# João Machado

> João Machado is the founder and CEO of Savearth, a Portuguese climate-tech startup that uses AI-powered acoustic sensing to measure hotel shower water use in real time and reward guests for using less. After reading that nearly five billion people could face water scarcity by 2050, he built a coin-sized device that installs in under a minute and has cut shower water use by up to 48% in pilots with hotel groups like PortoBay, Numa and Hilton. Savearth won the Portuguese edition of ClimateLaunchpad, closed a €400,000 round in 2026, and is scaling across Portugal and Spain.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Savearth
- **Organizations:** Savearth, UPTEC (University of Porto Science & Technology Park)
- **Nationality:** Portuguese
- **Education:** Blockchain Strategy Programme, University of Oxford (Saïd Business School)
- **Known for:** Founded Savearth, a profitable climate-tech reducing hotel water use with AI acoustic sensing., Cut shower water consumption by 46-48% in pilots (PortoBay Teatro 46%, Palácio do Governador 48%)., Won the Portuguese edition of ClimateLaunchpad, the world's largest cleantech competition.

## Career timeline

- **2024** — Speaks at Web Summit Lisbon representing Savearth; joins the Dengun Founders Program.
- **2025** — Wins the Portuguese edition of ClimateLaunchpad and earns a place at the Climate Innovators Fair; named Ocean Community Challenge finalist.
- **2025-11** — Officially launches the Savearth Eco Shower device at the Hospitality Innovation Summit, PortoBay Liberdade Hotel, Lisbon.
- **2026-05** — Closes a €400,000 funding round from 10 investors including Laika Ventures, Pierre Santos and Daniel Johnson.

## Achievements

- Founded Savearth, a profitable climate-tech reducing hotel water use with AI acoustic sensing.
- Cut shower water consumption by 46-48% in pilots (PortoBay Teatro 46%, Palácio do Governador 48%).
- Won the Portuguese edition of ClimateLaunchpad, the world's largest cleantech competition.
- Selected for the Climate Innovators Fair alongside startups from 45+ countries.
- Closed a €400,000 round (2026) from 10 investors including Laika Ventures.
- Signed pilots with major hotel groups: PortoBay, Numa and Hilton, expanding into the Algarve.
- Estimated annual savings of roughly €100,000 for a 150-room hotel.
- Named a finalist in the Ocean Community Challenge 2025.
- Selected for a German startup acceleration programme.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Savearth closed a €400,000 funding round from 10 investors, aiming for 8,000 hotel rooms across Portugal and Spain by year-end.
- **2025-11** — Officially launched the Eco Shower device at the Hospitality Innovation Summit in Lisbon.
- **2025-10** — Featured across Portuguese startup press for AI-powered, save-to-earn water conservation.

## Links

- Website: https://savearth.io/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaomachado690

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/joao-machado
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-29