Sometimes things just strike you as dumb and then one day you understand why. The current model of desalination is a great example. It's something that everyone thinks that we at BIV should be invested in up to the eyeballs, and, of course, we support technologies that are pertinent to desal, but the legacy model is just a tough nut to crack. Ever more scaled plants to minimize the per gallon cost of purified water is the name of the game. So when I met Alex Fugelsang and the full Flocean team, it was like a light bulb going off. Legacy desal was dumb for the simple reason you were pumping up onto land a whole load of water, putting all of it through a giant factory, having designed it for all of that water, then throwing at least 40% of it back into the ocean. So what if you could desalinate under the surface of the sea and get rid of all that excess capacity? You don't run into paradigm shifts all the time, but we think that Flocean is one of them. Alex is a superb guy with a fascinating skill set, having spent most of his life operating machinery at inhospitable depths, and he's on a remarkable mission to put a huge dent in global water insecurity. Please enjoy my conversation with Alex Fugelsang. 

Subscribe to The Fundamental Molecule here: https://www.burntislandventures.com/the-fundamental-molecule

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fundamental-molecule/id1714287205

-----------

In today’s episode, Alex Fuglesang details Flocean's underwater desalination: less energy and less environmental impact thanks to stable deep-sea conditions. He reveals how robotics ensure reliable maintenance in their water-as-a-service model, and highlights building trust with communities, providing tailored solutions for water scarcity. Alex also shares insights on his background, leadership, and the future of desalination.

00:00 - Why Legacy Desalination Is Failing

02:16 - Operating and Engineering in Harsh Deep Sea Conditions  

05:30 - Robotics and Automation in Underwater Water Tech  

06:32 - Flocean's Origin Story  

10:35 - How Flocean Cuts Energy Use and Environmental Impact  

13:22 - Simplifying Permitting for Subsea Desalination  

15:16 - Real-World Water Scarcity Challenges in Island Nations  

17:24 - Growing Industrial Demand for Onsite Desalination  

19:52 - New Business Models for Water Delivery  

22:56 - What Infrastructure Investors Want from Water Tech  

24:09 - Building a World-Class Water Tech Team  

26:53 - Targeting High-Impact Coastal Markets  

28:38 - Strategic Marketing for Deep Tech Startups  

29:57 - Military Leadership Lessons in Startup Life  

34:17 - The Future of Desal

37:43 - Cutting Red Tape in Water Infrastructure Projects  

39:17 - Top Advice for Climate Hardware Entrepreneurs  

Links:

Burnt Island Ventures: https://www.burntislandventures.com/

Alex Fuglesang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderfuglesang/?originalSubdomain=no

Flocean: https://www.flocean.green/

SM Material

Key Takeaways:

"In water-scarce regions, the frustration is real. Limited budgets lead to expensive maintenance and weeks of downtime."

“Cutting bureaucracy and aligning stakeholders can unleash new technologies."

“Flocean uses natural deep-sea pressure to cut power consumption. 40% energy efficiency savings are not abnormal."

"Scale with trust and demand. Start small to build trust, then scale without massive infrastructure changes."