AquaTech Innovation, founded by Geneviève Marais, winner of the Business O Féminin Awards 2024 in the #CoupDeCoeur category, was born from the audacious idea of developing floating homes to respond to the challenges of climate change. Faced with sanitation constraints, the company has evolved to create innovative solutions for the collection, treatment and recycling of domestic wastewater. Today, AquaTech Innovation stands out as an essential GreenTech, providing concrete responses to the challenges of the circular economy and the protection of water resources. Interview.
What was the inspiration behind the creation of AquaTech Innovation? Can you tell us about the genesis of your company?
Geneviève Marais: With AquaTech Innovation, I initially wanted to develop a floating house construction project. You know, these slightly unusual homes that allow humans to adapt to climate change and population growth. I am very sensitive to territorial planning. I really wanted to get involved in a project that contributes to the sustainable development of our society and therefore to my values. The most important constraint in setting up this project was to offer a sanitation solution adapted to these homes. It was indeed necessary to be able to treat wastewater at the point of emission, close to the home. This is how one of AquaTech Innovation’s first solutions was developed: our 100% biological micro-purification plant.
As I advance in Research & Development, I realize that many sensitive areas are devoid of sanitation solutions. AquaTech Innovation then takes a new turn to become a GreenTech which initially designs solutions for the collection and treatment of domestic wastewater. We then developed our recycling solutions, water pressure is now everywhere, as well as our solutions for controlling water consumption. The issues of water reuse and water saving affect all territories and it is urgent to continue actions to protect water resources. The floating housing market is not mature in France. While water is the major topic in the news.
What solutions does AquaTech Innovation offer to meet current challenges in your field of activity?
Geneviève Marais: AquaTech Innovation is therefore a start-up specializing in the design of solutions for professionals, saving water and protecting the environment from pollution from domestic wastewater. This means developing industrial products from our workshops. So machines that collect, treat and recycle domestic wastewater.
Our wastewater collection networks are adaptable and dismountable and do not require gravity. That is to say, we can recover effluents that do not need to circulate up and down, depending on the direction of gravity. So we can recover them in any environment. Then, our micro-purification plants allow 100% biological treatment of domestic wastewater with discharge into the natural environment in accordance with regulations. This solution is aimed at professionals who cannot be connected to a traditional wastewater treatment plant. We have also developed this micro-purification plant as a floating installation for places with a lack of land, such as ports for example. Our recycling solutions make it possible to recover gray wastewater from installations (showers, sinks, etc.) to, after treatment, be reused for watering green spaces, flushing toilets or even surface cleaning.
We have also designed a water-saving solution more specific to swimming pools open to the public, and which regenerates around 80% of the water used for rinsing swimming pool filters. Many people don’t know it, but the new water used in the swimming pool filter rinsing process is consumed in very large quantities. This therefore represents a very significant saving of water.
Finally, we have developed our solutions for controlling water consumption using digital technology with a management tool. Our digital solution allows you to control installations remotely to be alerted in the event of a leak or in the event of abnormal consumption, for example. Thanks to data analysis, our tool allows professionals to better understand their water consumption to better control it.
What is AquaTech Innovation’s unique value proposition for its customers and partners?
Geneviève Marais: We have this strength at AquaTech Innovation which is to offer solutions on all issues related to the management of domestic wastewater for our customers, from collection to recycling. We therefore operate throughout the wastewater cycle with products that we specifically design according to the needs of the professionals with whom we work. They are mainly tourism professionals (campsites and marinas) who need solutions adapted to their activity. Often in very restricted locations and with significant water consumption. Our solutions being perfectly modular, it is possible to adopt only the collection solution, just as it is possible to install only the treatment, regeneration or recycling solutions.
What growth and expansion opportunities do you identify for AquaTech Innovation in the years to come?
Geneviève Marais: France has the second largest number of campsites in the world, behind the United States. Which represents around 8,000 campsites in our territory. Concerning marinas, maritime and river ports, we are talking about nearly 1000 ports identified. Across Europe, there are around 28,5000 campsites and 5,000 ports. The market potential is therefore very significant. Given the intensifying episodes of drought and the resulting water stress, we are also accelerating Research & Development for our ReUse solutions for all professionals. We have great development prospects, and thanks to our first fundraising of €2 million at the end of 2023, we continue to structure ourselves to meet our growth objectives.
Can you tell us about any recent innovations or technological developments your company has made? What impact do these innovations have on your sector of activity?
Geneviève Marais: Our IT engineers designed our proprietary electronic management unit which allows us to control our installations, regulate flows and obtain the water quality expected by regulations. Our technological assemblies are designed by our water engineers and make it possible to adapt to variations in the volume of treated water linked to variations in seasonal activity, to ensure perfect autonomy in terms of sanitation and to optimize water consumption. Since the creation of AquaTech Innovation, our Research & Development has allowed us to file 4 patents on our solutions.
Recently, we launched a new research program aimed at adapting all our solutions to the constraints of port environments, the challenge being to develop the quality of port services with an efficient offer in line with the new environmental concerns of boaters. We always consider our solutions according to the economic and ecological issues of our customers and with an objective of sustainable development of our society.
What are the main benefits and positive impacts that AquaTech Innovation solutions bring to your customers and to society as a whole?
Geneviève Marais: With our solutions, we therefore enable professionals to engage in a sustainable and responsible approach to protect water resources. Our innovations make it possible to limit the impact of their activity on the environment while developing the quality of services offered to their customers. Professionals thus equip themselves with solutions that make it possible to raise users’ awareness of their role in relation to the environment and to show their efforts made in the field.
The objective is also the overall reduction of the water footprint. We still hear too little about this indicator. Just as the company is committed to a general approach to reducing its carbon footprint, it must now commit to a process to reduce its water footprint. This is truly what we are committed to at AquaTech Innovation.
Have you encountered any specific challenges as a female entrepreneur in your industry? How have you handled these challenges and what advice would you give to other women who face similar obstacles?
Geneviève Marais: Imagine, a female manager, in the world of start-ups and industrial innovation, and what’s more, self-taught. Because yes, I am self-taught! This requires developing a lot of energy to assert one’s leadership in worlds that are still very masculine, in which I have always navigated. Just before co-founding AquaTech innovation, I worked in the construction world developing high-end hotel projects.
My daily life was to be on construction sites with, of course, almost only men to manage. While being a mom, even if that’s not the topic today, anyway! Because we know, one of the major challenges of female entrepreneurship is also remembering that we can carry out several projects at the same time, including that of being a mother.
But I sincerely believe in collective intelligence and this belief is essential for the success of a project, it allows you to remove the brakes, to be curious and to dare. My advice would be there, don’t let your preconceptions or your fears govern you, “dare”!
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs who want to enter innovative and high-impact sectors like yours? What lessons have you learned in your journey with AquaTech Innovation?
Geneviève Marais: Embarking on an entrepreneurial project is above all embarking on a human adventure. I have been able to surround myself with experts since the creation of AquaTech Innovation and today it is a team with multiple skills that supports me, looks in the same direction and carries the same values. It is this “being together” which is absolutely essential to the success of a project, and the complementarity of talents will make it possible to achieve its growth objectives.
By also showing humility, patience and commitment, I believe that anyone holds the keys to success allowing them to meet their ambitions!