Pure Blue Tech

Cover Block

Name	Pure Blue Tech
Tagline	Self-cleaning, ultrasonic reverse osmosis membrane elements for industrial and municipal water treatment.
Headquarters	Bellingham, WA
Founded	2013
Stage	Seed
Business Model	B2B
Industry	Cleantech / Climatetech
Technology	Hardware
Geography	North America
Growth Profile	Venture Scale
Founding Team	Other
Funding Label	Venture-backed
Total Disclosed	~$3,870,000

Links

• Website: https://purebluetech.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/purebluetech

Executive Summary

Pure Blue Tech is developing a hardware solution to a persistent, high-cost problem in industrial water treatment: membrane fouling. The company's patented ultrasonic reverse osmosis (RO) membrane modules are engineered to be self-cleaning, aiming to reduce the chemical, energy, and maintenance burdens that dominate the operational expense of filtration systems [TiE Houston]. Founded in 2013 and led by CEO Ryan Vogel, a Forbes 30 Under 30: Energy honoree, the company has progressed through climatetech incubators like Greentown Labs and secured backing from a consortium of impact-focused angel and venture groups [Forbes, 2016] [Greentown Labs]. Its core differentiation rests on integrating ultrasonic wave energy and nanopatterned surfaces to actively combat scaling and fouling, a claim protected by issued patents including WO2016115555A1 [Google Patents]. The business model targets capital sales of membrane elements to municipal and industrial clients across desalination, wastewater reuse, and manufacturing. Over the next 12-18 months, the key indicators to monitor will be the publication of independent performance data from field pilots and the announcement of first commercial contracts.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core technology and founder identity are confirmed by multiple sources; funding total and specific round details rely on aggregated third-party data.

Taxonomy Snapshot

Axis	Classification
Stage	Seed
Business Model	B2B
Industry / Vertical	Cleantech / Climatetech
Technology Type	Hardware
Geography	North America
Growth Profile	Venture Scale
Founding Team	Other
Funding	Venture-backed (total disclosed ~$3,870,000)

How the Company Got Here

Pure Blue Tech was founded in 2013, with its corporate entity federally registered in Washington state in February 2016 [HigherGov]. The company operates from Bellingham, Washington. A notable early marker came in 2016 when founder and CEO Ryan Vogel was recognized in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Energy [Forbes, 2016].

Subsequent development appears to have been supported by non-dilutive federal research and development funding [HigherGov]. The company's path to commercialization included joining Greentown Labs and TiE Houston's startup portfolio [Greentown Labs] [TiE Houston].

A seed funding round was closed in March 2023 [Tracxn, 2026]. The round attracted a syndicate of impact and angel investors, including Robin Hood Ventures, SWAN Impact Network, Dakota Venture Group, Lehigh Valley Angel Investors, and Rockies Venture Club [Crunchbase]. This capital appears directed toward scaling production and engineering capacity, as evidenced by recent job postings for roles like Production Engineer and Water Treatment Systems Technician [LinkedIn].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Key dates and investor names are corroborated by multiple databases, but specific funding amounts and detailed corporate milestones are not publicly confirmed.

Product and Technology

The core of Pure Blue Tech's offering is a hardware intervention for membrane fouling in water filtration. The company has developed patented membrane modules that integrate ultrasonic wave energy and surface nanopatterning to create self-cleaning reverse osmosis (RO) elements [TiE Houston]. The public positioning frames this as a direct attack on the primary operational expense in membrane-based water treatment, aiming to reduce the frequency of chemical cleanings, lower energy consumption, and extend the functional life of the filtration assets [Greentown Labs].

Application focus is broad, targeting capital-intensive water treatment across industrial and municipal settings. Public materials specify use in desalination, wastewater reuse, and process water for sectors including oil and gas, mining, and food and beverage [Craft]. The technology stack appears to combine materials science, ultrasonics, and embedded sensing.

Pure Blue Tech holds an issued patent, WO2016115555A1, covering methods and apparatuses for reducing membrane fouling and scaling using ultrasound wave energy [Google Patents]. The differentiation rests on the proprietary integration of physical cleaning mechanisms directly into the membrane element.

Metric	Value
Industrial Wastewater Treatment (2022)	12.8 $B
Projected Annual Growth (to 2030)	6.8 %

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Market sizing is drawn from an analogous, third-party industry report. Demand drivers and regulatory catalysts are cited from public policy announcements and consistent with company positioning.

