Sygne Solutions Wins for Technologies That Can Remove Forever Chemicals from Water
Outcome/Accomplishment
Rice University spin-out Sygne Solutions raised $200,000; won second place at the Rice Business Plan Competition in Houston, TX; and won first place at the MIT Water, Food, & Agriculture Innovation Prize in Boston, MA. The startup provides a patent-pending, scalable, and sustainable technology that eliminates polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water. The technology was originally developed as part of the Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT) Center, a U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Nanotechnology Engineering Research Center (ERC) based at Rice University.
Impact/Benefits
PFAS — more commonly known as “forever chemicals” — are a wide variety of synthetic chemicals used in consumer products that do not go away; they are found in water, air, and soil and are considered to have harmful effects on humans and animals. Illnesses that may be linked to PFAS include pregnancy and fertility issues, liver issues, thyroid disease, and cancer. Sygne Solutions’ low-cost technology removes these chemicals with zero waste and no added chemicals to enable cleaner, safer drinking water.
Explanation/Background
Since 2015, the MIT Water, Food & Agriculture Innovation Prize has brought together early-stage student-led startups from across the U.S. annually to explore innovations in sustainable water, food, and agricultural solutions. The award helps translate research ideas into businesses while building networks in the water, food, and agriculture industries. In May of 2023, Sygne Solutions won first prize and $30,000 in funding through the competition held in Boston, MA.
In its 23rd year, the Rice Business Plan Competition held on May 11-13, 2023 in Houston, TX attracted more than 450 applicants, which resulted in 42 student team participants. 350 judges reviewed the teams before awarding more than 80 prizes, valued at over $3.4 million. Sygne Solutions was one of two startups from Rice University that made it to the finals after three days of pitching, mentoring, and networking. As a result of the competition, Sygne was awarded the $100,000 Investment Prize, the $100,000 TiE Houston Angels Investment Prize, and the Audience Choice award.
The team is led by Bo Wang (PhD ‘23), Subash K. Kannan (MBA ‘24), Dana Vazquez (MBA ’24), Kimberly Heck (Research Scientist), and Professor Michael Wong. Wang is a previous recipient of the Climate Tech Prize in the 2022 Napier Rice Launch Challenge.
Location
Houston, Texaswebsite
Start Year
Energy and Sustainability
Energy, Sustainability, and Infrastructure
Lead Institution
Core Partners
Fact Sheet
Outcome/Accomplishment
Rice University spin-out Sygne Solutions raised $200,000; won second place at the Rice Business Plan Competition in Houston, TX; and won first place at the MIT Water, Food, & Agriculture Innovation Prize in Boston, MA. The startup provides a patent-pending, scalable, and sustainable technology that eliminates polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water. The technology was originally developed as part of the Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT) Center, a U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Nanotechnology Engineering Research Center (ERC) based at Rice University.
Location
Houston, Texaswebsite
Start Year
Energy and Sustainability
Energy, Sustainability, and Infrastructure
Lead Institution
Core Partners
Fact Sheet
Impact/benefits
PFAS — more commonly known as “forever chemicals” — are a wide variety of synthetic chemicals used in consumer products that do not go away; they are found in water, air, and soil and are considered to have harmful effects on humans and animals. Illnesses that may be linked to PFAS include pregnancy and fertility issues, liver issues, thyroid disease, and cancer. Sygne Solutions’ low-cost technology removes these chemicals with zero waste and no added chemicals to enable cleaner, safer drinking water.
Explanation/Background
Since 2015, the MIT Water, Food & Agriculture Innovation Prize has brought together early-stage student-led startups from across the U.S. annually to explore innovations in sustainable water, food, and agricultural solutions. The award helps translate research ideas into businesses while building networks in the water, food, and agriculture industries. In May of 2023, Sygne Solutions won first prize and $30,000 in funding through the competition held in Boston, MA.
In its 23rd year, the Rice Business Plan Competition held on May 11-13, 2023 in Houston, TX attracted more than 450 applicants, which resulted in 42 student team participants. 350 judges reviewed the teams before awarding more than 80 prizes, valued at over $3.4 million. Sygne Solutions was one of two startups from Rice University that made it to the finals after three days of pitching, mentoring, and networking. As a result of the competition, Sygne was awarded the $100,000 Investment Prize, the $100,000 TiE Houston Angels Investment Prize, and the Audience Choice award.
The team is led by Bo Wang (PhD ‘23), Subash K. Kannan (MBA ‘24), Dana Vazquez (MBA ’24), Kimberly Heck (Research Scientist), and Professor Michael Wong. Wang is a previous recipient of the Climate Tech Prize in the 2022 Napier Rice Launch Challenge.