Mick Hammock

Tag: startup

  • San Diego’s Space for Innovation: How Aquillius is Building a Resilient Startup Ecosystem

    San Diego’s Space for Innovation: How Aquillius is Building a Resilient Startup Ecosystem

    Consistently ranked as one of the top biotech cities in the United States, San Diego is home to giants like Illumina, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Genentech, Bristol Meyers Squibb, and seemingly countless more – many of which are fed from a rich pipeline of science graduates from UCSD, SDSU, and USD.  

    However, not everyone interested in biotech wants to go to the giants. Some think that they’re the ones who can create the next big thing.  

    And that’s where Aquillius comes in.  

    A biotech and MedTech incubator, Aquillius is a biotech startup founder’s dream – they provide a space for extremely early-stage startups to develop and grow. With 25,000 feet of lab and office space, they offer a physical place (and access to a vibrant community!) for lab-heavy startups to research, prototype, network, raise capital, and more.  

    Their mission is to accelerate the integration of life sciences and engineering to create innovative solutions that can improve human health, by focusing on streamlining product development and early R&D in the biotech and MedTech industries.  

    Or, to say it another way, they want to make the next generation of San Diego’s innovative science companies more successful – by making them more resilient. 

    In this interview, you’ll learn about the importance of providing space to fledgling companies – whether it’s physical, educational, or mental. You’ll learn about just how Aquillius matches resources with the startups they work with. And, most importantly, you’ll learn what they’re doing to set the next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs up for success.  

    If you’d like to learn more about Aquillius, you can check them out on their website. (I’d also recommend you take the tour!) 

    I’d like to give a big thank you and a shout out to Leah Villegas and Austin Strain for their time and help on this interview. 

    Aquillius provides office and lab space for burgeoning BioTech companies.

    I’m chiefly interested in the concept of resilience – personal, communal, and societal. What does the concept of resilience mean to you and Aquillius? 

    Leah Villegas: I believe resilience means persisting, unwavering in your commitment to your business, regardless of the challenges encountered. In our environment, we engage with many early-stage startups and companies just setting out to make their mark in their respective markets. It’s a demanding journey. As entrepreneurs ourselves, my team and I face these challenges too. I see resilience as the key. There will be numerous obstacles and setbacks along the way, but pushing through and surviving these challenges is what truly cultivates resilience and shapes the character of every founder. 

    Startups, especially the early-stage startups that you focus on, are notoriously prone to risk. How have you worked to build resilience within Aquillius to continue to identify and overcome potential setbacks when dealing in that scene? How do you work to make the startups who use your spaces more resilient? 

    LV: We serve to provide the foundation or provide a safety net of sorts. We’ve methodically worked out potential paths these startups could take, identified needed resources, and even identified common challenges that startups might encounter, and we work to tackle these challenges head on. 

    We address these challenges before the startups themselves confront them, and then work to make all the necessary resources available to them to give them the best chance.  

    Most of these startups are in the biotech and MedTech realms. From what we’ve seen, regulatory and IP complexity are the two main major challenges that these startups face. So, we’ve identified and paired up certain resources and subject-matter experts in those realms, like different law firms and regulatory experts, to help them navigate those challenges.  

    San Diego’s biotech scene is world famous. How do you see yourselves positioned in this space? How do you see yourself contributing to building resilience both within the scene and within the broader San Diego community? 

    LV: We see ourselves mainly as a resource provider in the biotech space. Our physical space is critically important – we have a nice tech lab and a nice wet lab, which those companies need the most. This sort of sets the biotech companies apart, since they really need that physical lab space. For example, during COVID, we didn’t really feel as affected as other people who worked from home, since we actually couldn’t work from home – we needed to be in the lab!  

    Basically, our niche is now being a resource provider for biotech startups. 

    A peek inside the lab!

    You guys provide physical resources such as lab space, but you also host a lot of events that provide space for companies, founders, and people interested in that whole scene. So really, it seems like your main resource is providing space?  

    LV: Yes, we provide those events, and a lot of events on the educational side. We also provide a lot of networking opportunities. That’s a pretty important thing as well, we’ve found, especially for young startups that are fundraising.  

    What projects are you most proud of? 

    Austin Strain: What I feel is most impactful is our Catalyst program. When I got a chance to actually talk to the people and participants who went through that, to see how much they learned and grew, it was absolutely remarkable. 

    Our Catalyst program is basically a ten-week program for students of all levels – undergrads, graduates, PHDs, postdocs- to get entrepreneurial training and to get a hands-on opportunity to solve real-world problems. Throughout those 10 weeks they learn how to set up a business, and then, at the end, get to pitch that business to experts, investors, and other people who can give them feedback on how well their entrepreneurial journey went.  

    I personally know how important this is. I studied entrepreneurship in school, and I also took part in a startup summer program. I saw how much that helped me personally with my own career growth. So, getting to meet all the participants at the end of our own Catalyst program and some of the older participants as well was really nostalgic and gratifying for me, because I remember when I was exactly where they were! I remember getting to that pitch day and how nervous and exciting it is! And then hearing what they have learned, and recollecting what I personally learned was just so impactful. It was like you could literally see a bright future.  

    LV: We do this cohort every summer. And in the beginning, it’s always the same – they’ll come up with their one-minute elevator pitch and they’re very timid and shy, saying things like “I don’t know how to talk about myself.” And then just 10 weeks later, you see so much growth! They’re no longer that timid, they’re outgoing and putting themselves out there and pitching their companies and projects. It’s just incredible.  

    So, another one of your major resource spaces is just giving others the opportunity and mental space to grow?  

    AS: Yes, yes, for sure! So, if you’re interested, we’re offering our next one to the broader startup community next year.  

    Can you talk about the biggest obstacles you’ve overcome so far? How have you worked to build resilience within your own company and culture, or those you serve? 

    LV: Honestly, the biggest one is providing access to capital. These are very, very early-stage companies, just trying to find traction in the world. They need people, they need institutions, and they need capital to help get them to the next level.  

    We will be rolling out with more programs this coming year to help them do that – to raise capital and get to that next level. 

    In addition to lab space, Aquillius also provides offices.

    What are the biggest opportunities that you see in the biotech scene in San Diego? What role do you play in filling these gaps? 

    LV: San Diego is a huge biotech hub in and of itself. But even though it’s so large, it has the potential to grow.  

    When it comes to investing in these projects, San Diego has a pretty big angel investing scene – the venture capital scene still seems to be up and coming. But I think that we’re going to see some growth in that sector in the coming year.  

