Soma (company)

Soma
Private
Industry Water filtration
Founded 2012
Headquarters San Francisco, California
Products Water filters
Website www.drinksoma.com

Soma is a company that designs eco-friendly water filtration systems.[1][2] It was founded by Mike Del Ponte, Ido Leffler, Rohan Oza, and Zach Allia in 2012.[3][4]

History

Del Ponte received inspiration for Soma while hosting a dinner party.[2] He was too embarrassed to display his plastic water filter on the table, and when he attempted to decant the water into a glass carafe, the lid flew off the pitcher and water spilled on the floor.[2] While cleaning up the mess with a dinner guest, Ido Leffler (the founder of Yes To, Inc), the two resolved to create a water filter that is well-designed, functional, eco-friendly, and delivered via subscription.[2][5]

Soma launched a Kickstarter campaign in December 2012.[6] Within the first nine days they had raised over $100,000, with an eventual total of $147,000 by the end of the campaign.[6]

In July 2013, Soma announced a $3.7 million seed round of funding, from investors including Baseline Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, Lerer Ventures, Collaborative Fund, Cowboy Ventures, Vast Ventures, Mindful Investors, and Tim Ferriss.[7] Soma opened ordering to the public on September 16, 2013.[8]

An image of the Soma carafe

Description

The Soma water filtration system consists of a glass carafe and a biodegradable water filter.[2] The carafe is contoured to fit hands and has a beveled edge to prevent spilling.[3][9] The filters are made from Malaysian coconut shells, vegan silk, and food-based PLA plastic, and are delivered to customers via a subscription service every two months.[2][9] The filter was designed by David Beeman, who created the water formulas for Starbucks and Peet's Coffee.[9] Soma has also partnered with charity: water to donate clean drinking water to those in need through the sale of every filter.[10]

Reception

The New York Times called Soma a "welcome change to the status quo" and Inc. Magazine named Soma one of the "most audacious companies of 2013."[1][2][11] Soma has also been profiled in Wired, Men’s Journal, GQ, Forbes, Business Insider, Mashable, Details, Greatist, Gear Patrol, Thrillist, Good.is, and The Huffington Post.[3][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]

References

  1. 1 2 Viladas, Pilar. The Daily Gift: Soma Water Filter. The New York Times. November 10, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Fenzi, Francesca Louise. Purer Than Pur, More Elegant Than Brita. Inc. Magazine. April 18, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Schwartz, Ariel. Forget Brita: Building A Better Water Filter. Fast Company.
  4. ↑ Ferriss, Tim. Hacking Kickstarter: How to Raise $100,000 in 10 Days. Four Hour Workweek'.
  5. ↑ Hickman, Matt. Bye bye, Brita: Sleek Soma water filter takes Kickstarter by storm. Mother Nature Network. December 14, 2012.
  6. 1 2 Soma: Beautifully innovative all-natural water filters. Kickstarter.
  7. ↑ Brooke, Eliza. Charitable Water Filter Maker Soma Raises $3.7M Seed Round. TechCrunch. July 16, 2013.
  8. ↑ Schwartz, Ariel. Buy This Gorgeous Better-Than-Brita Water Filter That Began On Kickstarter. Fast Company. September 16, 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 Product Spotlight: Soma Water. Dwell Magazine.
  10. ↑ WATCH: Clean Drinking Water for All. The Huffington Post. September 16, 2013.
  11. ↑ Clendaniel, Morgan. The Top 14 Design Stories Of 2012. Fast Company.
  12. ↑ The Green Water Filter. Men's Journal. August 16, 2013.
  13. ↑ Soma backers lap up stylish water filter. San Francisco Chronicle. August 23, 2013.
  14. ↑ Clean Water, Meet Clean Lines. GQ. September 18, 2013.
  15. ↑ Groth, Aimee. New Startup Soma Water Defines One Of The Biggest Trends In Silicon Valley. Business Insider. December 4, 2012.
  16. ↑ Li, Anita. All-Natural Compostable Water Filter Promises 'Superior Taste'. Mashable.
  17. ↑ Breeneon, Sophia. News: Fancy New Soma Water Filter Is A Better Brita. Greatist. December 11, 2012.
  18. ↑ Lynn, Sarah. Innovative Home Water Filter Made of…Coconut?! Gorgeously Green. December 12, 2012.
  19. ↑ Burchette, Jordan. A pretty pitcher for purists. Thrillist. December 3, 2012.
  20. ↑ We Put a Lot of Thought into Water So You Don't Have To. December 5, 2012.
  21. ↑ Soma Water Filter Kickstarter Poised To Give Brita Some Competition (VIDEO). Huffington Post. December 10, 2012.
  22. ↑ Forbes Up And Comers: Mike Del Ponte, Jessica Rosenkrantz, Andrew Laffoon. Forbes. December 24, 2012.
  23. ↑ Yuan, LinYee. Soma: Drink Better Water with a 100% Compostable Filter. Core 77. December 18, 2012.
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