Geogrid

Geogrid, a South Korean water-tech company established in November 2020 by CEO Kihyun Kim, is focused on providing smart water management solutions for buildings. The firm addresses the challenge of aging urban water infrastructure by offering a system that manages and enhances water quality without requiring the costly replacement of existing pipes. The company's flagship product, 'BLOS' (Building Oasis), is a building-scale water purification and management system that integrates ionization and AI technology.

The BLOS system is designed to maintain the cleanliness of pipes by preventing and removing rust, scale, and slime, while a UV sterilization unit eliminates bacteria. It provides real-time monitoring of various water parameters, including quality, usage, leaks, vibrations, and associated carbon emissions. This data-driven approach allows for the early detection of water quality anomalies and potential issues like the presence of bacteria or heavy metals. By treating water at the building level, the system aims to deliver clean, safe tap water to every faucet, thereby reducing reliance on plastic water bottles and individual water purifiers, which the company notes have a significantly higher carbon footprint. Geogrid's business model targets homeowners, businesses, farms, and building managers, offering a solution that enhances sustainability and reduces maintenance costs.

Since its founding, Geogrid has achieved notable milestones. It was selected for the Samsung C-Lab accelerator program, enabling collaboration with Samsung Electronics to expand BLOS into smart building and smart city solutions. The company has successfully conducted pilot projects, including one in a 47-year-old apartment building in Seoul, where it achieved an 82% satisfaction rate and met drinking water standards within three weeks. Another pilot in a high school cafeteria resolved water quality issues within a month. Geogrid has secured undisclosed funding from the Silicon Valley venture capital firm 500 Global and other investors such as D3 Jubilee Partners to fuel its global expansion into Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North America. The company has already secured its first overseas export agreement with Indonesia's PT Dongbang Development. Recently, Geogrid received an excellence award at the 2024 Hoban Innovation Technology Competition, leading to collaboration discussions with Hoban Construction.

Keywords: water technology, smart water management, building water solutions, water quality monitoring, pipe maintenance, AI water analysis, UV water sterilization, real-time water data, sustainable water, ESG technology, building infrastructure, Kihyun Kim, Samsung C-Lab, 500 Global, BLOS, water purification system, heavy metal detection, bacteria removal, leak detection, carbon footprint reduction