    The whole investing scene has been very slow really, because of the pandemic and the slowdown in the economy the past few years. But I think it’s coming back, and I think it will be a pretty vibrant scene going into 2024. 

    So, do you see yourself playing a role and filling the access gap to venture capital?  

    LV: Absolutely! So, we’re hoping to have a fund ready to go by next year that can invest in these companies. And we will be rolling out those programs that I talked about earlier. We’re going to hold more pitch days and things like that, centered on different themes and industries to attract those VCs to be a part of all of it as well. 

    AS: In addition, we work to reduce access gaps wherever we see them. We host a number of events around women in investing, women in science, and trying to encourage women, or others who are normally not as active in the science and founders community, to be involved. That focus is very important to us – it’s another way we build a more resilient future, by making sure everyone has access to the tools and resources they need to succeed. Really trying to empower women to be involved in the ecosystem.  

    So not only are we filling a gap for capital in the biotech space, but we’re providing a leg up for groups and communities who might need it most. And that’s definitely something different and important that we do. 

    Looking to the future, what do you see as the future for Aquillius? Are there any specific opportunities and risks that you are looking to navigate in the future, both near and long term? 

    LV: As far as growth goes, we’re just getting started! We’ve built out the lab space, we’re trying to attract companies to come in here, build, and be part of our community, and then just see where it goes!  

    We do have longer-term plans, such as growing to more locations, but those are definitely long term. We’ll see how this current model works in 2024. We just want to be able to provide more resources to the broader startup community, even beyond just San Diego! 

    What are the best ways for people to learn more about, or get involved with, Aquillius? 

    AS: The easiest way is to just check out all the information on our website. If you’d like a brochure, we have those too. But realistically, the best way is to book a tour! Come see it firsthand and say hi! We’ve found tours really spark the types of questions that we like to answer, that aren’t necessarily found on our website.  

    But yes, the best way is to book a tour, or come to a networking event! 

    Want to learn more? Go more in depth here:  

    Aquillius Website 

    Book a tour 

    Upcoming events 

    Aquillius Catalyst Program 

    Aquillius LinkedIn 

  • Innovative Ocean Intelligence: A Dive into Seatrec’s Sustainable Technology with Dr. Yi Chao

    Innovative Ocean Intelligence: A Dive into Seatrec’s Sustainable Technology with Dr. Yi Chao

    I was delighted to have the opportunity to speak with Dr. Yi Chao, Founder and CEO of Seatrec, a startup that designs and manufactures products that generate electricity from the temperature fluctuations in the ocean.

    When I first heard about this technology, it almost sounded like magic! A way to generate energy just from the naturally occurring ocean changing temperature? Wow!

    It turns out that it’s actually not that new of an idea – the research has been around since the 1970s, but generating enough energy from these fluctuations to, say, power the energy grid, is remarkably expensive.

    This is where Seatrec is different. They’ve scaled this technology down to essentially provide infinite, sustainable energy to power research instruments, like undersea robots.  Currently, these robots have to completely rely on the dwindling charges of battery packs, brought to them by researchers on ships – making research costly, difficult, and primarily close to shore. Thanks to Seatrec’s technology, researchers are no longer beholden to voyaging out on ships, and can gather more data from autonomous robots that can endure missions for much longer in harsher conditions – sparking the next generation of ocean data insights. 

    You’ll learn about how Seatrec uses this technology to power ocean research all around the globe, how Yi’s science background made him more resilient for the business world, and some of the major research successes that this technology has enabled.

    It was a great interview with a company on the cutting edge of energy and ocean research. If you’d like to learn more, you can explore Seatrec’s website!

    The Founder and CEO of Seatrec, Dr. Yi Chao (right)

    I’m chiefly interested in the concept of resilience – personal, communal, and societal. What does the concept of resilience mean to you and Seatrec?

    For us at Seatrec, we’re primarily concerned with societal resilience, since we deal with the planet’s resources. We’re totally ocean focused. There’s only so much land on earth, but over 70% of the planet is covered by the ocean. So it makes sense to turn to the ocean to find solutions to problems that we can’t solve by land!

    Everyone knows about traditional ocean industries like shipping, but there are a lot of interesting things being done with resource exploration in the ocean – whether it’s oil and gas, offshore energy, offshore wind farming, or even growing our own protein instead of fishing. The ocean is becoming more and more important – and as it becomes more important, it’s also in more danger.

    Seatrec was formed so we can understand the ocean in a deeper way, manage our resources, and protect our ocean. We’re bringing new and innovative technology to study the ocean and collect data.

    Really, when it comes down to it, our mission is to digitize the ocean and capture the ocean’s data, so we can better understand and predict the ocean – all so we can better protect this vital resource.

    I feel when people think about the ocean and generating energy, most people think about waves. However, you generate energy from the ocean’s temperature fluctuations. Can you talk about how you’re solving that problem, and the approach you’re taking?

    Sure! So the concept of OTEC (or, ocean thermal energy conversion) is actually not that new.

    The first wave of dealing with renewable ocean energy, including OTEC, was back in the 1970s. A lot of research was done back then that pioneered the whole field – studies were done with ocean thermal energy, ocean waves, ocean wind, everything. A number of different governments spent a lot of money on renewable energy to support the innovation, but when the oil crisis ended, everyone just went back to gasoline like nothing had happened. A lot of the research only started to come back in the recent decades.

    The technology for ocean thermal energy conversion is relatively mature, but it’s very costly. You have limited geographic distribution since you have to work in the tropics where the water is warm. You then have to pump cold water up from the deep ocean. Converting that small difference into energy is rather costly, and is just unrealistic to use that energy to supply the power grid.

    This is actually why you’ll hear a lot more about offshore wind when it comes to the ocean. Ocean waves are still in the early stages of commercialization as well.

    Where we come in is, we decided to utilize ocean thermal energy to power sensors and underwater robotics, not the power grid. We want to focus on ocean sensing, to provide ocean intelligence, and this can support other forms of energy – like providing data for the offshore wind energy market, and to help those companies optimize the planning, the sights, quantify impact, monitor their operations. And that’s a unique angle.

    So, would it be fair to say that your technology is like a recharging battery pack that could go on measurement instruments, allowing those instruments to stay out longer and be more self-contained?

    Yes, that’s correct!

    Essentially, we deliver the first self-charging underwater subsea robot. There are a lot of robots on the surface. They can be powered by solar, wind, and waves. But ours is the first that can power itself underneath the water. We can go as deep as 1000 meters today, and, if we want to, even as deep as 2000 meters in the near future! Today’s subsea robots are powered by batteries with limited lifetime and capabilities.  When the battery runs out, we need to send ships to replace those dead batteries or the robots fall to the bottom of the ocean. If you want to collect data far offshore, you need to use a bigger ship. This causes a huge carbon footprint, there need to be lots of people onboard, and it’s just extremely costly. Ship time starts to cost tens of thousands of dollars a day!

