Breakthrough Technology Company of the Year
AquiSense Inc.
What is it?
A Kentucky-based provider of UV-C LED disinfection systems for water treatment.
What has it done?
In 2025, AquiSense broke new ground in larger-scale municipal and industrial projects, proving that UV-C LED is a viable alternative to UV mercury lamps. AquiSense sold systems to utilities in the UK, Norway, and the US, and secured the world’s first full-scale UV-C LED installation in a beverage plant, helping it to double revenue and become profitable.
What makes it special?
- AquiSense has brought UV-C LED into the municipal mainstream, delivering the world’s first full-scale wastewater project using the technology, and securing a repeat order from Las Vegas Valley Water District. As concerns grow over the availability of mercury-based equipment, UV-C LED is rapidly becoming the smart choice for utilities to future-proof their assets.
- AquiSense’s systems have reached capex and opex parity with medium-pressure UV lamps in many applications, meaning adoption is no longer solely reliant on the regulatory-driven phase-out of mercury-based systems.
- With an existing installed base of low-flow systems worldwide, nobody has mastered UV-C LED technology as well as AquiSense, which has positioned itself as the spearhead of the revolution in water disinfection.
Cimico
What is it?
A Spanish start-up developing a portfolio of biological treatment technologies and digital solutions for wastewater.
What has it done?
Cimico exploded onto the global scene in 2025, doubling its project portfolio after it was selected to deliver its biological treatment systems across the municipal, oil & gas, and food & beverage sectors. Its digital prowess was also deployed in major Spanish WWTPs, helping the company to multiply its revenues fourfold in 2025.
What makes it special?
- Cimico’s core strength is optimising bacterial behaviour across microbiological processes, enabling levels of control and efficiency rarely seen in biological treatment. Its MOBED technology has breathed new life into moving bed bioreactors, enabling their use in saline or high-load conditions while excelling in energy efficiency and physical footprint.
- Its branded Helinia operational intelligence solution has boosted performance at WWTPs in Madrid, Málaga, and Sevilla. At the Ranilla WWTP, it cut aeration energy use by 15% and lifted biological phosphorus removal beyond 90%, sharply reducing chemical consumption and achieving payback in 12 months.
- Cimico’s integration of biology, process engineering, and digitisation is exceptional for a small company, turning overengineered biological treatment into optimised, predictable systems. Proven to reduce capex and opex, it has impressed industry giants including Acciona, GS Inima, and TAQA Water Solutions.
CREW Carbon
What is it?
A provider of an alkalinity enhancement technology for process intensification while capturing carbon dioxide in wastewater.
What has it done?
CREW Carbon deployed its pioneering Wastewater Alkalinity Enhancement (WAE) solution to outstanding effect in 2025, enabling enhanced wastewater treatment outcomes in the US and Europe, while transforming facilities into platforms for permanent CO2 removal. The delivery of hundreds of high-quality carbon credits saw CREW cement itself at the heart of the water-carbon nexus.
What makes it special?
- By simply dosing calcium carbonate, CREW’s WAE technology takes a clever dual-value approach, simultaneously improving wastewater treatment while converting CO2 into stable bicarbonate. By delivering high-quality carbon credits – over 400 in 2025 alone – CREW has rapidly built up a revenue base, while offering a compelling price point for customers with rapid payback.
- CREW’s 2025 coup de grâce was securing a five-year deployment agreement with Hampton Roads Sanitation District, extending WAE to four more treatment plants and enabling HRSD to eliminate caustic soda use while delaying or avoiding multi-million-dollar upgrades.
- An offtake agreement for CREW’s carbon credits from leading consumer companies like Alphabet and Shopify will contribute to the removal of over 70,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere by 2030, positioning WAE as a valuable tool for global decarbonisation.
Cyclopure
What is it?
A US-based developer of cyclodextrin-based adsorbent Dexsorb, aimed at PFAS and micropollutant removal.
What has it done?
In 2025, Cyclopure entered the industrial-scale PFAS treatment market, taking the fight to established technologies. Full-scale systems in drinking water and industrial wastewater -alongside groundwater remediation pilots – show that a versatile alternative with less waste and a lower footprint has arrived.
What makes it special?
- Cyclopure’s cyclodextrin adsorbent can treat equivalent flows with one fifth of the mass of activated carbon, while offering superior selectivity to ion exchange, meaning municipal drinking water systems can more effectively tackle one of today’s most urgent environmental challenges. This mass advantage rises to 10x in industrial applications, positioning Dexsorb as a solution for multiple waste streams.
- Spent media waste is a key concern in the fight against PFAS, and Cyclopure is rising to the challenge impressively. Its PFAS adsorbent is fully regenerable through a sustainable process for multiple cycles, with strategic partner Kurita America helping to scale the regeneration effort.
- Cyclopure has also expanded into PFAS testing, helping citizens check water safety more conveniently and accurately. In 2025, it analysed 15,000 samples for Colorado’s state PFAS testing programme, blazing the trail for the next generation of PFAS solutions.
Origin Tech
What is it?
A UK-based provider of leak detection and trenchless pipe repair technologies.
What has it done?
Origin Tech changed the game in leakage management in 2025, securing several commercial deployments for its Find and Fix leak detection and trenchless repair solution in the UK, while also expanding into Europe. Its No Dig repair solution hit new heights, and the Orbit satellite solution was rolled out to new markets – all backed by a £10 million investment.
What makes it special?
- The Origin No Dig product line directly addresses the long-standing challenge of disruptive and costly pipe repairs, enabling utilities to seal leaks in under 20 minutes without excavation. Its food-grade calcium carbonate-based product has made even small leaks cost-effective to fix, helping to meet ambitious leakage targets.
- Pairing the No Dig technology with satellite leak detection is a formidable combination, as pinpointing the leak is unnecessary. No Dig fixes a leak in a pre-identified section of pipe, saving time, cost, and wasted dig efforts.
- Origin is bringing the benefits of No Dig beyond customer-side pipes to help utilities quickly repair water mains: targeted development of the product for Severn Trent has shown No Dig to be suitable for fixing 94% of leaks. Origin is leading the shift towards smart, resilient, and sustainable water networks.