Ralf Dümmel, Frank Thelen, Pepsi and now Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis – the investor list of Air Up continues to grow. startup scene reported, the Hollywood couple is buying one percent of the Munich-based beverage startup. The purchase price was not disclosed in the deal.
Water with a certain trick
Air Up has developed a drinking system that imparts a specific flavor to water using only scent. The Air-Up bottles utilize a trick: retronasal olfaction through the mouth. Fabian Schlang, COO and co-founder of Air Up, explains in a Interview with Munich Startup:
"The water bottle's replaceable fragrance pods add fragrant air to plain water as you drink. When you swallow, this air separates from the water and rises through the throat to the olfactory center, where it is perceived as a taste. The drink itself remains 100 percent natural water."
Expansion into the USA planned
With this innovation, the young company now aims to conquer the US, with a corresponding expansion planned for summer 2022. Help from Hollywood certainly can't hurt. Kutcher has also already made a name for himself as a resourceful investor with his venture capital firm A-Grade. He has invested early in renowned startups such as Airbnb, Spotify, and Uber.
Loud Munich Startup Insights The beverage company has already raised more than 60 million euros since 2018. In the largest round in September 2021 Pepsi, Ippen Media, Five Seasons Ventures and Oyster Bay invested 40 million euros in the Munich-based company. Even then, Niccolo Manzoni, Managing Partner at investor Five Seasons Venture:
“The latest capital injection enables Air Up to enter the global stage to make scent-based drinking the new normal.”
