Skysource
SkySource is a Venice, California-based social impact enterprise that developed WEDEW, a biomass gasification atmospheric water generator producing 2,000+ liters of water daily from air, serving climate-vulnerable communities, governments, NGOs, and educational institutions for emergency water resilience and disaster response.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersVenice, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Skysource does
SkySource is a private social impact enterprise founded in 2016 by architect David Hertz and Laura Doss-Hertz, headquartered in Venice, California, with 1-10 employees. The company developed WEDEW (Wood-to-Energy Deployable Emergency Water), a self-contained atmospheric water generator that uses biomass gasification to extract over 2,000 liters of fresh water per day from atmospheric air while simultaneously producing electricity and sequestering carbon. The system is engineered to operate at less than one-tenth the cost of solar PV and at a target production cost of $0.02 per liter using 100% renewable energy, with biomass feedstock sourced from agricultural and forestry waste.
The company monetizes through hardware sales/deployment of the WEDEW unit, supplemented by a 501(c)(3) Resilience Foundation that accepts philanthropic donations and a Resilience Lab consultancy providing climate adaptation and wildland-urban interface resilience planning services. The go-to-market targets climate-affected communities, government agencies, NGOs, and educational institutions for emergency response, wildfire resilience, and point-of-use water generation applications, distributed via direct enterprise sales and an enterprise field sales motion rather than self-serve channels.
Commercially, SkySource remains at an early stage: no revenue is disclosed, the company has publicly paused new sales to restructure around a water self-reliance program, and its only known external capital is the $1.5M Water Abundance XPRIZE grand prize won in 2018 (out of $1.75M total purse, competing against 97 teams from 27 countries). The company has built significant institutional credibility through awards (Cooper Hewitt National Design Award 2022, TIME Best Inventions 2020, WTN World Technology Award 2018, Fast Company World Changing Ideas finalist 2019) and high-visibility features (NYSE 'Ones to Watch' 2023, White House Climate Resilient Communities Summit 2023, XPRIZE documentary 2024), but has not yet converted this profile into disclosed recurring commercial revenue.
Skysource firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Skysource
- Legal name
- SkySource
- Website
- https://skysource.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- SkySource is a Venice, California-based social impact enterprise that developed WEDEW, a biomass gasification atmospheric water generator producing 2,000+ liters of water daily from air, serving climate-vulnerable communities, governments, NGOs, and educational institutions for emergency water resilience and disaster response.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Skysource industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Atmospheric Water Generation Systems
- NAICS
- Biomass Electric Power Generation (221117)
- SIC
- Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Biomass Carbon Removal & Storage (BECCS/Bioenergy with CO₂ Capture) (EUABAFAB)
Keywords
Where Skysource is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Venice
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Skysource business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- WEDEW Hardware Sales/Deployment: The company sells and deploys WEDEW systems - self-contained atmospheric water generators that can be purchased for community, emergency response, and climate resilience applications. The company is transitioning its business to advance customers' water self-reliance.
- Resilience Foundation Donations: The Resilience Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that accepts donations to support development of innovative products and solutions combatting world's greatest challenges using UN Sustainable Development Goals as a guiding framework.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | WEDEW system capable of extracting 2,000+ liters per day |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Skysource product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Skysource designs, builds, and deploys WEDEW (Wood-to-Energy Deployable Emergency Water), a self-contained atmospheric water generator housed in a shipping container that uses biomass gasification to extract over 2,000 liters of fresh drinking water per day from atmospheric air while generating electricity and sequestering greenhouse gases as biochar. The system is sold to governments, NGOs, and communities for emergency response, climate resilience, and wildfire preparedness, with complementary offerings through Resilience Lab consulting and the Resilience Foundation non-profit.
Product overview
Skysource is a water technology company offering atmospheric water generation solutions, primarily through WEDEW (Wood-to-Energy Deployable Emergency Water) - a self-contained system that extracts water from air using biomass gasification. The company also provides climate adaptation consulting through Resilience Lab, operates the Resilience Foundation non-profit initiative, and runs community programs like the Wall of Water bottle-filling station. WEDEW won the $1.5M Water Abundance XPRIZE Grand Prize in 2018, was named one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2020, and received the 2022 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for Climate Action.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- WEDEW (Wood-to-Energy Deployable Emergency Water) A versatile, self-contained, sustainable energy-water generator that converts biomass into essential human resources (water and electricity) while sequestering greenhouse gases into the ground. Uses biomass gasification to extract over 2,000 liters of fresh drinking water per day from atmospheric air at a cost of no more than $0.02 per liter, and is sold to governments, NGOs, and communities for emergency response and climate resilience deployments.
- Resilience Lab A climate adaptation consultancy focused on disaster preparedness, survival planning, and preparing communities for climate change impacts. Designs resilience plans and resilient building and landscape systems for wildland-urban interface communities.
- Water Abundance XPRIZE WEDEW Solution Point-of-use atmospheric water generation system designed for climate resilience, providing reliable energy and water independent of existing infrastructure for vulnerable communities. Verified in 2018 as the winning solution of the Water Abundance XPRIZE competition.
