After months of applications, interviews, and rigorous technical, business, and commercial review, six startups have been selected as finalists of the Xylem Innovation Challenge and will advance to the Innovation Sprint.

We were very impressed by the quality and breadth of the companies that applied to the Xylem Innovation Challenge. The range of approaches reflects the innovation happening across the critical mineral energy recovery spaces, and we are excited to work closely with these teams to go deep on what it will take to scale these solutions. – Amanda Lounsbury, Early-Stage Strategist, Xylem

In critical minerals, we saw technologies recovering lithium, copper, iodine, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and other valuable materials from produced water, industrial brines, mine-impacted water, tailings, and low-grade ores, using approaches ranging from membranes and electrochemistry to biological systems and hydrometallurgy. In energy recovery, companies are finding new ways to capture and upgrade low-grade waste heat from industrial processes, cooling systems, and data centers. Across both areas, a common thread was the opportunity to turn waste streams into sources of economic value.
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Meet the six finalists

We are thrilled to announce the five companies advancing to the Xylem Innovation Sprint:

• ‍Altillion: Recovers iodine and lithium from produced water and industrial brines.‍
• ‍Cetos Water: Low-cost desalination for the toughest brines.‍‍
• ‍Endolith: Mine-specific microbial communities that improve copper recovery from low-grade ores.‍‍
• ‍Kira: Turns industrial wastewater into ultrapure water and solids, cutting costs and enabling resource recovery.‍‍
• ‍KMX Technologies: Vacuum membrane distillation for critical mineral recovery and brine concentration.‍‍
• ‍Solaq: A scalable source of water security, producing water from the air.
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What comes next

Over the Innovation Sprint, each company will work directly with Xylem and the Water Innovation Hub to pressure-test its technology, business case, market application, and pathway to scale. The teams will engage with commercial and technical experts, explore integration opportunities, and scope potential pilot and partnership pathways with Xylem.

There is a real opportunity through this Sprint to pressure-test not only the technology, but the business case and path to commercialization. We want to understand where these solutions create the most value, what it will take to scale them, and where there is a real pathway to deployment. – Ryan Dings, CEO, ClimateHaven

At the end of the Sprint, two startups will be selected to advance into pilot partnerships with Xylem in 2027, moving from evaluation and scale-up planning toward real-world deployment. We are excited to get to work with these six teams and see where the Sprint takes them.

Stay tuned for more from the Xylem Innovation Challenge!