Urban Spring
Urban Spring (城泉) is a Hong Kong-based social enterprise that designs, sells, and leases the Well井 smart IoT water dispenser — providing NSF-certified filtered refill stations to hotels, shopping malls, schools, corporate offices, and public spaces across Hong Kong and Singapore to reduce single-use plastic bottle consumption.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersMong Kok, Hong Kong SAR China
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Urban Spring does
Urban Spring Co., Ltd. (城泉) is a Hong Kong-based private social enterprise founded in September 2015 that designs, manufactures, and operates the Well井 (Well#) smart water dispenser — a WiFi-enabled, IoT-connected station with NSF 42/53 certified filtration, a hidden contactless nozzle, programmable auto-rinsing, temperature-responsive mixing, and a customizable LCD screen. A Central Management System provides remote monitoring of filter usage, water flow, and operating conditions across the installed base, generating real-time ESG data for corporate sustainability reporting.
The company sells and leases Well井 units directly to enterprise and institutional clients across Hong Kong and Singapore — principally hotels and hospitality groups (Sino Hotels with ~100 units across 6 properties, Dorsett, Fullerton, Royal Pacific), shopping malls and real estate developers (Hysan Development, Hang Lung Properties, Swire Properties), universities and schools (HKU, HKUST, CUHK), corporate offices (DBS Bank, JLL), and public spaces including government country parks. The go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales with both one-time hardware purchase and annual/monthly lease (subscription) options that bundle remote monitoring, filter replacement, maintenance, and ESG data reporting. Ancillary revenue comes from event water solutions (IRIS Your Escape, Adidas Run for the Oceans, World Water Day activations), the WellArt customization program, the Zero2 Rewards loyalty program, and school-based environmental education workshops.
As of the most recent data, Urban Spring operates 400+ refill points across Hong Kong and Singapore, has reportedly saved 14 million+ single-use plastic bottles, employs 11-50 staff (22-person team cited as of early 2022), and holds a portfolio of certifications including Certified B Corp, WELL Member (IWBI), and BEC Sustainable Product Supplier. The company has not disclosed external venture or growth-equity funding, with cumulative investment reported at over HK$10 million as of 2019 and annual rental revenue near HK$7 million at that time.
Urban Spring firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Urban Spring
- Legal name
- Urban Spring Co., Ltd.
- Website
- https://urbanspring.hk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Urban Spring (城泉) is a Hong Kong-based social enterprise that designs, sells, and leases the Well井 smart IoT water dispenser — providing NSF-certified filtered refill stations to hotels, shopping malls, schools, corporate offices, and public spaces across Hong Kong and Singapore to reduce single-use plastic bottle consumption.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Urban Spring industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Smart Water Dispensers
- NAICS
- Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310)
- SIC
- Water Supply (4941)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pitcher & Dispenser Water Filters (CRAJAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Water Testing Kits & Monitoring (Household) (CRAJAJAL)
Keywords
Where Urban Spring is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mong Kok
- HQ country
- Hong Kong SAR China
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Urban Spring business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Water Dispenser Hardware Sales: Sale of Well井 smart water dispensers to enterprise clients including hotels, shopping malls, offices, and schools. One-time hardware revenue.
- Annual Lease / Rental: Clients can choose to lease Well井 on an annual basis. This rental model provides recurring revenue and includes remote monitoring, filter replacement, and maintenance services.
- Monthly Rental / Service Subscription: The company offers monthly rental plans and management services, providing regular water quality and usage data reports to clients.
- Event Water Solutions: Provision of filtered drinking water for events and exhibitions. Revenue generated from temporary installation and service provision at public and corporate events.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Purchase (one-time buy) |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual lease / rental |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly rental with management services |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels10 records
Urban Spring product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Urban Spring designs, manufactures, and deploys the Well井 (Well#) smart water dispenser, an IoT-connected filtered water refill station with NSF-certified activated carbon filtration, cloud-based remote monitoring, and ESG data reporting. The company sells or leases these dispensers to enterprise clients including hotels, shopping malls, schools, and corporate offices, while also providing event water solutions, maintenance services (WellCare), a refill rewards program (Zero2 Rewards), and education workshops to reduce single-use plastic bottled water consumption.
