What if we could permanently remove the toxic “forever chemicals” contaminating our water? That’s the driving force behind Michigan-based startup Enspired Solutions, founded by environmental toxicologist Denise Kay and chemical engineer Meng Wang. The duo left corporate consulting in the rearview mirror to take on one of the most pervasive environmental challenges: PFAS. 

"PFAS is referred to as a forever chemical because it is so resistant to break down. It does not break down naturally in the environment, so it just circles around and around. This chemistry, which would break that cycle, break the molecule apart, could really support the health of all of us," says Kay. 

Basing the company in Michigan was both a strategic and a practical strategy. The state has been a leader in PFAS regulation with a startup infrastructure—buoyed by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)—that helped turn an ambitious vision into a viable business. 

From intellectual property analyses to forecasting finances and fundraising guidance, MEDC’s programs offered Kay and Wang the resources to focus on building their PFASigator: a machine the size of two large refrigerators that uses ultraviolet light and chemistry to break down PFAS in water. In other words, “it essentially eats PFAS.” 

Despite the support from MEDC, the journey has been far from smooth. "As people say, being an entrepreneur and running a startup is like a rollercoaster,” Kay says. “You have high moments, and you have very low moments when you think nothing's ever going to move forward."

Without revenue or salaries in the early days, the co-founders had to be sustained by something greater than financial incentive. 

"If problem solving and learning new talents do not provide sufficient intrinsic reward for a founder to be satisfied throughout what I guarantee will be a long duration effort, then that founder may need to reset their expectations. Because the financial rewards of entrepreneurship are small throughout the process."

Still, Kay remains optimistic about the road ahead for Enspired, for clean water innovation, and for other founders walking down a similar path. "It's a tough journey, and you have to love being on that journey, and be intrinsically rewarded for that for the sake of the journey itself, or you'll be a very unhappy founder."

This episode of Business Lab is produced in partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.