Timestamps:

1:49 - From ETH Researcher to startup founder

9:00 - Winning Investor's Choice

10:35 - Clean tech competitors

12:43 - Having a hard time with sales

17:55 - Moving from India to Europe at 19

About Sreenath Bolisetty and Blue Act Technologies

Sreenath Bolisetty is the co-founder and CEO of BluAct Technologies, an ETH spin-off which provides a technology for water purification from heavy metals through milk proteins. In 2020, the company won the Expert’s Choice Award at the Energy Startup Days. Originally from a small village in India, Sreenath obtained his PhD from the University of Bayreuth. He went on to work as a Senior Researcher at ETH Zurich and in 2016, started BluAct Technologies as his first company. BluAct’s purifying system differentiates itself through its high level of effectiveness at a low cost point. Being able to run without electricity, it is the perfect choice for water purification in remote areas - something which BluAct Technologies has proven through their various pilots in remote communities around the world. Their milk protein membranes are suitable both for water purification in individual households and at large scales of thousands of cubic meters of water. With 2 products already on the market, BluAct Technologies wants to expand its offering to cover purification for radioactively polluted water. The company is planning to raise USD 3m in their next investment round to help with the commercialization and certifications of its products.

Memorable Quotes

"A very strong motivation to start BluAct was the fact that I come from India, where water problems are a very real day-to-day issue."

If you would like to listen to more episodes on ETH spin-offs, check out our conversations with Mark Essam and Mina Kamel.

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