Portapure
Affordable point-of-use water purification products.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| investor | €0.0 | round | |
| investor | €0.0 | round | |
$30.0k | Series A | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
Portapure Inc. was a Chicago-based company that manufactured and sold water purification products for regions with inaccessible clean drinking water. The company was founded in April 2010 by George Page, a chemical engineer with experience managing water treatment facilities for the Chicago Department of Water Management. The inspiration for the company came after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, when Page saw a news report showing the complex methods survivors used to get drinkable water and believed he could create a better way.
Portapure developed a portfolio of portable and in-home water filtration systems. Its patented technology used a series of filters with increasingly fine surfaces, capable of filtering down to .02 microns to remove bacteria and viruses like Cholera and E. Coli. One of its initial products was the "PocketPure," a portable, pocket-sized device that could purify a liter of water and was sold for under $20. Later products included the "PureLives," a 5-gallon in-home filtration system, and the "PureBottle," which used nanotechnology to filter water with the squeeze of the bottle. The company's products were designed to be affordable, easy to use, and not require chemicals or electricity.
The business model focused on two primary markets: disenfranchised communities in developing countries and disaster relief situations. Sales were often made directly to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) providing aid in areas like Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and Japan following the 2011 tsunami. The company also aimed for direct-to-consumer sales through retail outlets. Portapure participated in the Impact Engine accelerator program in 2012 and was a finalist in the City of Chicago Treasurer's Office Business Plan Competition. According to PitchBook, the company is now out of business as of April 2021.
Keywords: water purification, filtration systems, clean technology, disaster relief, point-of-use water treatment, portable water filter, developing countries, social enterprise, safe drinking water, nanotechnology filter, public health, environmental technology, NGOs, affordable water solutions, waterborne disease prevention, in-home filtration, humanitarian aid, water access, Chicago startup, cleantech