
H2Ok Innovations Raises $12M Series A for AI-Powered Sensors That Disrupt and Transform CPG Manufacturing
This funding comes as H2Ok Innovations' technology is already being used by major global CPG and hyperscale data center companies to accelerate production and prevent downtime. This capital will support efforts to rapidly scale AI in manufacturing by productizing disruptive technology into an instantly deployable solution, enabling faster Clean-in-Place (CIP) and product changeovers.
Founded in 2021 by sister and brother team, Annie and David Lu, H2Ok Innovations helps customers run faster factories by removing slack and detecting errors early through continuous monitoring, AI optimization, and closed-loop control system integration. H2Ok Innovations' technology easily installs into existing piping and instrumentation standards, delivering measurable returns instantly.
The company's technology ingests 1 million data points per second, giving customers like Unilever, AB InBev, The Coca-Cola Company, and Danone real-time monitoring that recaptures previously wasted production time, water, energy, and chemicals. Motivated by the fast realization of ROI, AB InBev, the world's largest beer company, is currently scaling H2Ok to all six geographical zones and all global breweries in the coming years.
"Post-COVID food and beverage manufacturers are besieged by supply chain constraints, rising costs, evolving safety standards, and shifting consumer demands,' said Annie Lu, CEO of H2Ok Innovations. 'Our turnkey solution gives manufacturers production time back to address these macro challenges and still drive innovation. We're excited to bring science-backed proprietary sensors and industry-focused AI that delivers both the sustainability and speed that manufacturers need to thrive in today's environment.'
'Instead of reacting to waste, manufacturers use our technology to proactively perfect their processes, which in turn generates less waste,' said David Lu, CTO of H2Ok Innovations. 'Our customers leverage our technology to routinely cut CIP and production changeover time by 15 percent and reduce water, energy, and chemical usage between 10 to 20 percent. With H2Ok's game-changing technology, manufacturers build the next generation of sustainable factories that simultaneously save them time and money.'
'H2Ok Innovations is a great example of how the 100+ Accelerator helps scale transformative technologies in large global supply chains,' said Maisie Devine, Executive Director, 100+ Accelerator. 'Their ability to demonstrate measurable impact quickly and across critical industrial processes has positioned them for success. We're proud to have supported their journey and excited to see their continued growth.'
Greycroft's Jim Moffat, former Global CEO of Deloitte Consulting, will also be joining the board of H2Ok and brings his expertise in enterprise strategy and business scaling to support H2Ok's growth.
"H2Ok Innovations is focused on transforming industrial operations by applying AI in ways that can drive immediate, measurable results," said Dana Settle, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Greycroft. "We're proud to support Annie and David as they scale their vision globally and aim to advance both efficiency and environmental sustainability."
Headquartered at Greentown Labs in Somerville, MA — North America's leading cleantech innovation community, H2Ok is a woman-founded startup backed by top-tier investors such as Greycroft, Construct Capital, 2048 Ventures, and Flybridge Capital. Recognized for its innovation and impact, H2Ok was named Unilever's 2023 Startup of the Year supplier and received AB InBev's 2024 Cheers Award for outstanding startup partnership.
About H2Ok Innovations
H2Ok Innovations is transforming how food and beverage factories run by using its in-line sensors and turnkey AI solution to unlock lost production time. H2Ok's patented spectral sensors continuously monitor fluid signatures to optimize Clean-In-Place (CIP), product changeovers, and prevent costly errors before they cause downtime. Our AI solution absorbs expert intuition into machine learning models and helps manufacturers instantly run faster, cleaner, and more profitably.
