Flume

What Flume does

Flume is a San Luis Obispo, California-based IoT company that sells a smart home water monitoring and leak detection system to residential homeowners in the United States. The flagship Flume 2 product consists of two hardware components: an IP67-rated, strap-mounted Water Sensor that attaches to the home's existing water meter, and a Bridge Unit that connects to home WiFi (2.4GHz 802.11 b/g/n) and communicates with the sensor via 915MHz RF at up to 1,000 feet. A companion iOS and Android app delivers real-time water-flow readings (to one-hundredth of a gallon), anomaly/leak alerts, daily/weekly/monthly budgets, indoor vs. outdoor usage breakdowns, neighbor benchmarking, and integrations with Alexa, Google Home, and Orbit smart sprinklers. The sensor claims compatibility with approximately 95% of US water meters and is self-installable in roughly 10 minutes with no plumber visit.

Flume operates a hybrid hardware-plus-subscription model. The Flume 2 device is sold for a one-time $149 through the company's own e-commerce site (flumewater.com) and Amazon, and customers can layer on the Flume Insight subscription at $49.99/year for premium features including a Personal API, custom leak alerts, daily/weekly budgets, shared access, and a 15% discount on Angi professional services. Basic monitoring functions without a paid subscription. Distribution is multi-channel: direct-to-consumer e-commerce is the primary acquisition surface, but Flume also sells through water-utility rebate programs (Marin MWD, Rainbow MWD, EBMUD, California American Water, San Antonio Water System, Jurupa CSD) and a network of 15 major insurance carriers that offer discounts on policies for Flume-equipped homes. Utility partners report 10–18% reductions in participant water use and 66–70% of customers discovering leaks, validating the value proposition for both consumer and enterprise channels.

The company was founded in 2016, is a privately held Delaware corporation (Flume, Inc.), and has raised approximately $7.5M in disclosed equity across rounds in 2018, 2019, and 2020 (lead investors include Augment Ventures, LAUNCH, Sand Hill Angels, and Mazarine Ventures), with an additional undisclosed investment from HCAP Partners in June 2023 to fund market expansion. Reported outcomes from utility programs include 17% net water-use reduction versus control groups in Northern California, 88% behavior change in Southern California, and a 98% would-recommend rate in Central Texas. Flume currently operates exclusively in the United States; its EULA restricts use outside the US.

Name

Flume

Legal name

Flume, Inc.

Website

https://flumewater.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Flume provides IoT-based smart home water monitoring and leak detection devices to residential homeowners. The Flume 2 system pairs a water meter sensor with a WiFi bridge, mobile app, and annual subscription, distributed via utility rebates, insurance discounts, and direct e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Smart Water Monitoring Devices

NAICS

Totalizing Fluid Meter and Counting Device Manufacturing (334514), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)

SIC

Totalizing Fluid Meters & Counting Devices (3824), Auto Controls For Regulating Residential & Comml Environments (3822)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial/Residential Building Water Management & Leak Analytics Services (HSAHAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Leak Detection & Smart Shutoff Valve Systems (HSAHAGAA), Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) & Smart Meter Analytics (Meter Data for NRW) (EUANAKAC), Home Safety & Water Management (Smoke/CO, Leak Detection, Shutoff Valves) (HSAPAQAH)

Keywords

• Smart water monitoring
• Leak detection devices
• Water usage tracking
• IoT water meters
• Home water sensors

Headquarters

HQ city

San Luis Obispo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Hardware Device Sales: One-time purchase of Flume 2 water sensor and Bridge device. Hardware is sold directly through flumewater.com e-commerce and potentially through Amazon. Device enables the monitoring service but functions without subscription for basic tracking.
2. Annual Monitoring Subscription: Annual subscription fee of $49.99/year unlocks premium features including detailed water usage data, custom leak alerts, indoor vs outdoor breakdown, shared access for family/contractors, 15% discount on Angi professional services, and dedicated support.
3. Flume Insight Plan: Premium tier with Personal API access, daily/weekly budgets, and all monitoring features. Sold at $149 device + subscription model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Flume sells a smart home water monitoring system centered on the Flume 2 device, which combines an outdoor-rated Water Sensor (attached to the home water meter) with an indoor Bridge Unit that connects to WiFi. Paired with the Flume mobile app and tiered subscription services, the system delivers real-time water usage tracking down to one-hundredth of a gallon, automated leak detection alerts, and budget management tools for residential homeowners. A separate Utility Partner Solutions program offers water utilities aggregated household-level flow data and conservation programs as a lower-cost alternative to traditional AMI infrastructure.

