In India, water scarcity is often associated with drying lakes, falling groundwater levels, and overburdened supply networks. Kolkata-based clean-tech startup AKVO Atmospheric Water Systems is tackling this challenge by extracting fresh drinking water directly from ambient atmospheric moisture.
Founded by Navkaran Singh Bagga, the company has grown from a local initiative into an international business. AKVO has now deployed over 2,000 systems across 15 countries.
Key Highlights & Impact
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Daily Output: Generates nearly 300,000 litres of clean drinking water every day using advanced atmospheric water generation (AWG) technology.
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Bootstrapped Success: Built with an initial seed capital of ₹3 crore without taking external venture funding, the company now maintains an annual revenue of ~₹10 crore.
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Water on Want Model: Beyond direct equipment sales, AKVO operates a flexible pay-per-litre subscription service in India, eliminating heavy upfront CapEx costs for corporate and institutional clients.
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Ambitious Scale-Up: AKVO aims to expand its daily production capacity to 1,000,000 litres and reach ₹100 crore in annual revenue over the next three years.
“Focus on value rather than valuation. What matters most is whether your solution works on the ground and whether customers are willing to pay for it.” — Navkaran Singh Bagga
Note: This article was translated and adapted from the original Hindi feature published on YourStory.
Original Article in Hindi: YourStory – AKVO Startup Makes Water from Air