Deployed in factories across six continents and trusted by global leaders like AB InBev, The Coca-Cola Company, and Unilever, H2Ok is redefining what it means to unlock your faster factory.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Chicago Tribune
4 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
More young people going into farming, but it's still few of them
At the Porter County Fair on Thursday, Ron Birky, of Morgan Township, said he retired as a farmer after 46 years. 'I was raised on a farm,' he said, but that's not a guarantee he would become a farmer. 'I was one of five kids, and I was the only one to go into farming,' he said. 'I always enjoyed it. That was really the only thing I wanted to do after high school,' Birky said. But becoming a farmer isn't easy. The average age of a Hoosier farmer is 56. Out of 94,282 producers in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2022 Census of Agriculture, only 1,962 were under age 25. Compared to the previous survey, conducted in 2017, there were more younger farmers going into the business, noted Todd Davis, chief economist at the Indiana Farm Bureau. 'I can say part of that is that coming out of the experience of 2020, there might be more people wanting to look at having a change,' he said. The COVID-19 pandemic has created long-lasting changes in society. 'I guess you can read into it younger people are seeing opportunities,' Davis said. 'My guess would be a lot of them would be what I call the specialty farmers, smaller scale, maybe taking advantage of farmers markets, selling to local people,' Davis said. That could include operating an on-farm store and more aggressively marketing products to local customers. 'It's a little more niche,' he said. Cody Boone, 17, a member of the Pleasant Pioneers 4-H club, raises cattle. 'I want to do something with farming. I'm not exactly sure what part,' he said. Boone is being raised on a farm, 'a lot of work all the time, especially during birthing season.' 'The farm is more my grandpa's,' he said. Cody's uncle has a farm in LaCrosse, so working for his uncle has possibilities, too. 'I definitely want to do something with them,' he said. Cody's father, Corey Boone, 42, married into farming. His father-in-law had a dairy farm, then raised feeder calves, then goats. 'I kind of got into helping him do all that,' Boone said, although his full-time job is as a collision repair technician, working on auto bodies. With a small hobby farm like his, 'you probably put in more than you get out,' Boone said. Along the way, he has learned a lot about farming. 'One of the first lambs we had, it got out and we chased it for over an hour. We chased that lamb for miles,' he said. Raising goats has been an adventure, too. 'They will climb on everything. They will eat everything,' including flowers in the garden, Boone said. Part of specialty crop production, Davis said, is being an entrepreneur and gauging what the market is. 'Some of those operations also get into a little agritourism,' like an apple orchard, Davis said, with a focus on fall tourism. 'Frankly, I think it was kind of a donut stand. That was the most popular part of the farm experience.' For the traditional corn-and-soybeans farmer, getting into the business has some barriers for a young person. Land is the first need. That means buying or leasing, renegotiating the terms of the lease every few years. 'If you want to grow your business, you have to keep expanding your land base,' Davis said. 'Commodity agriculture is known for having margins that are constantly shrinking,' he said. 'There's always a push for greater efficiency, cost management, using every input in the most efficient way possible.' Trying to support a family? You'd want off-farm income not only for the cash but also for the benefits, especially if you're raising children. Machinery is another big expense. Farmers can find used equipment or lease it, but that will require getting loans. 'Younger farmers may not have much of a credit history, and they may not have a lot of equity to help secure loans,' Davis said. That's where their parents or grandparents come in. They need a previous generation to help them get started. And, of course, they need to know how to farm. 'That's a prerequisite for every career, isn't it?' Where younger farmers might have an advantage over their counterparts nearing the end of their careers, Davis said, is that younger farmers tend to be more interested in pursuing technology and newer, innovative production practices. They're probably more comfortable with electronics, computerization and so forth. Farm Bureau provides scholarships for ag majors, primarily, to help them get started. 'There are college Farm Bureau chapters at Purdue, Huntington and Vincennes,' getting young farmers into Farm Bureau and the networking side of industry. 'They'll make more than just friends,' Davis said. They'll bounce ideas off each other, too. 'That's something that Farm Bureau helps foster in its younger farmers program.' Agriculture gets a lot of attention this time of year, what with county and state fairs allowing youngsters to show off the fruits of their labor. 'The county fair experience is really good for the younger generation,' Davis said, along with Future Farmers of America. 4-H, and living on a farm, helped Annie Martin's kids understand where meat really comes from – not just a grocery store but all the steps along the way, from farm to slaughterhouse, before reaching the grocery. Being in 4-H, 'it's responsibility all the way around. It's time with your family. It's time management,' she said. Martin also married into the farming business when she said, 'I do,' alongside husband Blake Martin. Their kids understand the rigors of farming. 