Tampa startup makes water out of thin air, as it looks to change the way the world gets water

The Brief

Half of the world faces water scarcity, with a growing concern about the world’s fresh-water supply.

The Tampa start-up is producing water from the air, technology that’s already being used around the world.

FOX13 got access never before given to Genesis Systems.

TAMPA, Fla. – A Tampa-based company is reimagining the world’s water supply, by pulling water straight from the atmosphere.

Genesis Systems, a local startup co-founded by Dr. David Stuckenberg, has developed technology, they say, that literally makes water out of thin air. The company said it’s already helping communities and hospitals during disasters and beyond.

“This is the first time we’ve allowed the press to access this facility,” Stuckenberg said, as FOX 13 got an exclusive look inside the company’s lab.

Dig deeper

For Stuckenberg, the idea began during his service in the U.S. Air Force, when he witnessed firsthand how water scarcity can cripple nations.

“I was deployed actually from MacDill Air Force Base to the Middle East, and I watched a nation almost run its water supply out,” he said.

It paralleled an experience from his own childhood.

“I grew up in a very impoverished area in rural Oklahoma and experienced hunger and thirst, and it’s very real to us.”

That experience inspired him to tackle what he sees as one of the planet’s greatest challenges: a dwindling supply of fresh water.

“We estimate worldwide that about 4.4 billion people are currently in water scarcity. That’s half of us,” Stuckenberg said.

What they’re saying

Inside an unassuming building in South Tampa, Stuckenberg’s team showed FOX 13 how their invention works.

They call them Water Cubes, devices that extract water molecules from the air, filter and sterilize them, and within minutes, pour out drinkable water.

Stuckenberg says it’s “the most pure water by EPA standards.”

During Hurricane Milton, Genesis Systems deployed a Water Cube to serve as a backup water source for the NICU at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.

This month, TIME Magazine named Genesis Systems one of the Best Inventions of 2025.

The company’s technology is already being used across five continents, including in Malawi, where it provided clean water to a hospital that previously relied on contaminated sources.

“There was mud coming through the water, worms and parasites,” Stuckenberg said. “Now that that hospital has a freshwater supply, it’s completely changed their operation.”

Why It Matters

Beyond emergencies, Genesis Systems is producing smaller, home versions of the Water Cube.

“This can generate enough water for a family of four every day,” said Stuckenberg. The WaterCube 100 claims to provide 120 gallons a day. It costs $27,000.

Stuckenberg said their vision is to “go wireless” for water, much like communication once did.

“Imagine when we went wireless with our communications, we are going to do the same thing for our water supply,” he said. “The need for environmental permitting, disrupting endangered species for digging up miles of trenches and putting up pipelines, is going away because we’ll be able to access water at the point of need.”

When asked whether pulling water from the atmosphere could harm the environment, Stuckenberg said the impact is minimal.

“When we take water from the air, it’s literally put back in between eight minutes and eight days and has no environmental impact at all.”

Stuckenberg said the company’s work isn’t just about innovation, it’s about national security.

“It is the most understated national security risk on the globe,” he said. “Without water, your society stops in just three days.”

Genesis Systems recently entered a multi-year partnership with the U.S. Army to develop uninterruptible water supplies, in addition to ongoing collaborations.

Stuckenberg believes the water cubes will, in the future, be part of deployment kits.

What’s next

The company continues to expand production, with all manufacturing currently done in the U.S. and plans to keep its headquarters in Tampa.

They plan to expand their manufacturing to other states, as the demand grows.

“What we come out with next year is going to amaze the world,” Stuckenberg teased.

When asked for a hint, he smiled:

“Water is food, and food is water.”

The Source

Sources for this report include a tour, a demonstration at Genesis Systems tech, the Time Magazine Best Inventions List, UN speech, data on the world’s water supply.