    Our robot can recharge its batteries without the need of ships, and therefore be scaled up.  Today, there are thousands of subsea robots in the ocean. In the next decade, this number will go up tenfold or even hundredfold.  

    When I was researching this company, I see that you’re the rare oceanographer who stays far away from the ocean due to seasickness! I’m glad to see that didn’t stop you.

    I was trained as an ocean scientist, and I have a Ph.D. in oceanography from Princeton University. I then worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena for many years. And even though my work was related to the ocean, I tried to stay away from the ocean as long as I could! For example, I developed a satellite to measure salinity on the surface of the ocean, from hundreds of miles away, using remote sensing technology – so I studied the ocean from space!

    Through my work, I continued developing computer models of the ocean and studying it that way. And eventually I thought, if I can develop robots that go to sea, I don’t have to physically go on ships! As long as I can measure the water, I think I’ll be happy.

    Seatrec’s technology generates power through the ocean’s temperature differences.

    Startups are notoriously prone to risk. What are some ways you’ve worked to build resilience within your company?

    The biggest risk for any startup is cash flow. How do you stay alive? How do you find just enough capital to help you grow? You don’t want to grow too fast, because you may not have the right product that fits the market. And then, of course, you always have to make payroll at the end of every pay period. Cash flow is the challenge we are constantly struggling with.

    The ocean market is very fragmented. It’s not as well-defined as other areas like consumer products, or startup categories like fintech or agtech. The market is emerging. It’s still new. My goal, the biggest challenge, is finding the product that fits the market, so we can raise the capital and grow. How do you get your product to take off?

    That’s my job, mainly. Opening up new markets, coordinating different sectors of the market, defining the market, and product market fit. Then, finding the right time to scale. Raising money from investors and then growing and scaling our technology in the marketplace!

    You have a significant background in engineering and oceanography. Has there been any surprising crossover from the science world to the business world? Anything that’s been a particularly good fit?

    I think as a scientist, you automatically build resilience. I do experiments, and they often fail. But then, eventually, you pick a new way, and make it right the next time! And you keep trying and trying to get it right. That’s my mentality, and I think that will carry through my entrepreneurial career.

    Being a first-time entrepreneur, I’ve read lots of books, talked to lots of mentors and different people who have experience to grow from 0 to 1 and implement deep tech successfully in the commercial market. That’s helped guide me day to day, and helped me keep looking forward and following my vision into the future, but at the same time staying focused on the present enough to continue making payroll and scaling the company.

    San Diego’s biotech scene is well-regarded. And Seatrec seems to be especially relevant to the San Diego area, poised to take advantage of engineering and oceanography pipelines from universities like UCSD and Scripps. How would you describe the San Diego business scene? Are there any pros and cons that you see about being in San Diego?

    We actually moved to San Diego for precisely that reason! Los Angeles is great for certain areas of tech, like consumer tech and aerospace. But I think that San Diego is one of the few ideal locations in the country to grow a blue tech company!

    As you mentioned, we have the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, all the engineering out of UCSD, a big naval presence, and access to supply chains. You have the port, coast guards. Even the border. I see all of these not just as adding to our intellectual capacity, but as an opportunity with many stakeholders and potential customers – not just from the research side, but from the defense and military side.

    We also have a great investor ecosystem – there are lots of investors in San Diego that support our industry. Really, San Diego is the perfect place to grow into our next chapter.

    Seatrec’s latest product, the InfiniTE float.

    Have there been any major successes that Seatrec has celebrated?

    Yes! Recently, one of the biggest successes we’ve seen is opening up a new market and making the customer very happy. We were able to enable the customer to do something that they were not able to do in the past.

    For the first time, we were able to add an acoustic hydrophone, an underwater listening device, to our robots. This was impossible before due to power limitations.  We deployed our robots in the ocean out in Monterey and we heard whales singing! It’s tough to see what’s happening under the water, but sound provides a way to discover what’s going on.  In fact, when it comes to the ocean, it’s all about sound.

    This hydrophone was really cool. It provides almost like a natural fingerprint of all the activity of the ocean, from the natural sounds of the wind and waves, to the manmade sound of the ships and other vessels, then the marine mammals and the rest of the ecosystem.  We can learn how all of these groups interact together.

    It was very interesting – traditionally, those hydrophones have to be powered by ships, and the surface is extremely noisy, so you couldn’t hear very well. Our robot, on the other hand, can dive much deeper where it’s much quieter. You can hear for miles and miles. It’s a lot like how if you were building a telescope, you’d want to build it on the top of a mountain. That’s the same principle with this ocean robot!

    So that’s really our major milestone – our customers can now do something that’s never been done before. We get to enable other technologies too. We can build our business model around these early customers and early technology adopters. And this makes us very excited to grow and make our investors happy about the total available market.

    Looking ahead, what do you see as the future for Seatrec? Are there any opportunities or risks you are working to navigate?

    In the near term, well, we launched our product early this year. We’ve been going to a few trade shows, getting customer feedback. We’ve been very encouraged about the traction so far, and there is product market fit. Ocean tech is hard – it’s taken years of engineering and commercialization efforts, but we have a strong differentiator to sell! We have some significant sales so far, and we interest for increased sales targets for next year.

    We hope to break even on our current operation next year, that’s our main milestone. And then, further out, we want to take the opportunity to scale. We’re planning to fundraise our Series A next year to put some more fuel in the fire. We want to take Seatrec to the next level.

    Then, in addition, we also have a really interesting project called Project FIND. This project is really about providing this cutting edge technology, and our robots, to researchers and customers who traditionally can’t afford them or don’t have the opportunity.

    We launched this project two years ago, hoping to provide cutting edge technology, like the same type of technology a researcher at Scripps would have, to countries and researchers who normally can’t access it. The ocean is global, it affects everybody. So everybody should be able to study and protect it. And we hope that, if people are interested, they can reach out to us, be a part of it, and can help out.

    So through Project FIND, you provide your technology to different countries to help foster more scientific exploration?

    Yes!

    Our end-to-end product with the platform and sensors sells for between $50,000 -$75,000. That’s what we sell to universities, researchers, nonprofits, and the government. But we’ve been able to provide one to Mexico already, as well as Brazil and South Africa. We’re working on two more for Sri Lanka and Ghana. They’re very interested in the hydrophone I mentioned earlier. A lot of researchers in Sri Lanka, for example, monitor whales. They have conservation programs, they understand the ocean. But they have to use binoculars to identify whales! If we can provide a hydrophone robot to them that lets them hear for miles, they can expand their search area and better understand whale behavior protect their part of the ocean.

    What are the best ways for people to learn about, or get involved with, Seatrec?

    You can certainly check out our website, or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter. We have some interesting projects coming up!

    Want to go more in depth? Learn more here:

    Seatrec website

    Seatrec technology

    Project FIND

  • Refilling Resilience: An Interview with Lowell Jooste of LJ Crafted Wines

    Refilling Resilience: An Interview with Lowell Jooste of LJ Crafted Wines

    How can you get rid of a wine bottle?

    Lowell Jooste, of LJ Crafted Wines, is searching for that answer.

    Using his patented technology to serve his wines in refillable growlers, Lowell Jooste has saved over 154,000 single-use glass wine bottles from the landfill — and is changing the way San Diegans drink wine.

    In the interview below, we explore topics such as the importance of team culture, building sustainability and environmental resilience into the wine industry, and the challenges of opening and operating a business.

    I’m chiefly interested in the concept of resilience — personal, communal, and societal. What does the concept of resilience mean to you and LJ Crafted Wines?

    I think just being focused on our concept, ensuring that it works, and having a good helping of determination. My wife Anne is the same way when it comes to the business. At the same time, we’ve had fantastic staff and a fantastic team, and they’ve all become part of it!

    Putting a great team behind it all is so important. In the beginning of the business, we were just constantly fixing problems — and now, with our team and their experience, we’re able to look ahead and get ahead of issues.

    So the team, the culture, and your experience helps you stay resilient?

    I believe so. You can take out insurance and whatnot, but that doesn’t really give your resilience. If something goes wrong, you need to have faith in your product and your team.

    Good point. So, let’s get into your product!

    San Diego is primarily known for our craft beer scene, not necessarily our wine. How has your wine been received, not just in San Diego, but in the overall scene? Do you feel that there is there any competition with the beer scene?

    I’d say that we have a bit of a different demographic to a brewery. The people who come to us come to enjoy their wine in a chilled-out atmosphere. It’s very different to a brewery where you have televisions going, sports on, and things like that. Our demographic is actually probably primarily a female demographic, whereas in the beer industry it’s more male.

    I think the wine has been very well received! We’ve been fortunate to be able to get very good grapes up in Napa Valley, and we’ve had very good quality control.

    Honestly, I see beer as another form of beverage. I don’t really see it as direct competition. We do offer some beer for customers who prefer it, but we go through very little beer.

    LJ Crafted Wines’ totally reusable bottles!

    You have deep experience in the wine scene. Can you talk about the move from owning and working a vineyard to owning and working an urban winery?

    I’d say it’s very different! Previously we were growing the grapes, making the wine, and then afterwards packaging it, selling it locally, and also walking the streets of the entire world trying to sell it. Whereas now, we are really just selling to a community in a small radius. It’s definitely a big change.

    For myself, the biggest change is that I am no longer managing a reasonably big team. I’m much more hands-on now, doing things that I’d ask other people to do previously. And I’m really enjoying it — I’m much more hands-on with the wine itself.

    Does that create a deeper connection with you and the business?

    I think it’s just very different — but I’m enjoying using my own hands!

    You moved from South Africa to La Jolla in 2012, and opened up LJ Crafted Wines in 2015. Can you talk about how opening the business went? What lessons did you learn?

    Well, obviously, as new immigrants to the US, things worked a little bit differently here. All the laws regarding alcohol are different, and every country’s got its own way. It was really a way of figuring out where we wanted to end up and how to get there. We hit a few bumps along the way, I’d say the first one was about a year after we made our first wine. We had about 60 barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir up in Napa, and then the earthquake came in August 2014. It was devastating. Exactly half of everything was destroyed.

    And then I think our other problems might have been even bigger. During our tenant improvement, we ran into all sorts of issues being on a slope and dealing with disability rules. We had to fix up a sloped sidewalk in front of us and change the levels of the floor inside our building, which tripled the cost of the tenant improvement budget we had originally set.

    But, you know, once you’re into it, you just have to finish it off. At first, we had reasonably high staff turnover, but luckily now, among the eight or so staff, I think we have a turnover of maybe one staff member a year. So that’s made us much more solid as a business and given us more resilience in dealing with adversity. And it’s nice not having to train the whole team again!

    And then I think the other side of it was trying to get a brand new concept going that hadn’t been seen in the wine industry and educating staff about it. The idea of using refillable glass bottles instead of normal wine bottles with a capsule and cork is quite different, so that posed a challenge.

    I like what you just said — once you’re in it, you just have to see it through! That mindset has held true for you guys throughout owning the original winery, and now LJ Crafted Wines?

    Yes — we’re determined to make this a success! It’s very exciting to work on something that makes sense both sustainably and economically.

    Can you talk about the biggest success that you’ve had with LJ Crafted Wines? Any large milestones?

    The biggest success is simply showing how many single use bottles we’ve saved using our proprietary technology, the Wine Steward®! If we look at LJ Crafted Wines, the concept is actually pretty old. People would go to the local winery, fill up their container, and take it home. That’s what we are doing, except now we’re using some modern technology that we’ve developed. In the old days, the container that the wine would’ve come from would’ve eventually gone bad because it would’ve oxidized. And with our new technology, the airspace that’s in the barrel has no oxygen in it, so that the wine will always stay completely fresh until the barrel is finished. We’ve also made a lot of strides in sanitation, obviously. But otherwise, it’s just finally improving on an idea that’s been around for centuries.

    Lowell Jooste pouring a reusable growler, using his patented barrel technology!

    Can you talk about the process of developing your wine technology, the Wine Steward®? Was it something that you’ve always been interested in creating, or did you one day just realize it was a niche that needed to be filled?

    I think it was just about filling a niche. Honestly, I always felt that wine tasted better just straight out the barrel — after it comes out of the barrel in a normal winery, it’ll go through filtration and preservation, a bunch of things like that. And every time you filter a product, you remove character.

    I felt that would be really great if we could just offer the wine as it is, directly out of the barrel. And the other side of it was, if we could copy a bit of what the beer industry does, and somehow use refillable bottles. We saw that as the goal, and then it was a matter of saying, “How do you get there?” and working backwards.

    So it wasn’t just a fluke, we actually worked backwards to get there!

    While you’ve avoided using over 154,000 glass bottles using your from-the-barrel technology, there’s still a long way to go in the wine industry. Do you still see single-use glass bottles as the primary elephant in the room? Are there other areas you see that the wine industry (whether in production, farming, etc) that the wine industry can make strides in sustainability?

