Its goals are lofty: to not only build a business and create a brand that will sustain for years, but also to dramatically impact the environment through home water conservation.

But none of that stuff is the hard part. The hard part is asking people—lots and lots of people—to strip down and give their shower a test run.

"It's no small feat," cofounder and CEO Philip Winter says. "It's not like, 'Hey try my app and let me know what you think!' But that's also been the best part."

I believe him, because after some gentle prodding, I disrobed in Nebia's bathroom and took a shower, with a handful of witnesses watching my reaction and listening for feedback. (And just FYI, I wore what is basically a wetsuit.)