Burnt Island Ventures

Another chill one. Kidding of course, a lot going on, including our 3rd annual Founder Forum. Hugely excited for the public launch of Cala Systems, our first investment in Fund II. It could save 20% of home water use, 3% of US GHGs, and $20bn in wasted spend by US consumers. Much like those who chose not to dance with me in high school, it’s beautiful and smart. Check it out.

Sometimes businesses pop up that take a bit of time to make sense. HOPE Hydration is one of those businesses. When I first met Jorge Richardson in 2021, he was chock full of confidence, like a lot of entrepreneurs in 2021, with an admirably aggressive plan, but I couldn't quite see it. And, unfortunately, I was wrong. Make no mistake, this is an exceptional early company with the potential to transform a very large legacy part of the water sector. Jorge is also exactly the right person to build it. A rare combination of smarts, charisma, and a down to earth way of looking at the journey that can only come from a very specific blend of experiences, both positive and negative. We think they can be a huge part of the solution to the public water access problem, and this is a fascinating look into the early stages of building that solution. Hopefully, you'll get it faster than I did because we are seriously excited. They were our second investment in BIV Fund II. Please enjoy my conversation with Jorge Richardson. Tune into our 21st episode of The Fundamental Molecule featuring Jorge Richardson, Founder & CEO at HOPE Hydration. Episode link here: https://lnkd.in/e-4mTkMs

"We make people better at their jobs. That's what we do as a company." Tune into Episode 20 of The Fundamental Molecule featuring Matthew Rosenthal, CEO and Co-Founder at SewerAI. Episode link here: https://lnkd.in/e-4mTkMs

Tune in next week to hear from this stellar group of women in water, including our very own Christine E. Boyle and Anthea Sargeaunt. 💧

There's an old saying from east London: “Where there's muck, there's brass.” Essentially, what this means is that the management of the dirtier side of life is invariably an opportunity for a decent business. Sewers are a big business. There are a million miles of them beneath our feet in the US, and about 300 million feet of them need to be inspected and cleaned every year. A serious undertaking. Matthew Rosenthal, along with his Co-Founder Billy Gilmartin, is building SewerAI in order to massively improve the process, efficiency, and accuracy of completing these inspections, and much more besides. As you will hear, he thinks as clearly about the fundamental job of an entrepreneur and leader as anyone we work with, and his pathway to building SewerAI was as entrepreneurial, honest, and compelling as any you will hear. Fitbit's loss was US sewer infrastructure’s gain. Please enjoy my conversation with Matthew Rosenthal. Tune into our 20th episode of The Fundamental Molecule featuring Matthew Rosenthal, CEO and Co-Founder at SewerAI. Episode link here: https://lnkd.in/e-4mTkMs

Tremendously exciting news from Team Imagine H2O and Imagine H2O Asia and much needed in this sector. Psyched for what's ahead!

The heat pump should not be underestimated - used properly and in the hands of the right product designers, it can be a revolution in the efficiency of something as commonplace and ubiquitous as the water heater. Cala Systems are ushering in that new horizon of home water heating and it's deeply exciting. Michael Rigney, Mike Ting and the entire team at Cala Systems thanks so much for letting us join the ride alongside friends at Clean Energy Venture Group, Leap Forward Ventures, CapeVista Capital, Collaborative Fund, Climate Capital and Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. Here's why we did it.

"Successful entrepreneurs are not risk takers. They analyze an environment and wait for the right opportunity." Tune into Episode 19 of The Fundamental Molecule featuring Peter Fiske, Executive Director at National Alliance for Water Innovation. Episode link here: https://lnkd.in/e-4mTkMs

Late to reposting this, but this is what happens when: 1. A real and massive problem, meets: 2. A genuine and hard-won understanding of a value propostion to solve that problem, meets: 3. A team that has an ability to deliver a product to solve that value proposition, meets: 4. A team to deliver that product into the market to deliver the value proposition in response to the real and massive problem. Simple, but not easy. Massive congrats to Alex Rappaport, Christopher Drover and all the ZwitterCo team. I love that this is just a waypoint... Onwards.

Peter Fiske has packed a lot into his career, from being a rare successful academic to entrepreneur crossover to his current role as head of NAWI, the National Alliance for Water Innovation. He's just someone who loves building stuff, and he's done a lot from building and selling PAX Water Technologies to setting up the infrastructure for the radically improved coordination of US research into water technology. He's also one of the most energetic people I know - game recognize game - and one of the best communicators. Please enjoy my really fun conversation with Peter Fiske. Tune into our nineteenth episode of The Fundamental Molecule featuring Peter Fiske, Executive Director at National Alliance for Water Innovation. Episode link here: https://lnkd.in/e-4mTkMs