Could a SaaS app store be the future for sewer monitoring?

German water-solutions provider Pluvion has secured €1 million pre-seed financing that will help it build toward a more resilient future, both for the company and the wider sector.

AI water management for all

The company is developing AI software solutions for water management that are designed to be affordable and accessible by everyone in the industry.

CEO Phillip Grimm told Aquatech Online that he sees an app-store style future for water management solutions, where: "Every licensed partner can select the desired products from this store and integrate them into their ecosystem."

His vision, he added, was to: "Empower our partners and enable them to sustainably improve the water industry. Our vision is a resilient water industry with zero emissions. There is still a lot to do until then."

Locating leaks without flow measurement data

The company's first solution is called Water+ which uses data-driven intelligent machine learning algorithms to monitor and detect water infiltration into sewer networks caused by events such as flooding and heavy rain. Water+ can use its learnings based on water level measurements to predict 'extraneous' water events and to alert users to critical areas.

Grimm added: "WATER+ is the first data-driven solution that works without flow measurement data and instead learns the system behaviour with intelligent machine learning algorithms. This makes us cheaper and faster than the competition."

The solution can be used with a customer's GIS data and level measurements in optimally selected manholes. This allows the solution to be fully integrated into a customer's existing operations.

The company claims a cost-saving benefit of 10 times compared to more traditional methods of sewer monitoring and detection.

Funding and future developments

The pre-seed funding is the first step in the company's drive to accelerate the development and scaling of its AI-driven software solutions for the water management industry.

Grimm explained: "We can make some key hires in the area of product development and key account management. This will enable us to make our WATER+ product accessible to an even larger target group and open up new markets."

Making products that can be fully integrated with a customer's own solutions, scalable, affordable and downloadable from an 'app store', could help toward a more resilient sector. However, the company wants to continue its innovations, as such, the next stage of development for Water+ will "quantify damage sums (operating and emission costs) and determine the condition of the sewer system in order to prioritize remediation measures".

"In addition, we will provide our B2B customers with an interactive portal to determine the optimum sensor placement for WATER+. This increases interaction with the end user, provides transparency and shortens the sales cycle."

Investors and future funding rounds

The pre-seeding funding round was led by AI investor D11Z, with other investors including the Start-up BW Seed Fund, managed by MBG Mittelständische Beteiligungsgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg, and kopa Ventures.

It is the latest success story for company's developing AI-based products for sewer monitoring and detection.

When the funding was announced to the media, Jan Ludwig, investment manager at D11Z Ventures, said: "Software solutions such as WATER+ can significantly improve the performance of wastewater systems through data-based analysis and automation, leading to better environmental results and economic benefits in the long term."

He added: "As an investor, we are convinced that the water industry will benefit greatly from digitalization. Pluvion makes an essential contribution to the digital transformation and the responsible use of water."

The next funding round will start in 2025.