Water purification startup, Gradiant, recently achieved a unicorn valuation following a $225 million venture capital investment. Founded in 2013 by Anurag Bajpayee and Prakash Govindan, Gradiant’s origins root back to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The company’s innovative solutions in water purification cater to industries like pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, and renewables — sectors accountable for nearly half of the world’s water consumption. With increasing drought occurrences, water recycling solutions, such as those offered by Gradiant, emerge as paramount.
Gradiant’s technology effectively treats and recycles industrial wastewater, providing businesses with a sustainable and affordable solution for water reuse. This breakthrough significantly reduces environmental impacts associated with water sourcing and disposal.
By 2030, the global water and wastewater treatment sector could potentially net worth stand at half a trillion dollars, according to Statista. Current treatment techniques often require large energy inputs and heavy chemicals.
Gradiant’s sustainable journey to unicorn status
In contrast, companies like Gradiant, Xylem and Veolia are developing advanced, eco-friendly technologies aimed at minimizing these expenses while ensuring sustainable clean water availability.
Gradiant’s purification method, inspired by natural science, mimics rain formation. This technique heats wastewater, combines it with atmospheric air, expels contaminants to produce vapor, which then interacts with cool, purified water, producing fresh water. This process potentially halves the costs of conventional methods.
In light of their eco-driven initiatives, Gradiant continually enhances this process, minimizing waste. They also focus on the efficient reuse of produced brine, a potential cause of major environmental issues if not adequately treated.
Gradiant’s CTO, Prakash Govindan, highlights their technology’s efficacy, capable of reclaiming up to 99% of water, as opposed to other technologies which recover only 50 to 60%. This game-changing approach not only enhances efficiency but is also significantly environmentally friendly.
Since achieving unicorn status, Gradiant’s impact on the water purification sector has been undeniable. With a prestigious client base and multiple partnerships with top-tier companies, Gradiant’s rapid growth and success have stirred interest and investment in the sector, setting a new industry standard and pushing innovative boundaries in water purification.
