by 80% or more, which also results in enormous water savings,” he says.
Source of life
“Water is the source of life,” Robbert emphasizes the urgency of their work. “We tend to talk about cleantech and greentech, and so on, but we sometimes say: there is no green without blue. It is becoming ever more apparent worldwide: water is increasingly becoming a central theme, because everything needs water. It has long been neglected, but that is now changing rapidly. This is a good thing, because it is a necessary development.”
“Running a startup is often so busy that you need to take a breath now and then to realize how cool it is what you’re actually doing,” Robbert says. “But we do notice it, for example, when highly experienced, qualified people apply for jobs with us. At HULO, we only employ people with the very best profiles who are driven to make a difference. The fact that you can do that with a team of people who all want to do something meaningful, who all have the same mindset, feels really magical."
Deep end
The idea for HULO initially arose during Robbert’s studies abroad in Taiwan, when he wondered what he could invest his time in that was also somewhat meaningful. He landed a graduation internship at Leeuwarden-based Acquaint and thus came into contact with the water industry and the challenges it currently faces. This eventually led to the idea for the leak detection software that HULO now markets.
“Acquaint was a great springboard for us: you learn and see a lot. We were literally thrown in at the deep end and given a lot of freedom. We are the type of people who swim even harder because of that. For us, it was ideal to be able to start that way,”says Robbert about the start-up phase, which came about under the inspiring guidance of Acquaint.
“Our relationship with Acquaint has been instrumental to our success,” says Robbert. “Ultimately,that's where we started, that's where the seed was planted. The level of trust we gained there gave us a huge kickstart.”
A lot to learn
HULO participated in the BeStart program in 2022. “Beforehand, we had our doubts about whether we should participate. We wondered whether it would really add value for us. Aftersome research and discussions, we decided to commit. My co-founder Frank van der Hulst and I were not entrepreneurs, so we still had a lot to learn,” says Robbert.
“We benefited greatly from all the theory offered in the program. But, perhaps even more importantly,we also built up a relevant network. All of these new contacts have been very valuable to us,” he adds.
Robbert: “When committed to BeStart, you prepare yourself and get to work, you go there, you put in the time… You basically commit to working on your business, away from the issues of the day. We had never delved into the venture capital field before, for example. We learned that there. We also started working more according to structures, so more methodically, which is very useful.”
Solid foundations
“I think it's very important to lay a solid foundation at the beginning and then start building from there. You reap the benefits later,” he summarizes. “I'm very happy that we did BeStart at a very early stage. It gave us the opportunity to gather all that knowledge in advance and then put it to use before we had a team. It helped lay the foundations of our company.”
“We now have a team of eight nationalities,” he says proudly. “An Austrian has moved here, a Ghanaian, an Italian, and soon a Finn will start. I think that's fantastic. Apparently, it's possible here in the north of the Netherlands, where everyone always says: if you have international tech ambitions, you have to go abroad,while we're now showing that we don’t have to leave: it's possible right here.”
