Vital Lyfe Announces $24 Million Seed Round to Redefine Global Water Access

New funding will accelerate the rollout of universal, intelligent, portable water-making systems built with aerospace-grade engineering

HAWTHORNE, Calif., Dec. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Vital Lyfe, the company redefining water access through scalable, personal water-making technology, today announced it has raised $24 million, consisting of over $18 million in seed funding and the remainder in committed debt financing. The round, led by Interlagos and General Catalyst, with participation from Generational Partners, Cantos, Space VC, and Also Capital, will accelerate manufacturing, expand field deployments, and advance the company's path to market ahead of its first consumer-ready products launching in 2026.

Founded by previous SpaceX engineering leadership, Vital Lyfe's systems apply aerospace precision and systems thinking to water production, enabling users to create filtered water anywhere on Earth. Built for resilience and autonomy, the product suite is designed to operate across a wide range of environmental conditions, supporting use cases that traditional water infrastructure cannot reach – including marine environments where desalination is the hardest challenge. This foundation allows the company to address both immediate field needs and long-term global demand for decentralized, reliable water access.

"This funding is a major milestone in our mission to bring clean water directly to the people and organizations who need it most. For too long, clean water access has been constrained by outdated, centralized infrastructure. With this funding, we have the resources to accelerate our roadmap and work towards scaling a new technology – one that puts reliable, on-demand water generation in the hands of communities everywhere," said Jon Criss, CEO and Founder of Vital Lyfe.

The limitations of existing water infrastructure present a clear need and opportunity for reinvention in the market. Vital Lyfe is meeting that moment by introducing a platform engineered to perform independently of grids and fixed systems, creating a new category of autonomous, on-demand water production. With a founding team steeped in advanced design and systems engineering built for the most rugged terrain, Vital Lyfe holds the expertise and capability to expand the water market beyond traditional architectural standards on a global scale.

"This raise gives us the momentum to transition from validated prototypes to scaled production and real-world impact," said Andrew Harner, COO and Founder of Vital Lyfe. "We're building technology that is resilient, adaptable, and capable of transforming how communities access water without waiting for infrastructure to catch up. Our goal is simple but ambitious: clean water on demand, anywhere."

The company is currently expanding its early deployments, working closely with maritime groups, NGOs, and off-grid users to validate performance across diverse, high-stakes environments. These partnerships are helping refine system durability, optimize field readiness, and guide the roadmap for broader distribution.

"Jon Criss and Andrew Harner are some of the best referenced founders we've come across," said Grant Gregory, General Partner at Cantos. "It's rare to find exceptional engineers that also have so much experience scaling manufacturing and driving commercialization. We spent considerable time evaluating various companies building in this space, and as soon as we met them we knew this was the team that was going to make this happen."

Vital Lyfe's technology demonstrates what's possible when best-in-class engineering meets real-world challenges. Designed with adaptability in mind, the platform hints at a broader suite of capabilities yet to come, signaling a fundamental shift in how water access will be delivered worldwide.

About Vital Lyfe
Vital Lyfe is redefining how the world thinks about water access. Founded by former SpaceX engineers Jon Criss and Andrew Harner, the company builds portable, universal water-making systems that turn virtually any naturally occurring source — including seawater — into purified water anywhere on Earth. Vital Lyfe's mission is simple: Water Without Limits.

Visit www.vital-lyfe.com to join the mission.

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SOURCE Vital Lyfe