Tim Cook and Eric Schmidt have invested in a startup that makes shower heads
The New York Times reports that Nebia has designed a new kind of shower head that it says can reduce the amount of water used by up to 70%. Average showers take around 20 gallons of water, but Nebia says that showers using its shower heads only use about six gallons.
The shower head reduces the amount of water used through nozzles that break water down into droplets. That means that more water comes into contact with your body.
Famous figures in the tech world have been raving about the Nebia shower heads. Airbnb cofounder Joe Gebbia said "your shower will never be the same," and Y-Combinator president Sam Altman called it the "best shower of my life. Get excited!"
Nebia isn't disclosing how much it raised from the tech execs. Apple confirmed to The Times that Cook invested, but made clear that it was done on a personal basis, not through Apple. Another investor in Nebia is Michael Birch, the British entrepreneur who cofounded social network Bebo and is now behind the members-only Battery club in San Francisco.
Nebia has been testing out its shower heads on the campuses of Apple and Google, as well as in Stanford University and at Equinox gyms.
It's easy to see why tech giants want to fund the Nebia. California is currently in the middle of a drought. There are already discussions on how water rationing could work, so people are worried about their water consumption. And giving money to organisations and companies that could change the world has long been a favourite strategy of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who regularly engages in philanthropic work.
The fundraising from Cook and Schmidt is just the start for Nebia, though. It's looking to raise $100,000 (£64,000) on Kickstarter to help it ship the first units. It has raised over $66,000 (£42,000) in one day, making it likely that it's going to hit its target.