Product overview
Urban Spring offers a portfolio of smart water infrastructure products and services centred around the Well井 (Well#) flagship water dispenser. The core offering is the IoT-enabled Well井 smart water station with NSF-certified filtration, cloud-based remote monitoring, and ESG reporting capabilities. This core product is complemented by the Zero2 Rewards loyalty programme, WellCare maintenance services, and the WellArt customisation programme. Urban Spring also provides event water solutions with mobile stations and environmental education workshops for schools. The company operates on a buy or annual lease model, serving markets across Hong Kong and Singapore with over 400 water refill points.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Well井 (Well#): The flagship smart water dispenser featuring cloud-connected real-time data monitoring, ESG reporting, customizable LCD screen, NSF-certified filtration, and award-winning ergonomic design.
- Zero2 Rewards
- WellCare
- WellArt
Products and services
- Well井 (Well#) Smart Water Dispenser IoT-connected filtered water refill dispenser with NSF 42 and NSF 53 certified activated carbon filtration (99.999% bacteria reduction), cloud-based remote monitoring, programmable auto-rinsing, hidden contactless single-button nozzle, temperature-responsive mixing, and a customisable LCD screen displaying ESG data. Sold or leased to hotels, shopping malls, schools, corporate offices, and public spaces to replace single-use plastic bottled water.
- Zero2 Rewards Rewards programme tied to Urban Spring's water refill station network that offers incentives to users for refilling at Well井 stations.
- WellCare Maintenance, servicing, and care offering for Well井 water dispensers, supporting corporate clients with installation, filter replacement, water quality testing, and ongoing service.
- Event Water Solutions Mobile and temporary filtered water station services for events, exhibitions, festivals, and corporate gatherings, providing sustainable hydration at large public and corporate events.
- WellArt Custom Dispenser Programme Custom artwork collaboration programme where local and overseas artists design custom appearances for Well井 dispensers for private and public spaces, promoting environmental awareness through art.
- Education Workshops Environmental education workshops for schools covering plastic waste issues, the 4R principles, social entrepreneurship, and Well井 as a case study, tailored to student level and focus area.
Quantifiable outcome
- 14 million+ single-use plastic bottles saved
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Urban Spring
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Urban Spring technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature7 records
Urban Spring partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Swire Properties (New Ventures)coreSwire Properties, through its technology and innovation fund, became a strategic partner before making any investment. Well井 was installed at Citygate in Tung Chung, and Urban Spring provided mobile water station services at Swire's Sugar Street Christmas market.
- Sino HotelsflagshipSino Hotels (Sino Group) became the first hotel group in Hong Kong to fully replace plastic bottled water with Urban Spring's Well井 smart dispensers across 6 properties. Nearly 100 dispensers were installed, projected to save 1.6 million plastic bottles annually. The partnership included providing glass bottles in rooms instead of plastic, with strong guest acceptance.
- Lee Hysan FoundationcoreLee Hysan Foundation provided support for the UNFRIEND PLASTIC education program, funding Urban Spring to partner with La Violet Education and conduct interactive workshops combining design thinking and STEM in 10 selected secondary schools.
- Hysan DevelopmentflagshipHysan Development installed Well井 at Hysan Place (Causeway Bay) in July 2017 — the first public installation. Lee Garden Two added a second unit in May 2018. The Hysan Place unit saved over 160,000 plastic bottles in its first year. The partnership was part of Hysan's green shopping mall initiative.
- Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC)coreUrban Spring participated in the HKTDC International Eco Expo in October 2017, where Well井 was featured in a pre-show press conference and received extensive media coverage. The event generated over 200 business contacts including property developers, mall management companies, and government bodies.
- Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC)minorHysan Place, a member of HKGBC, collaborated with Urban Spring to install Well井 as part of the Hong Kong Green Shop Alliance initiative to advocate reducing disposable bottle usage in Causeway Bay.
- Urbanwood HotelscoreUrbanwood Hotels in Ap Lei Chau partnered with Urban Spring as part of its green staycation program, eliminating single-use plastic amenities and encouraging guests to bring their own bottles to refill at the Well井 dispenser in the reading lounge.
- SleeepminorSleeep, an urban wellness tech startup operating micro-hotel pods, installed Well井 at its facility, appreciating both the user experience showing plastic bottles saved on screen and the operational cost savings from eliminating bottled water.
- IRIS Your Escape (Hybrid Group)coreIRIS Your Escape, Hong Kong's largest outdoor wellness festival, has been an official filtered water partner since 2017, requiring participants to bring their own containers. Urban Spring provides Well井 dispensers and educational engagement at the event.
- La Violet EducationcoreLa Violet Education curates interactive workshops for the UNFRIEND PLASTIC school program, combining design thinking and STEM education with Well井 data and real-time alerts to engage students in resolving plastic waste issues.
