How HOPE Hydration Is Replacing Plastic Bottles With Free Public Water

In this episode of From Vision to Creation, Alexander sits down with Jorge Richardson and Cristina Gnecco, the founders of HOPE Hydration, to unpack how they’re rethinking public access to clean drinking water—free, filtered, chilled, and available in high-traffic places around the world. Jorge shares the moment that sparked everything: building an app to map free water fountains, getting a call from Apple, and realizing that in the middle of Times Square, “free water” might as well not exist. Cristina explains how her background in fundraising and unlocking capital helped shape HOPE's breakthrough model—using brand advertising on a 55-inch screen to fund a refill station that costs cities and venues nothing to install and maintain. We talk about what it really took to turn a napkin sketch into a real, installed product (including launching during COVID), the brutal “chicken-and-egg” cycle of prototypes vs. investors vs. customers, and why hearing “no” for years is part of the job. They also break down how their IoT infrastructure creates entirely new data for cities—many of which don’t even know how many fountains they have—and why this could evolve into a broader civic-tech platform far beyond water. Plus: the founders’ philosophy on perseverance, “Climbing Cringe Mountain,” building with the right people, and the long road from 500 stations to a 100-million-station vision for free water everywhere. 🎙️ Hosted by Alexander Schmieding In this interview, you’ll learn: How HOPE Hydration’s idea started from mapping water fountains—and why Times Square changed everything The “free water funded by ads” model (and why it sounds too good to be true at first) What it takes to build physical infrastructure: design → prototype → manufacturing → installation Why COVID forced an early pivot into events (and how that became a major growth channel) The hardest part of fundraising: the prototype/install / traction “flywheel” How IoT + refill data can help cities track usage, traffic patterns, and infrastructure performance Why public water hasn’t been innovated like other industries—and what HOPE is changing The current challenge: scaling people, systems, ops, and manufacturing without losing focus The mindset that helped them push through years of rejection: belief, health, and community Why your role as a “hype person” can literally change an entrepreneur’s life Episode Resources: https://hopehydration.com/ https://www.instagram.com/hydrate/ https://www.instagram.com/fromvisiontocreation https://www.tiktok.com/@fromvisiontocreation https://www.instagram.com/alexschmieding https://x.com/fvtcpodcast Subscribe for more conversations with visionaries turning ideas into reality. This podcast is brought to you by Proper Placement — a full-service marketing agency helping businesses grow through social media, paid advertising, website design, email campaigns, and more. Learn more at www.properplacement.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices