Seattle startup Membrion raised $7 million to spice up manufacturing of its ceramic membranes that deal with wastewater.
Spun out of the College of Washington in 2016, Membrion goals to handle a ache level in wastewater therapy, the place present options require corporations to truck water away moderately than deal with it on the spot. It sells ceramic desalinization membranes that can be utilized to deal with poisonous runoff from manufacturing processes, eradicating salt and heavy metals resembling lead, mercury, arsenic and copper.
“We’re seeing pilot initiatives convert to full industrial installations, which makes the extra sustainable choice, treating water on-site, an economically enticing actuality,” CEO Greg Newbloom stated in an announcement. “This Collection B funding helps to solidify our imaginative and prescient of phasing out inefficient legacy water therapy processes.”
The corporate’s principal clients are U.S.-based, Fortune 100 corporations within the microelectronics, automotive, meals and beverage, and oil and gasoline sectors. These companies usually eat giant portions of water and use Membrion’s ceramic membranes to higher deal with their water stewardship.
Newbloom based the corporate after working for years on filtering expertise to be used in gas cells and water desalination programs. He’s joined by COO Philip Pickett, a longtime enterprise supervisor for venture-backed energy infrastructure and renewable power corporations.
The corporate stated it has 24 workers and is seeking to improve that quantity to 32-35 by yr finish.
The funding was led by PureTerra Ventures, with participation from Safar Companions, GiantLeap Capital, Freeflow, together with present traders. The newest spherical pushes the 7-year-old startup’s complete funding thus far to $17.5 million.
Membrion beforehand raised $6 million in its oversubscribed Collection A spherical which closed in March 2020, then added a further $3 million in September. It has additionally landed $3 million in non-dilutive grants.
Membrion’s earlier backers embody Bellingham Angel Buyers, WRF Capital, SeaChange Fund, UW, Amazon, the Nationwide Science Basis and the Murdock Charitable Belief. PureTerra Managing Companion Nic Pannekeet and GiantLeap Managing Companion Himanshu Sekhar will be part of Membrion’s board as a part of the newest funding spherical.