- Milk Design (Chi-Wing Lee)coreChi-Wing Lee from Milk Design was the designer of the Well井 product, contributing to its award-winning ergonomic and aesthetic design.
- CoDesign (Hung and Eddie)coreCoDesign contributed to the design and development of Well井 alongside Milk Design, creating the product's technical and industrial design.
- Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)minorHKUST Jockey Club Hall student residence installed Well井, providing filtered water to students.
- Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)minorCUHK SeeYou@Shaw installed Well井 as part of campus sustainability initiatives.
- Nature Bathing (遊沐)minorNature Bathing, an eco-education social enterprise, partners with Urbanwood Hotels for eco-tourism staycation packages that include Well井 water refilling as part of the sustainability experience.
- Gardens by the Bay SingaporeminorUrban Spring's first Singapore installation at Gardens by the Bay was set up at the end of 2020, marking the company's regional expansion.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Urban Spring competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Waterlogic: Global water-as-a-service provider operating purified water dispensers for offices, hotels, and hospitality on subscription/lease. Closest analog to Urban Spring's recurring-lease model with enterprise focus.
- Quench (by Aqua Chill): US-based water-as-a-service company deploying filtered water dispensers to offices and hospitality under subscription. Direct comparable in dispenser-as-service model and IoT monitoring approach.
Broad incumbents
- Culligan International: Global incumbent in water treatment and bottleless coolers for residential, office, and commercial use. Larger portfolio but overlaps directly with Urban Spring's dispenser and filtration offering.
- Primo Water Corporation: North American water services and bottleless dispenser company serving residential and commercial customers. Comparable in dispenser/depot model, though more retail-bottle oriented.
- Elkay Manufacturing: Major US manufacturer of water coolers, drinking fountains, and bottle-filling stations for commercial and institutional settings. Overlaps with Urban Spring's institutional dispenser target market.
- Oasis International: Manufacturer of water coolers and bottleless dispensers for offices, schools, and healthcare. Directly comparable in product category and institutional customer base.
- Brita (The Clorox Company): Global leader in household water filtration pitchers and dispensers. Brand and distribution scale dwarf Urban Spring but addresses adjacent consumer filtration category.
Emerging players
- SodaStream (PepsiCo): Home carbonation maker positioned around plastic-bottle reduction, now part of PepsiCo. Comparable sustainability narrative targeting refill behaviour, though consumer/home rather than institutional.
- Waterdrop: DTC water filtration brand selling pitchers, bottles, and under-sink systems with an ESG angle. Overlaps on sustainability-driven hydration but serves household rather than institutional buyers.
Others
- WaterAid: Global non-profit focused on safe water access and plastic-pollution reduction. Adjacent mission comparator, not a commercial peer, but useful benchmark for ESG narrative traction.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Urban Spring social profiles
Digital presenceUrban Spring compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
Urban Spring financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Urban Spring leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Urban Spring funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Urban Spring M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Urban Spring
What does Urban Spring do?
Urban Spring designs, manufactures, and deploys the Well井 (Well#) smart water dispenser, an IoT-connected filtered water refill station with NSF-certified activated carbon filtration, cloud-based remote monitoring, and ESG data reporting. The company sells or leases these dispensers to enterprise clients including hotels, shopping malls, schools, and corporate offices, while also providing event water solutions, maintenance services (WellCare), a refill rewards program (Zero2 Rewards), and education workshops to reduce single-use plastic bottled water consumption.
Is Urban Spring a public or private company?
Urban Spring is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Urban Spring founded?
Urban Spring was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Urban Spring based?
Urban Spring is headquartered in Mong Kok, Hong Kong SAR China, in the Asia region.
How does Urban Spring make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Water Dispenser Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are annual Lease / Rental, monthly Rental / Service Subscription and event Water Solutions.
Who are Urban Spring's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Waterlogic and Quench (by Aqua Chill). Broad incumbents are Culligan International, Primo Water Corporation, Elkay Manufacturing, Oasis International and Brita (The Clorox Company). Emerging players are SodaStream (PepsiCo) and Waterdrop. WaterAid is listed as an others.
Does Urban Spring have an API?
No public API is recorded for Urban Spring.
What industry is Urban Spring in?
Urban Spring's product category is Smart Water Dispensers. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAJAJAB, Pitcher & Dispenser Water Filters, with a secondary code of CRAJAJAL, Water Testing Kits & Monitoring (Household). Its NAICS code is 221310 and its SIC code is 4941.