    The wine industry has witnessed remarkable developments, particularly concerning vineyard practices. There’s a growing sensitivity towards using fewer spray materials, and significant efforts are being made to explore more organic farming methods. From an environmental perspective, studies have revealed that nearly half of the wine industry’s carbon footprint is attributed to glass bottles — a substantial concern we need to address. While some argue that glass bottles can be recycled, this process doesn’t substantially reduce their carbon footprint, as collecting, melting, and redistributing them requires considerable energy due to their weighty nature.

    Prior to COVID, around 70% of wine bottles in the US were imported from China, which involved shipping heavy bottles across oceans for single use, which is an environmentally unsound practice.

    However, despite these challenges, I believe there’s room for change. Many wineries would like to explore alternative packaging options, but there’s concern that deviating from the traditional glass bottle might affect their brand’s image. Yet, we can initiate changes on a smaller scale — starting from the wineries themselves. For instance, tasting rooms could use refillable bottles for all wines consumed there, and wineries could consider using refillable bottles for events and functions they host. By highlighting the environmental benefits and offering simple explanations to customers, such initiatives could gain traction.

    While it may require some logistical adjustments, starting with a few wines at a winery could be an excellent trial. If one approach doesn’t work, there’s always room for trying something else. Overall, it’s a doable and worthwhile endeavor that has the potential to make a positive impact in the wine industry.

    Do you plan to roll your wine technology out to other wineries?

    Well, we would like to do that in the future. At the moment, we’ve been too involved in just our little business here and living in the community. I haven’t really gotten out there yet.

    I can totally see wineries benefitting from your technology — I think about the wine tastings I’ve been a part of, and looking at how many bottles those wineries go through is incredible!

    It will definitely save them a lot of money! Those tasting rooms can tell you how quickly their empty bottle bin fills up. They could do it with reusable bottles so easily!

    The refillable bottles at LJ crafted Wines support a zero-waste lifestyle — and the wine is darn good, too!

    How do you balance the demands of running a business with the desire for sustainability? Do you see more economic difficulties or economic benefits for LJ Crafted Wines associated with your green efforts?

    The benefits have been significant! We’ve been able to streamline our entire operation, making it run a lot more smoothly. Our winemaking process in Napa and the transportation of barrels down here have been great. We’ve also been fortunate to receive strong support from the local community, and the wine club and refill bottle club have played a vital role, especially during the challenges of COVID. They were a source of immense support during that time.

    Additionally, with the recent surge in glass prices worldwide and availability issues, we’ve noticed that many bottles are kept in garages and homes. We’ve encouraged people to bring back their bottles, and we are offering refunds for their deposits. We actually had to send out an email to ask for our bottles back. As far as we know, we might be the first to ask for bottles to be returned!

    What’s next for LJ Crafted Wines?

    We’re actually about to start a direct to consumer shipping business and use cans! We are rolling out some 750 ml screwcap lightweight cans. These will be single-use, but will be easy to recycle and in an environmentally friendly container.

    Interesting. I feel like I’ve been seeing more wine in cans around.

    I definitely think we will be seeing more wine in cans. The problem is, the market right now is generally the cheaper end of the wine industry. No one puts up-market wine in a can, and I think for many consumers it’s a tough thing to overcome. People just like to have a bottle and cork!

    Although, we’ve already overcome that perception once. When we started, no one had really seen wine in growlers. We used an elegant bottle, and said, “This is a 1Liter bottle for the same price as a 750ml bottle — you’re getting an extra 250ml since you’re not paying for all of that packaging!” Everyone seemed to like the growler after that!

    It probably also helps that your quality is good — the wine speaks for itself!

    I completely agree. We’ve had great quality control up in Napa and the community has definitely started to appreciate that. I’m proud of the wines we serve people, and think they will stand up with any other wines in Napa.

    What are the best ways for people to learn more about, or get involved with, LJ Crafted Wines?

    Come and visit us — and join the wine club!

    Want to learn more? Go more in depth here:

    LJ Crafted Wines Website

    The Wine Steward® Bottle-Free System

    Interview with VinePair

  • Building a Sustainable Blue Economy: Resilience Insights from the Port of San Diego

    Building a Sustainable Blue Economy: Resilience Insights from the Port of San Diego

    I recently had the chance to speak with Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners Chairman Rafael Castellanos about the Port’s role in promoting the burgeoning Blue Economy —using the ocean’s resources to build a portfolio of businesses that deliver social, environmental, and economic benefits. Through their Blue Economy Incubator, they’ve managed to help support a number of early-stage, ocean-based startups looking to develop innovative solutions to some of the most pressing environmental challenges.

    In this interview, you’ll learn about the future (and challenges!) the Port of San Diego sees for ocean-based businesses, how the Port of San Diego balances economic development with environmental concerns, and some of the startup successes that have emerged through their Blue Economy Incubator.

    If you’d like to learn more about the Port of San Diego, their incubator, and their mission, you can check them out on their website.

    I’m chiefly interested in the concepts of resilience — personal, communal, and societal. The Port of San Diego is such an integral part of our community’s economic development and life. What does the concept of resilience mean to you and to the Port?

    San Diego Bay has given countless gifts to our region’s people long before any of us were here. As early as 12,000 years ago, the Kumeyaay people nourished themselves with seafood from the bay. And, once considered the tuna capital of the world, the bay continues to nourish us, all while the chapters of history have unfolded. Our beautiful natural harbor and deep-water port has seen people, nations, and industries come and go. Its resources are vast and rich, and we bear a special responsibility to make sure it continues to thrive and provide for all who depend on it, for the environment itself, and for future generations.

    Resilience for us means protecting, preserving, and enhancing the resources of San Diego Bay for many generations to come. We also strive to provide economic vitality and community benefits. We accomplish these things by taking a balanced approach to the maritime industry, tourism, water and land recreation, environmental stewardship, and public safety.

    What are some ways that the port works to build resilience throughout the San Diego region? What are some ways that the Blue Economy can build resilience in our community and beyond?

    As protectors of our air, land, and water, we build resilience through greenhouse gas reduction, sustainable development, water conservation, waste management and responsible business practices.

    The delicate balance of a healthy San Diego Bay ecosystem is upheld through a collaborative network of programs and initiatives, each working on innovative ways to sustain our waterfront. When it comes to the Blue Economy specifically, pilot projects supported through our Blue Economy Incubator have a large focus on coastal resiliency, water and sediment quality, ecosystem enhancement, and more.

