Wastewater intelligence company secures €9 million investment

From bootstrap to AI real-time decision making

The latest finding round means the company, which began life as a bootstrap operation, has now raised a total of $27.3 million.

The most recent round was led by DC Thomson, LIP, Ram-On Investments, Bridges Israel, ICI Frund, Aliaxis and OurCrowd. The company is now focused on expanding globally, especially in the UK and UK markets.

Ari Goldfarb CEO and co-founder, KANDO told media: "We are excited and looking forward to working with our new partners who have joined us, together with the existing investors who have once again shown their trust and support to solve the global water challenge."

On what the funding would mean for the company's ambitions, Goldfarb added: "This investment will further empower the use of AI to improve decision-making in the water sector, benefiting populations worldwide. Kando's solution, powered by Generative AI, allows us to manage and improve wastewater quality, save millions of dollars, and enable the reuse of wastewater. This investment will accelerate our growth and create more value for cities in the US and Europe."

Using generative AI to transform analytical insights

Kando's solution is built on proprietary machine learning models that are trained on in-house IoT wastewater data. The models help to optimise wastewater quality management, including event detection across both the network and the plant.

Generative AI is then used to transform analytical insights and industry knowledge into actionable business actions in real-time, helping to monitor and control sources, storm overflows, as well as blockage and infiltration prevention. The data and analytics are stored in the cloud and accessed via a user interface.

Mario Nissan, managing partner at LIP Ventures, explained why he chose to invest in Kandos: "We are excited to collaborate with Kando on scaling their wastewater intelligence solution. Kando is a prime example of how AI can address complex challenges in a market that is so important to people's lives. We look forward to supporting Kando's leadership and leveraging our unrivalled network of corporate and entrepreneurial decision-makers."

The company states that their approach enables significant cost savings, enhances wastewater reuse and supports sustainable urban water management within cities.

Why did the investors join the funding round?

John S. Thomson, investment director, DC Thomson: "We are looking forward to helping Kando improve water quality in the ocean, rivers, and streams in the UK. Kando's solution, based on GenAI, aligns perfectly with our mission to invest in technologies that support a sustainable future."

Gili Elkin, partner at Kando and the Israel-Colorado Innovation Fund: "At ICI Fund, we are dedicated to investing in innovative AI technologies that address pressing global challenges. Kando's pioneering approach to wastewater intelligence perfectly aligns with our mission to drive meaningful impact."

Josh Hersch, investment director at OurCrowd: "Kando's pioneering use of Generative AI in wastewater management is a game-changer for the environment and public health. This investment allows us to back a technology that not only improves water quality but also empowers communities globally."

Fredrik Östbye, head of Aliaxis Next: "Their Generative AI-driven platform is exactly the type of innovation the water sector needs to address its growing challenges."