'They have to be accountable at a really young age,' she said. Her son is planning to become a farmer. 'He's been able to drive a loader since he was 6,' Martin said. 'He has a work ethic that's pretty incredible.' He's heading to the state fair after winning the tractor driving competition at the county fair, the proud mom said. 'Farmers never really retire. He slowly learns to operate something new every year,' she said. Her daughter Brooklyn Martin, 11, a Morgan Sodbuster, said she wants to be a zoologist, not a farmer. 'I just like animals a lot, so I thought that would be fun.' Soon after Ron Birky graduated from high school, a distant cousin retired and leased his 165 acres to Birky. 'At one time, we had some hogs,' he said, but corn and soybeans were Birky's two staples. Birky was in 4-H for all 10 years. He's seen his kids go through 4-H, and now his grandchildren are going through it. The oldest grandchild, now entering fifth grade, thinks he wants to be a farmer. 'We still own 600 acres,' Birky said, but the machinery was all sold at auction two years ago. If that grandchild goes through with his current career choice, it won't be easy. 'Boy, it's tough,' Birky said, for a young person to become a farmer. 'There's 600 acres that we own, and that's half the battle.' But it's a fierce battle. 'If you're not raised in a farming family, it's virtually impossible' to go into farming, Birky said. 'The capital investment is unbelievable,' he said, with combines and other machinery exceeding $1 million to buy new. Then there's the risk involved. This year hasn't had much rain. 'I don't need to go to Vegas,' Birky said, because farming is its own gamble. Birky retired at 67, his dad at 80 or so. 'He basically didn't retire, I just took over everything,' Birky said. Young 4-H'ers are considering their options. Norah Grimmer, 13, of Valparaiso, tended Maverick, her grand champion steer, at the fair on Thursday. She's planning to study animal science at the University of Notre Dame to become a veterinarian. Elizabeth White, 16, a member of the Center Wildcats, plans to attend Valparaiso University. 'I'm trying to decide between mechanical and electrical engineering,' she said. After that comes law school. 'We have a small hobby farm,' White said, raising poultry and rabbits along with a few sheep not exhibited at the fair. '4-H has really, really raised my confidence,' she said. 'I know a lot of veterinarians, and they have to deal with a lot of attitudes.' Alexis Leek, 18, of Morgan Township, is a member of the Hustling Hoosiers club. 'I was thinking about working with horses,' she said, in the criminal justice field. That involves riding horses in parades and other events, not putting the handcuffs on felonious equines. 4-H 'definitely helped me with people skills and talking with people I don't know,' she said. Heather Cox, of Morgan Township, aged out of 4-H but was master showman last year, she said while visiting the horses – and people – in the horse barn. She's at Purdue University, where she's thinking of studying animal behavior. Like Leek, Cox said 4-H has polished her people skills. Now she's passing the torch to others. Shiloh Otey, 15, a member of the Hustling Hoosiers, is exhibiting horses, rabbits and poultry, and helping her sister with goats. 'I want to be a veterinarian,' she said. 'I like working with bigger animals.' Leek and Cox said although their career paths don't include farming, they wouldn't rule out raising animals on a small farm when they're older.


New York Post
6 hours ago
- New York Post
This middle-class New York town is experiencing a sudden wealth boom: Study shows surge of residents getting rich — quick
Households in Huntington, Long Island have seen a sizable boost to their incomes since COVID, a new study has revealed, putting the once middle-class town on a new rich list. Between 2020 and 2023, the median household income in the enclave surged by a whopping 22.8%, according to research conducted by GOBankingRates. The company analyzed income data from the US Census American Community Survey to determine the top 50 US towns where residents are building wealth the fastest. Huntington placed 16th on the list. Back in 2020, the median household income in Huntington was $131,989. In 2023, that figure had risen to $162,066. Meanwhile, the number of households making more than $200,000 in Huntington rose by an impressive 22.6% during the same four-year period— one of the highest percentages in the entire country. Only three towns in New York state made the GOBankingRates list. All were located on Long Island. Aurora East Media – GOBankingRates didn't explain what, specifically, was behind Huntington's wealth boom. It was one of only three New York towns to make the top 50 list. West Islip and Plainview, both located on Long Island, came in 21st and 33rd place, respectively. The median household income in both of those nabes surged between 2020 and 2023, and is now inching toward $200,000 in both communities. Meanwhile, Summit, New Jersey was named by GOBanking Rates as the number one town where 'upper-class Americans are getting richer.' Summit, New Jersey was named by GOBanking Rates as the number one town where 'upper-class Americans are getting richer.' Corbis via Getty Images While the community has long been cashed-up, residents appear to be getting richer there at rates higher than anywhere else in the country. Between 2020 and 2023, the median household income in Summit soared by a staggering 39.4%, from $142,845 to $199,107, per the study. There was also a 23.6% increase in the number of households earning $200,000 or more. The GOBankingRates study revealed that California is the state with the most areas amassing wealth quickly. A whopping 20 of the top 50 towns on the list were located in the Golden State, proving it's still a place of upward mobility despite high taxes and astronomical property prices.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