    Overlooking the iconic Port of San Diego (Port of San Diego)

    The Blue Economy is a relatively new concept. Can you talk a little bit more about what that entails? How have you been working to educate this concept to the general public?

    The term, Blue Economy, may be relatively new, but it’s really an age-old concept. Traditionally, the blue economy is made up of many industries like maritime cargo trade, cruise, fisheries, shipbuilding and ship repair, recreational boating, and more. The Port is and has been involved in all of those. More recently, ports are considering how best to support a transition to a more sustainable ocean economy (the Blue Economy). Ports have the potential to act as hubs for blue economy innovation. At the same time, there is an opportunity for ports to diversify their economic base and to become catalysts for the development of new business models that promote the Blue Economy. For the Port of San Diego, through our Blue Economy Incubator, we are trying to build a portfolio of new businesses that deliver social, environmental, and economic benefits to the Port and region. We are striving to advance proposals that are replicable and scalable to help other ports, harbors and coastal communities address similar challenges we face and that in turn support further innovation and investment in the Blue Economy. It is a win-win situation. The Port is learning from the pilot projects, which are addressing existing environmental challenges and informing future opportunities.

    How does the Port collaborate with other organizations in the region to support resilience and sustainability?

    Since the ocean is the focus of the Blue Economy, the region of the Blue Economy ecosystem is the world. The Port maintains a global network of partnerships within the Blue Economy ecosystem and maintains relationships with academic institutions, technology clusters, governments, industries, foundations, and the public.

    One of our recent partnerships is with the U.S. Navy and the Maritime Environment and Technical Assistance (META) program within the United States Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration. Through this collaborative effort, we are studying carbon sequestration and storage in our bay’s eelgrass beds.

    Eelgrass and other coastal “blue carbon” ecosystems have a unique ability to rapidly capture and store large amounts of carbon. Like all plants, eelgrass absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2), which is stored as organic carbon in their plant material and produces oxygen through photosynthesis. When land plants die, their carbon is released back into the atmosphere as CO2. Unlike land plants, eelgrass is submerged in water, which prevents the release of CO2. Instead, the organic carbon is sequestered into the sea floor sediments. If left undisturbed, this carbon can remain trapped in eelgrass sediments for thousands of years. Eelgrass habitats cover a small fraction of the area forests do on land, yet they can store carbon at rates 30 to 50 times greater than forests.

    This study is an important component to the Port’s ongoing efforts to protect the indispensable resources San Diego Bay provides to our region, and to support state and local climate planning efforts. This study also complements the Port’s growing portfolio of nature-based solution projects like the Blue Economy Incubator.

    What has been the biggest obstacle that you’ve overcome thus far with the Blue Economy Incubator? The biggest success story?

    One of the biggest obstacles we have to overcome with the Blue Economy Incubator is the amount of time it takes to adequately review and consider all the good ideas we are pitched. Through the Blue Economy Incubator, an entirely new procurement pathway was created. The process is well outside of our normal procurement procedures. The perk of this new process is it allows the Port to partner with early-stage companies and support pilot projects and blue economy innovation. While still a relatively new process, we are actively working to improve efficiencies to allow us to scale the program and support more blue technology innovation.

    We have had several success stories emerge from the Blue Economy Incubator. One example is Sunken Seaweed. Sunken Seaweed is an aquaculture startup company led by two marine ecologists committed to pioneering sustainable seaweed aquaculture in San Diego. Under the Port’s Blue Economy Incubator, the company established a seaweed pilot farm in San Diego Bay using a method of ocean farming that includes ropes, buoys, and anchors attached to existing pier pilings.

    Recently the Port reinvested into Sunken Seaweed’s project so they could scale their seaweed farm and eventually sell their seaweed to chefs, food production and distribution companies. They are also exploring a range of products including fertilizers, human food supplements, and livestock feed additives.

    Sunken Seaweed is a seaweed farming operation located in the Port of San Diego. (Port of San Diego Facebook)

    Another success story is a company called ECOncrete. Nearly two years ago, ECOncrete installed 74 bio-enhancing concrete tide pools that mimic natural rock pools at two sites along San Diego Bay’s Harbor Island. So far, this pilot project is showing promising results. Monitoring efforts so far have indicated the project is an innovative win-win approach to coastal protection by providing resiliency and adaptation strategies in an urban environment while simultaneously enhancing valuable marine life.

    What do you see as the biggest opportunities within the Blue Economy? What role does the Port play in filling these gaps, and in the future of the Blue Economy?

    Ports are indeed uniquely positioned to act as catalysts for the Blue Economy and to take advantage of the future opportunities of the Blue Economy, and in this regard the San Diego region is gaining both national and international attention.

    The Port is at the forefront of the environmental challenges associated with climate change and coastal development. And to adapt, the Port is leveraging the use of innovative technologies and collaborations with business partners and communities, to revolutionize how to be environmental champions, and protect coastal ecosystems in a way that is mutually beneficial to the economy, environment, and our communities. As champion of the Blue Economy, the Port is committed to enhancing San Diego Bay and its tidelands through innovative partnership opportunities. Like Santa Clara Valley came to be known as Silicon Valley, San Diego Bay could one day come to be known as the Blue Technology Bay.

    How does the Port balance economic development and growth with environmental concerns?

    We believe we can grow the economy and improve and protect the environment around us. The two concepts are not mutually exclusive. For instance, technology like shore power allows cargo and cruise vessels to plug into shore power while at berth rather than running their engines. This helps reduce air quality impacts while keeping the supply chain moving and tourism thriving. We’re also working to electrify cargo handling equipment. This year, we’ll be the first port in North America to get all-electric dual mobile harbor cranes. They will replace our current diesel-powered crane, which is our most polluting piece of cargo handling equipment. In addition to the environmental and public health benefits, the new crane system will represent the heaviest lift capability of any crane system currently in place on the West Coast and will enable the Port to attract additional business opportunities due to the increased maximum lift capacity — up to 400 metric tons (MT) versus the 100 MT lifting capacity of the Port’s diesel crane. Most of the heavy-lift cargoes destined for this region weigh more than 200 MT, including larger pieces of solar, wind, and industrial energy equipment as well as project cargoes. The new cranes will allow the Port to compete for more business and better serve our existing operations when crane movements are needed.

    Looking to the future, what do you see as the future for ocean-based economic development? Are there any specific opportunities and risks that the Port is looking to navigate in the future, both near and long term?

    The future of ocean-based economic development is very bright and exciting. The global “Ocean Economy” is growing. It is valued on a conservative basis by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) at $1.5 trillion (2010) and growing to $3.0 trillion by 2030. Ocean development is driven by curiosity, ingenuity, and tenacity and many very smart people are working hard to solve some extremely difficult problems. We anticipate we will be rich in opportunities.

