How Water-Tech Startups Make Every Drop Count

From pulling drinking water straight out of thin air to robots cleaning sewers, Indian startups are reshaping how we use, conserve, and recycle water.

Solinas: Robots for Clean Cities

Chennai-based Solinas builds AI-powered solutions like the Endobot pipeline crawler and Homosep robot to eliminate manual scavenging. Its tools help municipalities detect leaks, reduce water loss, and manage sewers safely and efficiently.

Akvo: Drinking Water from Air

Akvo decentralises clean water supply by producing it at the point of consumption—no tankers, groundwater, or heavy infrastructure. Founder Navkaran Singh Bagga explains:

“The idea was to solve a critical problem, build scalable technology, and deliver value. Water-tech checked all those boxes.”
Akvo’s AWGs use condensation, IoT monitoring, and multi-stage filtration. Modular rooftop units allow customers to scale water production sustainably.

Uravu Labs: Renewable Water

Uravu Labs turns atmospheric moisture into mineral-rich water using liquid salts and renewable heat (solar, biomass, industrial waste heat). Already supplying the hospitality sector, Uravu has conserved 2 lakh litres of groundwater and reduced single-use plastic dependence. Its water cost has dropped from ₹5 per litre to ₹1.5, with a target of 50 paise per litre by 2026.

Indra Water: Smarter Wastewater Treatment

Mumbai-based Indra Water focuses on industrial wastewater pre-treatment. Its patented ElectroX system removes up to 90% of pollutants, stabilises pH, and reduces sludge. With clients across industries from textiles to steel, Indra is pushing for water reuse at scale.

Funding and Growth

The water-tech segment in India raised $174 million (2018–2025), peaking at $56.2 million last year.

• Solinas has raised $4M (backed by Zerodha’s Rainmatter).

• Akvo is preparing a $3M raise for R&D and expansion.

• Indra secured $4M Series A funding from Emerald Ventures and others.

• Uravu recently raised $1.2M to scale capacity and lower costs.

Why It Matters

India loses nearly 600 MLD (megalitres per day) of water in tier-1 cities due to leaks, illegal connections, and contamination—worth ₹163 crore daily. With climate pressures rising, water-tech startups are filling critical gaps in supply, conservation, and recycling.

These innovators are proving that every drop counts—not just for today, but for a sustainable future.

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Deep-Tech and Sustainability: India’s Next Big Leap

By Navkaran Singh Bagga, CEO & Founder, AKVO

India’s technology landscape is entering a transformative phase where deep-tech meets sustainability. The coming decade demands solutions for water, energy, food, and urban infrastructure—areas where innovation can create both human impact and global competitiveness.

Real-World Challenges, Real Opportunities

Deep-tech holds the strongest potential in sectors that directly affect human existence—water security, renewable power, food sustainability, and urban infrastructure. India can leapfrog legacy systems by investing in atmospheric water technology, bio-based materials, and circular economic frameworks.

Policy as a Growth Enabler

Government initiatives like Make in India provide fertile ground for climate-tech and water-tech startups. Beyond subsidies, India needs pilot programs, fast-track approvals, and performance-linked incentives to accelerate adoption. Strong policy support will shape India into a global leader in climate-tech innovation.

Smart Sustainability with AI, IoT & Blockchain

AI enables predictive efficiency, IoT enhances monitoring and uptime, while blockchain ensures accountability in large-scale projects. Together, these technologies form “smart sustainability”—decentralized, trackable, and scalable systems. At AKVO, IoT dashboards already support our AWGs, with AI integration on the horizon.

Hardware as the Missing Link

India excels in software but lags in hardware development and supply chains. The biggest opportunity lies in uniting India’s software strength with local hardware ecosystems—from semiconductors to renewable devices—creating affordable, scalable solutions for global markets.

Advice to Young Entrepreneurs

Don’t build technology for its own sake—solve genuine problems. The next generation of unicorns will be impact unicorns, addressing water, waste, food, and energy challenges. Embed sustainability in your DNA, and scale globally from day one.

The Defining Decade

India’s tech future lies at the intersection of scale, sustainability, and global competitiveness. Scale without sustainability will collapse, and sustainability without growth will remain niche. True leadership comes from combining both.

Role of Deep-Tech Startups

Deep-tech ventures like AKVO signal India’s shift from outsourcing to innovation leadership. By blending IoT, AI, and renewable integration to extract water from air, we tackle global scarcity challenges. Startups are building the intellectual property and climate-tech hardware that will cement India’s position as a technological powerhouse.

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Scaling Sustainability: Partnerships and Policy Pathways to Make AWG Technology Accessible

By Navkaran Singh Bagga, CEO & Founder, AKVO

Water is life, yet safe drinking water remains one of the world’s greatest challenges. With urbanization, climate change, and overuse of natural resources, traditional water sources are under unprecedented stress. Atmospheric Water Generation (AWG) offers a sustainable solution by harvesting clean drinking water directly from the air—but scaling it requires more than technology alone.

Why AWG Matters Now

By 2030, global freshwater demand is projected to outpace supply by 40%. AWG can provide reliable, decentralized water without straining existing ecosystems, making it vital for both urban and remote communities. But for AWG to move beyond niche adoption, it must become part of mainstream water management strategies.

Partnerships as the Pivot

No single entity can close the global water gap. Governments, businesses, non-profits, and research institutions must work together:

• Governments can integrate AWG into public water supply frameworks and disaster preparedness.

• Businesses can meet sustainability goals while strengthening community resilience.

• Non-profits can ensure last-mile delivery and community adoption.

• Academia can advance efficiency and provide data for policymaking.

Policy Pathways

Supportive policies can transform AWG from an innovation to a national water security tool. This includes:

• Subsidies and tax credits similar to those for renewable energy.

• Standards and certifications to build trust.

• Financing mechanisms like green bonds.

• Integration into national disaster plans and renewable energy policies.

Beyond Infrastructure

Accessibility means more than installing machines. Models like pay-per-use or microfinancing, along with community training and awareness campaigns, ensure long-term impact and trust in AWG solutions.

The Way Forward

Scaling AWG is not just a technological challenge—it’s a socio-political one. By aligning partnerships, policy, and people, AWG can become a cornerstone of global water security, helping to democratize clean water as a right for all.

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