When serial entrepreneur Samuel Ian Rosen topped his water bottle at an airport fill station and took a drink, it left a bad taste in his mouth.
Tap is a "software drink company" that maps out sources of clean, free water ー from street fountains to friendly bars, restaurants, and retailers.
The next step for Rosen is tackling plastic bottle waste.
"It’s kind of crazy to me that we leave our homes in the day and we purchase disposable, one-time, single-use plastic bottles because we are lazy.
The truth is, it is so easy to carry this bottle with us," Rosen told Cheddar Wednesday.
An enthusiast of Burning Man arts festival, which operates on the principle of "Leave No Trace," Rosen said the era of plastic bottles is coming to an end.
Rosen’s application, which he calls "the Google ($GOOGL) Maps for water," is designed to help make bottled water unnecessary.
He said it already boasts about 35,000 refill stations across more than 30 countries.
Rosen said the concept works because it costs bars and restaurants almost nothing to provide free water ー and more foot traffic may even expose businesses to new customers.
Restaurants, like Umami Burger and salad chain Sweetgreen "are opening their taps ー they have free water in stores for customers ー and they put a little sticker that says, ‘refill your bottle here,’ increasing the amount of foot traffic into their stores by giving away free water," he added.