    A risk to potentially consider is that development will be directed by the public’s acceptance of these concepts and the ease at which regulatory considerations can be established. Will we be ready to appropriately address the planning and permitting work that will be necessary? The Port is leading the way in this arena by stepping up to engage with local stakeholders and work with regulatory agencies during planning and permitting phases. The Port’s communication and transparency are critical to the success of the project but also help inform others seeking to deploy new technologies.

    Can you discuss any upcoming initiatives or projects related to resilience that the Port has a hand in?

    Aside from the Blue Economy Incubator projects the Port is working on, the following resilience-related projects:

    · Pond 20— an 85-acre proposed wetland mitigation bank to restore coastal saltmarsh habitat with the added benefits of carbon sequestration and ecological enhancement, among others.

    · Native Oyster Living Shoreline Project— created oyster reefs to recruit native oysters, prevent shoreline erosion, and help with carbon sequestration.

    · Shellfish & Seaweed Aquaculture Planning — initiating the planning effort to review shellfish and seaweed farming for purposes such as food production, restoration, water quality improvements, biodiversity enhancement, and carbon sequestration.

    Pond 20 Restoration (Photo from Port of San Diego)

    Other than applying to be a part of the incubator, what are some ways that the local community can get involved with your efforts?

    We have a fun campaign called “That’s My Bay” to inspire people to help us improve our bay’s water quality and to also help the sea life in it thrive. Through a series of videos with lovable characters like Lil Wrapper and Trash Trooper Trish, we provide people with helpful tips and suggestions to help keep our waterways clear of trash, debris, and pollutants. Check it out here.

    What are the best ways for people to learn more about the Port of San Diego, your work in the Blue Economy, and the companies that are in the incubator?

    Our website is a great place to start. We also have some fun videos on our YouTube channel. If you’re on social media, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

    Want to learn more? Go more in depth here:

    Port of San Diego Website

    Port of San Diego YouTube

    Port of San Diego Instagram

    Blue Economy Incubator Website

    Blue Economy Incubator on Al Roker

    Blue Carbon Project

    Sunken Seaweed

    ECOncrete

    Pond 20

    Native Oyster Living Shoreline Project

    Shellfish & Seaweed Aquaculture Planning

    Thank you to Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners Chairman Rafael Castellanos, as well as Gabriella Rodriguez and Brianne Page for their help with this interview.

  • Turning Waste into Electricity and Clean Water: An Inside Look at Aquacycl

    Turning Waste into Electricity and Clean Water: An Inside Look at Aquacycl

    Recently, I had the chance to sit down with Juli Iacuaniello, the Marketing Director at one of San Diego’s most cutting-edge startups, Aquacycl. Focused on providing modular, affordable wastewater treatment through an innovative modular, microbial fuel cell system that turns waste into electrical energy and clean water, this company is on the front lines of building resilience into our communities, society, and infrastructure.

    In the interview below, we explore the ideas of building resilience into a company culture and what it took to navigate through COVID, Aquacycl’s biggest successes, the San Diego startup scene, the role wastewater treatment plays in water access and the climate, and the importance of creating a product that isn’t just environmentally sound, but economically sound as well.

    If you’d like to see more about Aquacycl and their mission, you can check them out on LinkedIn or their website. You can also reach out to Juli personally if you’re interested in learning more!

    I’m chiefly interested in the concept of resilience — personal, communal, and societal. What does resilience mean to you and how does it align with Aquacycl’s mission?

    Our mission is to provide sanitation and clean water for people that don’t have it. There are over two billion people in the world that have no access to sanitation that is safe and reliable — more people have access to a cell phone than a toilet! When Aquacycl was started, the mission was to address this sanitation and clean water gap.

    In the global south especially, a lot of people don’t have the infrastructure for sanitation or clean water. Where we want to be in three, five, or seven years is to be able to provide modular, rapidly deployable mobile or permanent systems for sanitation. People that are displaced from natural disasters are oftentimes put into horrible situations, into refugee camps where they don’t really have the amenities that you or I would think of on a daily basis. Being able to rapidly deploy modular systems that can address that gap is one opportunity to build resilience in the face of disaster in areas that need it the most.

    We were founded with a goal of off-grid and off-energy sanitation. Eventually (and I say eventually because we aren’t quite there yet) that’s where we want to be. We aren’t rebuilding the old centralized model. We aren’t just replacing the old systems with how they were build 50 years ago. We are actually coming in with new technology that can address the problems in front of us without adding to the problem, without requiring additional infrastructure, and without requiring huge capital investment to build out the new infrastructure. We can build this new technology and infrastructure in a way that can reduce the impact of natural disasters and the sanitation gap, and build resilience in communities that are most vulnerable to natural disasters around the world.

    Aquacycl CEO, Orianna Bretschger, examining their technology.

    Startups are notoriously vulnerable to risk. Can you talk about some of the obstacles that you have overcome thus far? How have you worked to build resilience within your company culture to continue to identify, as well as overcome, potential setbacks?

    I’d say the number one obstacle was COVID. I had joined maybe six months before COVID hit, and everything started shutting down. Schools shut down, businesses were closing — that was a really challenging time for AquaCycl. We were in the middle of raising money! We were trying to get customers and we were calling on companies that also basically stopped everything.

    Our CEO and founder, Orianna Bretschger, is tremendous. She responded very quickly to try to keep the company alive. During that time, Aquacycl pivoted a little bit, since we now had excess capacity — we used our lab space to make hand sanitizer and get it to first responders. And the several of us who had been furloughed while trying to understand what was happening believed so strongly in the mission and vision of the company that we actually kept working to try and bring it to fruition!

    But other than that, since there was a couple of us on the sales and marketing team that were still working through the shutdown, we actually ended up closing our first commercial contract.

    I think that the reasons we were able to pull through the COVID shutdown were because we believed so much in both the mission of the company and the value of the technology — both its industrial value and the long term value.

    Over the last couple years, we’ve closed our Series A and used this money to prepare for the next phase of growth. We are moving from startup to scaleup, so we have brought in new team members who can put in place the processes that will allow us to grow — but we’re making sure that we still have a culture of putting the customer first and getting things done quickly.

    Would you say that part of what helped Aquacycl get through the COVID pandemic was a hyper focus on the company’s vision and mission statement?

    Yes, absolutely.

    I think the people who work at Aquacycl are excited to be here because of the vision and because of the game changing technology we are building. This is cool technology where you take, these little batteries, basically, and the microbes are both cleaning the water and producing electricity. I think people here really are excited about the technology, and they’re excited about the mission.

