FUSE TV - Meet the Outspoken Founder of EDM Water Company Mollywatr

In April 2012, 25-year-old Ken Unaeze was sitting in his cubicle at a Chicago-area Career Builder, when he came across an article about the rise of EDM music and the billion dollar industry it created on corporate sponsorships alone. "I saw a joke in the comments section that said how most of that revenue must be coming from water sales," Unaeze tells Fuse. “So I started brainstorming some ideas about how could I effectively use this information and capitalize on it.”

Fast forward to February of this year. After scrapping the names Electronic Water, PLUR Water, Trap Water and Bass Water, Mollywatr, a new brand of water "created exclusively to satisfy the hydration needs of EDM fans in clubs, concerts and festivals worldwide," was born. While the water is available in select clubs in Chicago, Detroit and Austin, Unaeze is looking to expand his product's reach, even as it's come under criticism for promoting the drug culture tied into EDM. “I know what I’m doing here," Unaeze says. "I have a degree in economics from Michigan State University. I have experience working in corporate America.”

The outspoken founder spoke to Fuse about honesty in advertising and lashes out at critics.

So what’s the difference between Mollywatr and Evian, Fiji, Aquafina, etc.?

Check this out. You’re having an interview with me about Mollywatr. I’m sure you’re savvy enough to figure out why my product is way better than all those other products that you just listed. Mollywatr goes with the environment. I see people holding bottles of XYZ water that look like they’re at a first-aid emergency site. It's like Red Cross handing out bottles to victims of the latest hurricane. This is not designed to be that.

One of the biggest problems with the way water is presented and delivered to people is that it definitely takes you out of the moment of what you’re trying to enjoy. You don’t go to a club to hold first aid paraphernalia in your hand. The whole process of ordering a water at one of these venues can be a little bit intimidating. You order a water and the bartender might give you a look like, “Hmm, why aren’t you getting a Jameson?”

But wouldn’t you get a weirder look if you ordered a product called Mollywatr?

Ummm. [Pauses] First of all, we can play devil’s advocate all day.

But you don't think that makes sense?

To me, not really. A bartender will feel a lot better serving Mollywatr than pouring a cup of water and hoping for a tip. Water is currently apart from what is going on; it’s not in the moment. People think of hydration as an afterthought. When you talk about a clubgoer, they’re thinking about the music they’re listening to, the clothes they’re wearing and the company they keep.  It's not necessarily about how important it is to stay hydrated. If you’re like me, I get it in when I go out and if you’re trying to turn up, man, you’re spending a lot of energy. I wear my Mollywatr gear all over the place and people come up to me asking, “Where’s molly?” and later in the night, they walk up to me and say, “We need water and we need it here.” [Laughs]