https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/29/self-cleaning-water-bottle-company-larq-raises-a-10m-series-a/

After launching its first bottle in 2018, LARQ has drummed up a good deal of interest among consumers looking for ways to wean themselves off of plastic bottles. Last year alone, the Bay Area-based startup managed to sell 75,000 bottles, with help from retail partners like Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s. The feat is made more impressive by the fact that — at $99 — the company’s offerings are pretty steep as far as refillable water bottles go.

LARQ’s value proposition is in its UV cap. As someone who’s carried around a lot of reusable water bottles since those heady Nalgene days in college, I’ve got some pretty good horror stories about the veritable forest of fungus that’s grown inside. Diligent washing can be particularly difficult with such a narrow receptacle.