    I’d also say people like working here because, while it’s a small team still, it still has great comradery. We really haven’t had much turnover at all. There have been a couple people that came in and out, but for the most part, our team has stayed pretty consistent.

    So I think it comes down to the mission, the technology, and the people who are here. We’re really careful about hiring the right people, and hiring for fit rather than necessarily hiring the absolute most qualified. Our CEO is extremely careful about hiring for cultural fit within our company.

    https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FIxsG8G0YTEE%3Ffeature%3Doembed&display_name=YouTube&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIxsG8G0YTEE&image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FIxsG8G0YTEE%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtubeTake a deeper look into Aquacycl’s technology with this video!

    Can you talk about your biggest success that you’ve had with Aquacycl thus far? What helped you achieve it?

    There have been several significant achievements for us! From a commercial standpoint, one of our biggest successes has been our partnership with PepsiCo, where we are working at their site to treat wastewater from their process. They have been a tremendous partner for us. After an initial pilot, we expanded to a multi-year commercial contract, with clear KPIs that track system performance, environmental impact and cost savings. Another big success for us last year was expanding into new industries, notably hydrocarbon remediation, where we validated that we can remove really challenging compounds.

    I’d say another success is the recognition that we’ve received from various awards and media, which has increased the visibility of what we are trying to achieve. Some of these included our CEO receiving the Cartier Women’s Initiative Laureate in STEM, Impact Company of the Year by Startup San Diego, a nominee for Fast Company Next Big Things in Tech, and many others. We have also received coverage in Forbes and Fast Company, and various trade and business journals. These successes are a testament to our progress as a small company and provide the validation and social proof that our product is excellent, as well as customer satisfaction validation.

    We’ve had amazing support over the past few years that has helped us to grow the company to where it is. We’ve participated in a number of accelerators, including Imagine H20, Xylem Innovation Labs, Google for Startups, 100+ Accelerator (sponsored by AB InBev, The Coca Cola Company, Unilever and Colgate-Palmolive), Unreasonable Impact, Creative Destruction Lab, Plug and Play, and The Circulars. These have been key to our successes, as they help connect us with investors, customers and potential channel partners.

    San Diego is well regarded for our burgeoning biotech scene. Does being part of such a community help as you work to grow your company and innovate in your own space? Have there been any surprising drawbacks?

    No, it’s a good question, but I think that Orianna (our CEO) could probably provide a more detailed response. From my perspective, however, the San Diego community has been incredibly supportive of Aquacycl. I first met Orianna about four years ago at a pitch event organized by Hera Labs, which is now known as Stella. They do a lot to support female entrepreneurs. Orianna won the pitch contest, and went on to win the San Diego Angel Conference, where Aquacycl was the first company to secure seed money and visibility.

    The San Diego startup community, although not exclusively focused on biotech, has been a tremendous support to us. We are a biotech company, but we are not a traditional one. Nonetheless, the community has shown a strong desire to help startups grow by providing connections and inviting us to events. Overall, I cannot speak highly enough of the startup community in San Diego that has supported us!

    A look at one of Aquacycl’s modular wastewater treatment service units.

    Global water use is suspected to grow between 20–50% in 2050. Can you talk about Aquacycl’s role in helping mitigate the risk that dwindling water access poses to our communities?

    The big issue in the West is water scarcity, and I believe our solution has the potential to address this challenge. By treating water at the source, we can enable water reuse and reduce the amount of blue water required, which in turn alleviates water scarcity for everyone. Industrial companies are heavy water consumers, so reducing their water footprint can have a significant impact. For instance, clean water can be reused for non-product contact applications such as washing floors, toilets, and tanks. This approach reduces the need for freshwater while addressing concerns around food safety.

    Water scarcity is a significant driver for us, and it underscores the need for resilience in ensuring that water is available for everyone. We must prioritize water availability to avoid situations where people are forced to relocate because of water shortages. While small actions such as turning off the tap while brushing teeth can help, large-scale water conservation efforts by companies can make a significant difference.

    Looking to the future, what do you see as the future for Aquacycl? Are there any specific opportunities and risks that you are looking to navigate in the future, both near and long term?

    In the near future, our focus will remain on expanding our industrial customer base since we believe that’s where we have the strongest value proposition. However, our long-term goal is to return to sanitation and distributed sanitation, and we’re actively working towards that end. The challenge that our customers face is that while they have funds allocated for their operations, waste management is a necessary expense. The real challenge lies in meeting their aggressive sustainability goals related to water and climate, which requires reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

    Our aim in the next two to three years is to achieve a stronger penetration rate and quantify our contribution to improving water quality. Currently, a vast amount of wastewater, ranging from 56% to 80%, depending on the source, is discharged untreated into the environment. This is a significant environmental problem since the wastewater sector is already responsible for 4 to 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Our goal is to address this issue and make a tangible impact by expanding our reach.

    We’re also looking to expand into the European market, replicating our North American success. We see many opportunities in multiple verticals and waste streams, including pharmaceutical and hydrocarbon wastewater.

    Finally, technology plays a crucial role in our growth plan. Our CTO (who actually just walked by!) has a roadmap for the development of our technology, and we’re working hard to make it a reality.

    Aquacycl’s value proposition seems to be that not only is it greener and more efficient, it saves companies money. Can you talk about the importance of not only creating environmental resilience, but economic resilience as well?

    That’s a really insightful question — all too often we focus solely on the environmental benefits of a particular initiative, and fail to take into account the economic factors that drive businesses. Ultimately, our clients are in the business of generating profits for their shareholders, which is the fundamental principle on which our society is built. In our numerous conversations with various companies, we have found that unless an initiative can deliver both economic and environmental benefits, it cannot be effectively marketed on the basis of environmental benefits alone. While there may be some niche areas and technologies where the environmental benefit alone can drive sales, for the most part, companies require a solution that delivers operational savings as well as sustainability benefits.

    This approach is driven by the fact that if an initiative costs a company a significant amount of money without delivering a commensurate return, it will be viewed unfavorably by investors. In the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, which is known for its competitiveness, margins are crucial. If the margins start to slip, investors will take note, and this could have serious consequences for the company’s long-term viability. Therefore, any sustainability initiative must deliver a dual benefit in order to make sense from a business perspective and ensure the longevity of the company.

    Want to learn more? Go more in depth here:

    Aquacycl Website

    Aquacycl LinkedIn

    Aquacycl and PepsiCo Case Study

    Aquacycl in Forbes

    Aquacycl in Fast Company

    Circular Economy Overview