4 No-Brainer Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks to Buy Right Now
Key Points Chipmakers like Nvidia and Taiwan Semiconductor are reporting soaring revenue. Alphabet is tying generative AI technology into its already successful Google Search and Android OS businesses. Amazon is improving order fulfillment with mobile robots and developing AI tools for its customers, sellers, and advertisers. 10 stocks we like better than Nvidia › Artificial intelligence (AI) stocks have been delivering incredible gains to investors. And with so many companies using AI technology, there's no shortage of investment opportunities. While businesses involving new technology can be volatile, you don't need to take on outsized risk to get AI exposure. The four companies below are all highly successful and should be long-term winners. 1. Nvidia Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) is the largest AI chipmaker and the largest company in the world, with a market cap of $4.2 trillion as of July 18. While Nvidia is on the expensive side -- it trades at more than 55 times earnings -- it has also delivered double-digit revenue growth for nine consecutive quarters. Considering the popularity of Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs), a crucial part of generative AI infrastructure, that trend should continue. AI hyperscalers are investing heavily in data centers. They spent $430 billion on data centers in 2024, and that's expected to rise to $1.1 trillion by 2029. Nvidia had a 92% share of the data center GPU market in Q1. In addition to holding a dominant position in a rapidly growing market, Nvidia is a well-run company with a fantastic company culture, ranking fourth on Glassdoor's list of the best places to work in 2025. Even with a high valuation, this is an excellent business that plays a key role in AI development. 2. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM), often shortened to TSMC, is another company that's essential to chipmaking. Other companies design chips, but TSMC handles the manufacturing. Most of the major semiconductor companies are clients of TSMC, including Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, Apple, and Qualcomm. Rising demand for AI chips has driven substantial revenue growth for TSMC. In Q1 2025, TSMC reported $25.5 billion in net revenue, up 35% year over year. It also grew its profit margin, with earnings per share (EPS) increasing 54% to $2.12. For a fast-growing tech company, TSMC isn't prohibitively expensive. It trades at less than 28 times earnings at the time of this writing, far cheaper than the Nasdaq-100 index. 3. Alphabet Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL)(NASDAQ: GOOG) had a strong start to the year, as revenue grew 12% year over year to $90.2 billion in Q1 2025. Operating margin increased from 32% to 34%, and EPS increased 49% to $2.81. You wouldn't know it from Alphabet's share price, which is down 2% on the year. The prevailing sentiment around this tech giant is concern regarding its online search business. Google Search accounted for 56% of its revenue last quarter ($50.7 billion). The growing popularity of ChatGPT and other generative AI chatbots will likely impact that business. If people can get their questions answered by a chatbot, they won't need to search the web as much. But Alphabet is leveraging AI to improve its products and services. Google Search results now feature AI Overviews, which have 1.5 billion users per month. Google Gemini, while far behind ChatGPT, is the third-largest AI chatbot with a 13.5% market share. I'd expect that number to grow significantly, given that Gemini is now the default AI assistant on devices running Android 10 or later. Android has a 74% share of the mobile operating system market as of June 2025. Trading at less than 21 times earnings, Alphabet is cheaper than the S&P 500 index. This is a great opportunity to buy one of the top tech companies without paying a premium. 4. Amazon Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) is best known for its online retail dominance, and it has incorporated AI to streamline its operations. For a recent example, it's the largest manufacturer of mobile robotics and hit a major milestone last month when it deployed its one-millionth robot. The company also introduced a new generative AI model, DeepFleet, which improves the travel time of its robotic fleet through its fulfillment network by 10%. CEO Andy Jassy said last month that Amazon has more than 1,000 generative AI services and applications in progress or built. This includes tools for customers, sellers, and advertisers who use Amazon and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Looking at the most recent numbers, Amazon grew net sales by 9% year over year to $155.7 billion in Q1 2025. Growth in EPS was particularly impressive, jumping 62% to $1.59. Even with shares trading at about 37 times earnings, Amazon is a quality AI stock to have in your portfolio. Should you invest $1,000 in Nvidia right now? Before you buy stock in Nvidia, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Nvidia wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $634,627!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,046,799!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,037% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 182% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025 Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Lyle Daly has positions in Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 4 No-Brainer Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks to Buy Right Now was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data