Leonardo DiCaprio seems to have a thing for water-related dangers.
The actor — whose character, Jack Dawson, famously froze to death in the North Atlantic in the movie "Titanic" — was one of a collection of celebrities who recently invested in Waterplan, a San Francisco startup that's trying to help companies understand and address their water-related risks.
Waterplan's service helps companies that are highly dependent on water — such as food-and-beverage manufacturers, consumer product companies and industrial concerns — quantify how much their businesses could be affected by climate change and other effects that could constrain their supply. Companies can also use the service to figure out the most cost-effective ways to mitigate such risks.
The startup uses remote sensors, data from academic research and other tools to help companies quantify their water risks.
The founders of Waterplan, legally known as Climateplan Inc., set out to create for water the same kind of accounting and assessment tools that have been created for tracking carbon emissions, CEO and co-founder José Ignacio Galindo told Business Insider.
"I didn't see much innovation going on in the water sector," he told Insider. "But water is the main way the climate crisis expresses itself."
Waterplan, which is headed by a team of engineers, entrepreneurs and water scientists, raised $7 million in the seed round it announced Friday. In addition to DiCaprio, investors in the round included Holly Branson — daughter of Richard Branson — San Francisco 49ers Hall of Famer Joe Montana, and former San Antonio Spurs star Manu Ginobili.
Here's more on Waterplan's round and other seed funding news from this past week:
BAM Trading Services Inc. (dba Binance.US), San Francisco, $200 million: RRE Ventures invested in this operator of a cryptocurrency exchange. Foundation Capital, Original Capital, VanEck, Circle Ventures, Gaingels and Gold House also participated.
Sydecar Inc., San Francisco, $8.3 million: Deciens Capital led the round for this provider of fund and portfolio management software for venture firms. Pipeline Capital Partners, Anthemis Group and Hustle Fund VC also invested.
Climateplan Inc. (dba Waterplan), San Francisco, $7 million: Transition Global and Giant Ventures led the round for this provider of a service that helps companies understand and mitigate their water-related risks. Celebrity investors who joined the round include Leonardo DiCaprio, Holly Branson, Joe Montana and Manu Ginobili.
Gofriendshop Inc. (dba Landed), San Francisco, $7 million: Javelin Venture Partners and Blockchain Capital led the round for this provider of a job board and recruitment service for restaurants, grocery stores and hotels. Lightspeed Venture Partners, ThinkFoods Group and Good Friends also invested.
Compass Beauty Inc. (dba Revea), San Francisco, $6 million: Alpha Edison led the round for this provider of skin care products. Ulta Beauty, WaldenCast Ventures, GISEV, Verlinvest and Kathaka also participated.
Happy Rhinos Corp. (dba Flow Club), San Francisco, $5 million: Worklife Ventures led the round for this provider of moderated virtual networking sessions for remote workers and independent business owners.
