Water scarcity is becoming an annual problem globally. Lylo has reinvented the washing machine to stop billions of litres of water from being wasted.
See our guide to this year’s hottest new businesses and most exceptional founders in the complete 2026 Startups 100 index.
Founders: Joanna Power and Paramveer Bhachu
Year founded: 2021
Website: lyloproducts.co.uk
Hose pipe bans are now common in the headlines as water scarcity becomes an annual issue in the UK. According to the government, England alone faces a five billion litre a day shortfall for public water supplies by 2055. There is a further one billion litres a day deficit for the wider economy.
Director of Lylo Products, Joanna Power, saw the wastage herself while at university. When the washing machines on campus were broken, the students had to wash their clothes in the showers. She and her co-founder Paramveer Bhachu noticed how much water was running down the drain while they waited for the shower to heat up.
“That combination of frustration and waste made us think: there has to be a better way,” Power says. “It was the moment we realised we had to design a solution ourselves.”
The solution that the two product design graduates dreamt up uses a portable ‘tank/mat’ that can be placed inside the shower tray while showering. This collects the water, which is filtered to drinking standard and collected in a drum. That’s where the magic happens. This drum is actually a washing machine, which reuses the filtered shower water to wash clothes.
Together, the two founders have now built relationships with universities, accommodation providers and regulators, but are also in active discussions with major UK water companies, charities and camping/boating suppliers for wider adoption.
That combination of frustration and waste made us think: there has to be a better way. It was the moment we realised we had to design a solution ourselves.
Getting funding was initially a steep slope to climb as they were students with no track record. However, they entered competitions, including Red Bull Basement, to gain attention and ultimately secure a grant from InnovateUK.
“Each opportunity gave us not only vital funds but also mentoring, credibility, and momentum, allowing us to keep moving forward when traditional investment seemed out of reach,” the founders share.
A pivotal moment was running a living lab with Anglia Ruskin University, where students tested Lylo in their accommodation, proving that the product could work and help people live more sustainably without sacrificing convenience.
By reimagining how we use and reuse water, Lylo not only empowers individuals to reduce waste but also helps institutions and communities meet sustainability goals without compromising comfort – from student halls and shared accommodation to off-grid living.
What began as a student idea born from frustration has evolved into a timely innovation, and one that could play an impactful role in shaping a more water-resilient future.
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