(don't) Waste Water! | Water Tech to Solve the World

Ovivo's Bold Vision: Back to Full Size in One Decade!

(don't) Waste Water! | Water Tech to Solve the World

Show Notes

How Will Ovivo Rebuild to Full Size in 10 Years After the Ecolab Deal? 🤫 Tired of stitching together Crunchbase, overpriced reports, and "a guy who knows a guy"? I built the fix. 50 Founder Seats. Join the waitlist: leviathandata.io

🙌 Supporters 🙌 A big thank you to my partner SimpleLab: https://link.dww.show/simplelab

⬇️ IN THIS EPISODE ⬇️ Ovivo is a global water treatment technology provider entering a transformative new chapter after spinning off its electronics division to Ecolab for $1.8 billion. Under Ski on Water's ownership, Ovivo is now positioning itself for aggressive growth through industrial expansion, silicon carbide membrane innovation, and PFAS destruction capabilities across North America and Europe.

This episode features Reinhard Hubner, CEO of SKion Water with years of water industry M&A experience; Elena Bailey, Director at Ovivo North America with decades of experience in water technology who joined through an acquisition in 2006; Mike Snodgrass, membrane technology specialist with 25+ years experience; and Sebastian Andreassen, co-founder and leader of Ovivo's Cembrane silicon carbide membrane manufacturing.

🌶️ KEY SPICES 🌶️ 🔬 Silicon carbide membranes deliver breakthrough flux rates at low pressure with hydrophilic, chemically inert properties that outperform polymeric alternatives 💧 Double-digit percentage R&D investment funds innovation without a centralized research department—product managers drive patented solutions 🏭 European industrial expertise from a decade of experience in operations transfers directly to North American expansion through people-first integration ⚗️ PFAS destruction technology from E2Metrix leverages existing municipal customer relationships for rapid market entry 🤝 Long-term ownership culture keeps acquired company founders engaged for 7-9+ years post-acquisition

🥜 IN A NUTSHELL 🥜 What is the 10-year vision for Ovivo? SKion Water plans to rebuild Ovivo to its pre-transaction size through industrial platform acquisitions in North America, silicon carbide membrane scaling, and PFAS treatment commercialization. Why focus on industrial water treatment? Municipal operations run independently with proven teams, while industrial requires European expertise transfer and platform acquisitions to replicate the 350 million euro success achieved through EnviroChemie. How does Cembrane's silicon carbide differentiate? Unlike polymeric membranes, silicon carbide is hydrophilic, extremely porous, and chemically inert—enabling applications in drinking water, sand filter replacement, and backwash recovery that competitors cannot match. What are the capacity expansion plans? Cembrane's manufacturing will increase 50% in 2026 and double by 2027, with Texas production providing tariff protection and BABA compliance for North American municipal projects. Where does PFAS fit the strategy? E2Metrix destruction technology pairs with existing SSE membrane installations at water plants, creating bundled solutions that leverage Ovivo's installed base relationships with municipal customers.

#️⃣ Mentioned Links #️⃣ Ovivo's website: https://www.ovivowater.com/en/ My WEFTEC coverage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAb9bDjpOsE

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

More from (don't) Waste Water! | Water Tech to Solve the World

Oct 9, 2026

Work with me: [email protected] Get a slot directly in my calendar: https://dww.show/meet

Oct 4, 2026

🙌 My WEFTEC 2026 coverage is sponsored by Interius Solutions: https://academy.interius.io/watertech-marketing-system Use code ANTOINE15 for 15% off the Interius Academy, their WaterTech Marketing System (and yes, Björn only pays me if you sign up 😅)

Sep 25, 2026

Is Data Center Water Use a Threat to Your Town, or the Money Its Water System Has Been Waiting For?

Aug 8, 2026

Thermal desalination lost the water industry to reverse osmosis on one number: boiling seawater takes about ten times more energy than pushing it through a membrane. So why is one of the 20 teams left in the XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition still betting on heat?

Aug 1, 2026

FREE TOOL ➡️ Get your water tech pitch reviewed: https://app.leviathandata.io/pitch-deck-analyzer More #water insights? Connect with me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoinewalter1/

See all episodes →