Weekly Brief

8 Champions-to-be Water Tech Start-Ups

Utilities Tech Outlook | Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Although it is still the beginning of the digital era, water tech start-ups are already changing the way water utility is managed today, shaping the tomorrow’s market.

FREMONT, CA: Globally, the water utility industry has embarked on a journey towards digital transformation. Innovations under the banner of smart water are taking hold in the water utility industry, fuelling water tech start-ups to come up with more advanced digital water solutions. Today, the global smart water market is shaped by these entrants who develop innovative approaches to solve water management, water scarcity, and water quality challenges. Start-ups allow water utility providers to deploy more cost-effective technology solutions. The value and impact of water tech start-ups in transforming water utilities are clear as they expand the menu of technology solutions beyond the traditional infrastructure. Here is a list of 8 water tech start-ups changing the landscape.

• Aqaix

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Aqaix is a platform that revolutionizes water infrastructure financing using data and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain-driven smart contracts. Aqaix software allows the hosting of water projects, seeking funding or a digital master plan. Economic impact and return on investment of each project can be estimated and tracked. Aqaix data integration architecture makes it easy to use data sources for evaluation. The company understands that future water management is digital, and it works to unlock the value from all the water data available. Aqaix also helps enterprises to ensure that the firms’ suppliers are not susceptible to business continuity interruptions due to drought, sea-level rise, flooding, water source contamination, and other issues.

• Aquacycl

San Diego-based cleantech company Aquacycl provides technology for onsite wastewater treatment plants that can eliminate up to 80 percent of primary sludge, recover energy as direct electricity, and enable onsite water reuse at reduced operational costs. The company also helps water utilities through competitive equipment leasing and service plans, striving to be the global provider of bioelectrochemical technologies for decentralized industrial, agricultural, military, and emerging market wastewater treatment applications.

• Water Pigeon

Water Pigeon focuses on the total life cycle cost for automated water metering infrastructure and delivers solutions that are fast, simple, and secure to deploy. Based in San Diego, Water Pigeon, with its deep expertise in water and wireless technology provides innovative solutions for water utilities. The company simplifies and accelerates water tech deployments, reduces operating expense, detects leaks, and gives consumers useful water usage data. It allows utilities to make better decisions through the power of high-resolution water usage information.

• Utilis

Leak detection technologies have not changed much till today, and they continue to be costly and relatively inefficient as companies around the world struggle to find leaks and conserve scarce resources. The Utilis leak detection product uses satellite images that cover large areas, approximately 3,500 sq. Km, with a patented algorithm to filter out the signature of drinking water and provide points of interest to the customer. The point of interest is displayed in user-friendly GIS reports and directs the utility’s own field crew with the areas to search and pinpoint the previously undetected leak. The benefits include zero upfront investment, a significant reduction in field labor effort, and many more.

• Flow Labs

Flow Labs is a smart water management, and real-time water leak monitoring solution provider. It automates water use management with a combination of proprietary sensors and software. Users can automate the monitoring of their buildings’ water users and automatically become aware of potential water leaks and inefficiencies. Sensors are installed on and in equipment and facilities that use water. These sensors collect water usage data and transmit data wirelessly to the cloud. Data is analyzed in real-time for inefficiencies and leaks, and status reports and alerts are sent to building management via messages or email. Flow Labs solutions ultimately drive dollar savings in addition to preserving an essential natural resource.

• Valor Water Analytics  

Valor Water Analytics works to deliver intelligent water technology that powers utilities with data insights that help in making smarter decisions, and optimizing system efficiency. Valor transforms quantitative and qualitative water utility data into actions that raise the bottom line, boost customer satisfaction, and conserve the most valuable resource on earth. The company’s Valor Water Analytics is a subscription-based software as a service product that allows utilities to dig deep into their customer data, identify and solve problems varying from leakages to tampered meters to changing their pricing model that can have a significant impact on revenue.

• Alert Labs

Alert Labs provides utility providers with commercial IoT solutions for reducing costs and property damage in the water utility network. Its solutions gather and analyze real-time data using attractive, reliable, and easy to install IoT hardware and software. Alert Lab’s sensors can be installed in less than two minutes, and they can give alerts on water leakages, power issues, and more. Consumers can receive real-time alerts to their smart devices for emergency events and gain insights with the help of big data analytics to avoid damage to their properties and save money and water. 

• Spyglass Technologies

Spyglass Technologies offer big data for water-intensive industries, using its sensors and software. Water quality data from Spyglass sensor networks provide chemical and biological information in hours versus the days or weeks required from laboratory-based methods. Spyglass’ customers are focused on optimizing water recycling programs, preserving global water resources and exploring new energy sources.

Water tech start-ups are introducing new value propositions to the market, which entail a digital-driven business model, compared to what people have traditionally known. The above start-ups are already making their headway. Although each of them is at infancy, their innovative solutions could be here to stay, propelling them to be the next water tech champions.  

Check Out : Top Utilities Tech Solution companies

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