Product overview

Flume offers a smart home water monitoring ecosystem centered on the Flume 2 device (Water Sensor + Bridge Unit) paired with mobile app and subscription services. The Flume Basic tier ($149 + $49.99/year) provides core leak detection, real-time GPM monitoring, and smart home integrations with Alexa, Google Home, and Orbit. The Flume Insight tier adds Personal API access, Detail+ appliance-level breakdown, custom leak alerts, and daily/weekly budget controls. For water utilities, the Utility Partner Solutions program enables large-scale deployment for conservation and demand management with aggregated customer data analytics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Flume 2: Latest smart home water monitor with improved RF connection, battery life, and durability features.
• Flume 1
• Flume Insight
• Detail+

Products and services

• Flume 2 Smart Home Water Monitor Flagship smart home water monitoring device consisting of a Water Sensor installed on the home water meter and a Bridge Unit connected to home WiFi. Tracks indoor and outdoor water usage 24/7, detects leaks in real-time, and provides consumption analytics down to one-hundredth of a gallon for residential homeowners.
• Flume Water App iOS and Android mobile application paired with the Flume 2 device for real-time water monitoring, leak alerts, budget management, indoor vs outdoor usage breakdowns, and smart home integration controls.
• Flume Insight Subscription Premium annual subscription tier at $49.99/year (with $149 device) that includes Personal API access, daily and weekly budgets, custom leak alerts, indoor vs outdoor usage breakdown, shared access for family/gardeners/plumbers, dedicated support, and a 15% discount on Angi professional services.
• Flume Basic Subscription Entry-level annual subscription at $49.99/year (with $149 device) including detailed water usage data, real-time GPM monitoring, monthly budgets, smart leak alerts, emergency contact notifications, and smart home integrations with Alexa, Google Home, and Orbit.
• Flume Utility Partner Solutions Enterprise program enabling water utilities to offer Flume devices to residential customers for demand planning, conservation program goals, and customer engagement. Utilities receive aggregated and household-specific flow data for tailored outreach and leak management, with reported outcomes of 10-18% reduction in water use by program participants.

Quantifiable outcome

• 17% net reduction in water use vs control group
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• San Antonio Water SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUtility partner offering Flume devices through rebate programs to help customers monitor and reduce water usage.
• California American WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor California water utility partner offering Flume rebates to customers as part of conservation programs.
• Rainbow Municipal Water DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCase study partner that deployed Flume at scale during drought to monitor customer compliance with water restrictions and reduce water use. Provided data showing 17% net reduction vs control group.
• EBMUD (East Bay Municipal Utility District)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEast Bay MUD offers Flume flow meter rebate programs to customers for water conservation.
• Marin Municipal Water DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCase study partner that used Flume during severe drought to deploy devices at scale and understand customer compliance with local drought restrictions to guide community engagement.
• AngiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHome services marketplace partnership providing Flume subscribers with 15% discount on professional services like sink, faucet, or appliance repair.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Phyn: Phyn is the closest direct competitor to Flume in the smart home water monitoring category. Phyn sells an under-sink smart water assistant with leak detection and shutoff, sold through retail and plumbing channels. Both companies target homeowners with real-time flow analytics and leak alerts, and both pursue utility partnerships.
• Flo by Moen: Flo by Moen is a smart water monitor and automatic shutoff system sold by Moen (Fortune Brands). It is a direct competitor offering real-time leak detection and shutoff; like Flume, it pairs with a mobile app and is positioned as a premium water security device for homeowners. Moen brings established plumbing trade distribution that Flume does not have.
• StreamLabs (Reliance Worldwide Corporation): StreamLabs is a smart water monitor offering real-time leak detection and flow analytics, now owned by Reliance Worldwide Corporation (RWC). It competes directly with Flume in the consumer water monitoring category and benefits from RWC's plumbing wholesale relationships.

Broad incumbents

• Moen (Fortune Brands Innovations): Moen is a major plumbing fixtures brand and the parent of Flo by Moen. As a broad incumbent with deep trade and retail distribution, Moen offers an alternative smart water path (Flo) that benefits from plumbing professional recommendations and bundled product purchases — areas where Flume's DIY model is structurally disadvantaged.
• Honeywell Home Resideo: Resideo (spun from Honeywell) sells Lyric Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detectors as part of a broader smart-home and connected-home portfolio. While its leak detectors are spot sensors rather than whole-home flow monitors, Resideo competes for the same homeowner security/monitoring wallet and has much broader retail and installer distribution.
• Badger Meter: Badger Meter is a long-established manufacturer of flow measurement and metering products for water utilities and industrial customers. While it does not sell a consumer-facing product like Flume, it represents the legacy AMI and metering infrastructure that Flume's Utility Partner Solutions program positions itself as a lower-cost alternative to.

Emerging players

• Rachio: Rachio is a leading smart sprinkler/irrigation controller that overlaps with Flume on outdoor water use optimization and smart irrigation. While Rachio does not monitor total household flow or detect indoor leaks, it competes for the same outdoor-water-savings budget and integrates with similar smart-home platforms.
• Utilis: Utilis provides satellite-based and analytics-driven leak detection and non-revenue water solutions for utilities. While its technology stack differs from Flume's consumer sensor approach, it competes for the same utility budget line item (NRW reduction) and represents an alternative path for utilities seeking leak reduction without customer-side hardware deployment.
• Aquarius Spectrum: Aquarius Spectrum provides acoustic leak detection and pipe condition assessment for water utilities. Like Utilis, it competes for utility-side NRW and leak-management spend but operates at network/pipeline level rather than the household level — adjacent rather than directly overlapping Flume's customer-side sensor model.

Regional players

• Hydrant (Waterwise): Waterwise's Hydrant product and other UK-based smart water monitoring solutions target the same customer jobs (leak detection, usage visibility) as Flume but in European/UK markets where regulatory drivers and meter standards differ. They are not direct US competitors but represent the comparable product category in adjacent geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/flumewater
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCihfW2y4G2WEtGUUBmr8ocQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/flumewater
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/flume-inc.
• Instagraminstagram.com/flumewater

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors9 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Flume