- Wall of Water A community atmospheric water generator with bottle filling station installed in Venice, Los Angeles that serves as a public water source and demonstration of atmospheric water generation technology.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2,000 liters of water per day from atmospheric air - sufficient for 200 people
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Skysource
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Skysource technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Skysource partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- XPRIZE FoundationcoreXPRIZE Foundation is the organizer of the Water Abundance XPRIZE competition which Skysource won as Grand Prize Winner in 2018. Skysource is an active XPRIZE Alumni, featured in XPRIZE documentary, and participates in ongoing XPRIZE events and initiatives including the Water Scarcity competition launch and Rainforest Summit.
- Resilience FoundationcoreThe Resilience Foundation is a related 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with mission to develop, incubate, invest and devote funds to innovative products and solutions combatting world's greatest challenges. Uses UN Sustainable Development Goals as guiding framework.
- Studio of Environmental Architecture (S.E.A.)coreDavid Hertz's architecture studio that houses Resilience Lab. Resilience Lab evolved from Skysource and is a new studio within S.E.A. Focused on climate adaptation, survival, and preparing people for consequences of global climate change.
- The Bay FoundationminorLaura Doss-Hertz serves on the board of The Bay Foundation, which works to restore the Santa Monica Bay and its watershed. Skysource supports The Bay Foundation's mission.
- Peter Diamandis/XPRIZEcorePeter Diamandis, founder of XPRIZE Foundation, featured Skysource's WEDEW technology on his blog discussing water abundance solutions. David and Laura joined Peter Diamandis on stage at 2019 XPRIZE Visioneering event.
- Venice CommunityminorSkysource installed a 150-gallon atmospheric water generator (Wall of Water) in Venice as a community water source and social experiment. Served hundreds of locals since 2016 installation.
- LA2050 Initiative / Markham Middle SchoolminorSkysource collaborated with LA2050 initiative for 'Resiliency IN A BOX' project at Markham Middle School in Watts, providing renewable water, soil enhancements and clean energy for students and community.
- Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design MuseumcoreAwarded WEDEW the 2022 National Design Award for Climate Action. The National Design Awards were established as a project of the White House Millennium Council in 2000.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Skysource competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Aqua Sciences: Aqua Sciences produces atmospheric water generation systems for emergency response, military, and disaster relief deployments. Direct peer in extracting drinking water from air with a comparable focus on humanitarian and emergency use cases like SkySource's WEDEW.
- Source Global: Source Global (formerly Zero Mass Water) develops solar-powered hydropanels that extract drinking water from atmospheric humidity. It is the closest direct peer to SkySource, operating in the same atmospheric water generation category with overlapping climate resilience, off-grid, and commercial deployments.
- Water-Gen: Water-Gen manufactures atmospheric water generators that extract drinking water from air for military, emergency response, and commercial applications. It is a direct competitor to SkySource's WEDEW with overlapping humanitarian and disaster-relief use cases.
- Eolewater: Eolewater is a French company developing atmospheric water generators that produce drinking water from air using renewable energy. Comparable to WEDEW in the atmospheric water generation category, though using a different energy source approach.
Emerging players
- Drinkable Air: Drinkable Air produces atmospheric water generators for residential and commercial use, extracting drinking water from ambient humidity. Emerging player in the same atmospheric water generation category as SkySource but focused on smaller-scale consumer and commercial deployments.
- All Power Labs: All Power Labs manufactures biomass gasification systems that convert organic waste into electricity and thermal energy. Comparable to WEDEW on the underlying biomass gasification technology platform, though All Power Labs focuses on power generation rather than water production.
- Elemental Water Makers: Elemental Water Makers builds atmospheric water generators and desalination systems for off-grid communities and remote resorts. Comparable to SkySource in addressing water scarcity with atmospheric water generation, focused on tropical and island deployments.
Regional players
- Abundant Water: Abundant Water is a non-profit social enterprise providing clean water access to rural communities in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Comparable to SkySource's social impact mission of addressing water scarcity in vulnerable communities, though focused on water filtration rather than atmospheric water generation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Skysource social profiles
Digital presenceSkysource financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Skysource leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Skysource subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Skysource funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Skysource 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 Skysource
What does Skysource do?
Skysource designs, builds, and deploys WEDEW (Wood-to-Energy Deployable Emergency Water), a self-contained atmospheric water generator housed in a shipping container that uses biomass gasification to extract over 2,000 liters of fresh drinking water per day from atmospheric air while generating electricity and sequestering greenhouse gases as biochar. The system is sold to governments, NGOs, and communities for emergency response, climate resilience, and wildfire preparedness, with complementary offerings through Resilience Lab consulting and the Resilience Foundation non-profit.
Is Skysource a public or private company?
Skysource is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Skysource founded?
Skysource was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Skysource based?
Skysource is headquartered in Venice, United States, in the North America region.
How does Skysource make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. WEDEW Hardware Sales/Deployment is the primary driver. The others are resilience Foundation Donations.
Who are Skysource's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Aqua Sciences, Source Global, Water-Gen and Eolewater. Emerging players are Drinkable Air, All Power Labs and Elemental Water Makers. Abundant Water is listed as a regional player.
Does Skysource have an API?
No public API is recorded for Skysource.
What industry is Skysource in?
Skysource's product category is Atmospheric Water Generation Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUABAFAB, Biomass Carbon Removal & Storage (BECCS/Bioenergy with CO₂ Capture). Its NAICS code is 221117 and its SIC code is 4991.