March’s Mission-minded Spotlight: Varuna
Welcome to the March edition of “Mission-minded: Building for tomorrow”
[In case you missed it, each month I’ll highlight an under-the-radar founder or company that’s building something that has the power to enact real change in our world. From my personal perspective and understanding, I’ll tell you why you should care about what they’re building, what makes them credible, and what I love about their story. Let’s dig in!]
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Our access to clean water is something many of us take for granted – and there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes by utility providers to ensure you can take a shower, boil an egg or grab a glass of water.
This month we’re spotlighting Varuna, a company that enables the delivery of clean water efficiently by providing water system operators with actionable data and insights to identify blindspots.
1) Why care? Thousands of water systems in the U.S. have outdated water infrastructure and provide water that’s worse than what we saw during the Flint water crisis in 2014 when drinking water was contaminated with lead and possibly Legionella bacteria. Lead pipes, toxic waste, agriculture contamination and other issues are all real-world repercussions of chronic underinvestment in water infrastructure, and ones that continue to cripple America’s water systems. Access to clean water also predominantly impacts communities of color, as research has shown disproportionate amounts of EPA violations in certain regions.
2) What makes the co. credible? Varuna is already being used by water systems across the country including NYC Environmental Protection, the City of Amarillo, the City of Evanston and Trenton Water Works, to name a few. They’ve received funding from Google’s Black Founders Fund, Collab Capital, Evergreen Climate Innovations, Third Sphere and other notable investors. The company was also recognized by Government Technology’s GovTech 100 list in 2023 and its founder, Seyi Fabode, already has one exit under his belt when he founded Power2Switch, a user-centric retail electricity marketplace that was acquired by Choose Energy.
3) What I love about their story? When Austin had their first-ever ‘boil water’ warning in 2018, Seyi Fabode’s wife and son had adverse reactions. Per Seyi: “After several days of substantially reducing water usage — and seeing more than 625,000 plastic bottles of water handed out across the city — I set out to find a solution.” Gifted with an engineer and problem-solving mindset, Seyi repurposed a turbidity sensor, like the one used in washing machines, to create his first water-quality measurement device, and as they say, the rest was history. The company is named for the Vedic deity associated with water, truth and enlightenment and founded on the belief that when people know better, they do better.
You’re on to something big, Varuna! We’re rooting for you!
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In case you missed it, here are the other companies we’ve spotlighted so far this year:
February: Acclinate, increasing health equity by making research more inclusive by helping pharmaceutical companies and healthcare organizations access and engage communities of color
January: Mission-Driven Tech, a company that’s building innovative solutions that normalize and modernize Cervical Health