waterdrop: The icons alumni behind the leading hydration brand.
Henry Murray
waterdrop Co-Founder & CMO | icons 2010 - 2013
Can you tell us a bit about the founding team's background?
waterdrop was founded by my brother Martin (icons member since 2007). Christoph Hermann and I later joined as co-founders. Martin has a strong business background with consulting experience and an MBA in Singapore. As an architect and designer who worked at a prestigious design studio in London, Christoph brought a very different and complementary perspective.
I completed my business studies at WU, gained experience at BCG, and later also studied history in London, which was important for broadening my horizon. In a small company, everyone does a bit of everything. Martin often handled strategy, organization, and investor topics. Christoph focused on product and brand design as well as e-commerce. I mainly focused on marketing and sales.
How did the idea for waterdrop come about?
The idea came from Martin's frustration with the beverage industry. For decades, sugar water has been produced and shipped around within a very controlled supply chain. Our approach was that we could do this better. Water is the perfect platform. All it needs is functionality and flavor.
icons members Philipp and Tobias with Henry
What did the process from idea to execution look like?
At the beginning, it was all about identifying ideas: what can we add to water? We visited many trade fairs and spoke with experts. Our standards were high: it had to be convenient and sustainable. Then you build a concept, test it, talk to experts, and make trade-offs until you arrive at a minimum viable product.
A strong supply and partner network was also crucial for implementation. We built our network ourselves by doing a lot of outreach and actively starting conversations with many different people.
How important was funding on your journey?
Funding is one of the biggest challenges for any start-up. Our first angel investment came from a BCG partner who believed in the idea and wanted to support us. Our second important investor was our supplier, who not only wanted to develop with us but also be part of the journey.
Over time, you need to show traction. We consistently brought on investors and partners who think long-term. After that, it followed the usual path through Series A, Series B, and so on. For us, what matters most is that the company can stand on its own long-term.
What role did icons play in building waterdrop?
The mindset and entrepreneurial thinking you gain at icons were extremely important in building waterdrop. Bringing structure to a group of young, motivated people is not trivial. The experience from the icons environment was highly valuable for exactly that.
"A very big role. The mindset and entrepreneurial spirit you gain at icons."
For students, icons is fantastic. You get much more business context and stay very close to real practice. As a young company, it is also great to be able to tap into this pool of talent.
What advice would you give students with big ambitions?
During your studies, you think a lot about your next steps. Where we are, very few people are. We are in a very privileged position where not much can truly go wrong, and we will usually land on our feet.
That is why students should deliberately take zig-zag paths instead of following one straight line. As a young person, you should explore as much as possible and not be afraid to make unexpected turns. The more you see, the more context you gain, and the better your decisions become.
