A Lehigh Valley-based company that has developed a process to clean contaminated water from oil and gas, mining, and other industrial operations was a prize winner at the 7th Annual StartUp Lehigh Valley pitch competition on Aug. 5. 
The competition, which was broadcast live and livestreamed by WFMZ, gives early-stage businesses an opportunity to showcase their innovations and win funding to further advance their research and development.
Entrepreneurs play a key role in the Lehigh Valley’s $55.7 billion economy. Entrepreneurs bring new products and technologies to market, create jobs, and strengthen communities. Supporting entrepreneurs is one of the priorities of Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) in the organization’s recently adopted strategic plan for 2025-2027.
Hydron Desalination, which has its research and development operations at the Ben Franklin TechVentures business incubator in Bethlehem, won the second runner-up prize in the pitch competition. The company uses specialized absorbents to extract clean water from contaminated sources including high-concentration brines.
A solvent and heat are used to separate brine from water. And the solvent can be reused.
“Think of it like a sponge,” Co-founder and CEO Sachin Nair said during his pitch at StartUp Lehigh Valley.
He said the process helps the environment, addresses water scarcity, and is energy efficient, with plenty of opportunities to generate revenue, including by extracting minerals from contaminated water.
“At Hydron, we’re solving one of the largest wastewater problems on the planet,” said Nair, a chemical engineer whose previous roles included working at Air Products.
The $2,000 second runner-up prize was provided by Entrepreneurship at Lehigh University. The university puts on the StartUp Lehigh Valley pitch competition.
“Through events like this, we continue to prioritize and reinvest in entrepreneurship as part of our university strategy, ‘Inspiring the Future Makers,’” said Nathan Urban, Ph.D., Lehigh University’s Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and a member of LVEDC’s Board of Directors. “StartUp Lehigh Valley exemplifies our commitment to fostering innovation and creating opportunities for impact both locally and beyond.”
Also competing in StartUp Lehigh Valley was BIRE Technologies, of Bethlehem, which developed technology to generate environmentally friendly hydroelectricity, without using dams or propellers. The company’s equipment generates energy by mimicking the tail movement of fish.
“We took our inspiration from salmon, a fish that swim against the current effortlessly, to reinvent how we can capture energy from rivers and tides, anywhere, anytime,” CEO and Co-founder Amin Mivehchi said during his pitch.
The Lehigh Valley has a robust network of organizations to assist entrepreneurs with everything from free advice to financing to networking opportunities. A new event the Lehigh Valley Entrepreneur Summit, will bring all those resources together for the first time on Oct. 21.
StartUp Lehigh Valley was held at the ArtsQuest Center during Musikfest, the nation’s largest free, ungated music festival that typically draws more than 1 million people to see more than 500 performances over 10 days.
AcQumen Medical Inc., a life sciences startup co-founded by Lehigh University engineering graduate Dori Jones, won the top prize of $20,000. The company, based in Minneapolis, developed a real-time, continuous heart monitor for children that is portable and operates externally through the skin, so it is not invasive. The prize was provided by Lehigh University.
Also winning prizes at StartUp Lehigh Valley were:
Lectra Technologies LLC, of Camp Hill, won the first runner-up prize of $3,000, for wearable technology for muscle rehabilitation and healing that is powered by artificial intelligence. The prize was provided by PSECU.
Sylf, of Scranton, won the Audience Choice Award of $1,000, for its automated alcoholic beverage dispensers that serve cocktails and hard seltzers at high-volume venues. The prize was sponsored by Lehigh Valley Health Network, part of Jefferson Health.
KiposTech, of Lancaster, won six months of support from the Lehigh Valley Ventures Lab, for its AI-powered, filter-less air disinfection and monitoring for livestock farms.
The finalists had three minutes to pitch their products to a panel of three judges: Emma Fleck, Professor of Entrepreneurship at Susquehanna University; Stephen Tang, Chair of NOW Diagnostics Inc.; and Kathryn Colonna Worrilow, Founder of LifeAire Systems.
The livestream from WFMZ can be viewed here.
(Photos courtesy of Lehigh University)