Competitive Landscape

Pure Blue Tech operates in a hardware-driven niche where competition is defined by a long tail of incumbent suppliers and a handful of venture-backed innovators targeting the same core problem of membrane fouling.

Company	Positioning	Stage / Funding	Notable Differentiator	Source
Pure Blue Tech	Self-cleaning, ultrasonic RO membrane modules for industrial/municipal water treatment.	Seed; ~$3.87M total disclosed.	Patented ultrasonic wave energy (USWE) and nanopatterning for in-situ fouling reduction.	[TiE Houston], [Greentown Labs]
ZwitterCo	Advanced zwitterionic membrane coatings for high-fouling wastewater streams.	Venture-backed; Series A $33M (2022).	Proprietary zwitterionic polymer chemistry enabling stable filtration of fats, oils, and greases.	[Crunchbase, October 2022]
Irrigreen	Precision irrigation systems using smart sprinklers and software.	Venture-backed; Seed $15M (2023).	Digital mapping and targeted watering to reduce residential/commercial water usage.	[Crunchbase, April 2023]

Pure Blue Tech's competitive map splits into three distinct layers: established membrane industry incumbents, venture-scale startups like ZwitterCo, and adjacent technology substitutes. The company's current defensible edge is rooted in its intellectual property, specifically its patent for using ultrasonic wave energy to mitigate fouling and scaling in real-time [Google Patents].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Competitor funding and positioning are confirmed by Crunchbase; Pure Blue Tech's differentiation is described by incubator profiles but lacks independent performance verification.

Opportunity

The headline opportunity is to become the standard hardware component for high-stakes water treatment, embedding its self-cleaning modules as the de facto choice for new municipal desalination plants and industrial zero-liquid-discharge systems. Industry sources consistently cite fouling as the primary operational cost and reliability issue in reverse osmosis [TiE Houston].

Scenario	What happens	Catalyst	Why it's plausible
Municipal Standard-Bearer	A major coastal city selects Pure Blue Tech modules for a new or retrofit desalination plant, creating a public reference case.	A successful pilot with a water-stressed municipal utility, potentially facilitated through Greentown Labs' corporate partnership network.	Municipalities face intense pressure to secure water supplies and improve sustainability; a technology that reduces energy and chemical use aligns directly with public ESG goals [TiE Houston].
Industrial Platform Play	The company's integrated sensing and data generation becomes a paid software layer for predictive maintenance and process optimization [Gust].	The launch of a standalone analytics dashboard or API that leverages the unique dataset from deployed modules.	Industrial customers already invest heavily in IIoT and predictive analytics; monetizing data from a proprietary hardware install base is a proven model in adjacent industrial sectors.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core opportunity thesis is built on widely cited industry pain points and the company's stated technological approach, but specific performance claims and the scale of the data advantage rely on company-provided materials.

Sources

1. [TiE Houston] Pure Blue Tech | https://houston.tie.org/portfolio/pure-blue-tech/
2. [Forbes, March 2016] Ryan Vogel, 24 - 2016 30 Under 30: Energy | https://www.forbes.com/pictures/gl45mgde/ryan-vogel-24/
3. [Greentown Labs] Pure Blue Tech Inc. | https://greentownlabs.com/members/pure-blue-tech-inc/
4. [HigherGov] Pure Blue Tech Inc. | https://www.highergov.com/awardee/pure-blue-tech-inc-10087079/
5. [Tracxn, 2026] Pure Blue Tech - 2026 Company Profile, Team, Funding & Competitors | https://tracxn.com/d/companies/purebluetech/__NvPQcf1lNMXDPbWPGOoi9XEuT6t6cIwZT6rBrdnE3nA
6. [Crunchbase] Pure Blue Tech | https://www.cbinsights.com/company/pure-blue-tech
7. [LinkedIn] Production Engineer at Pure Blue Tech | https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/production-engineer-at-pure-blue-tech-4387166554
8. [Glassdoor] Water Treatment Systems Technician at Pure Blue Tech | https://www.glassdoor.com/job-listing/water-treatment-systems-technician-pure-blue-tech-JV_IC1150256_KO0,34_KE35,49.htm?jl=1009853887879
9. [Craft] Pure Blue Tech Inc. | https://craft.co/pure-blue-tech
10. [Gust] Pure Blue Tech Inc. | Bellingham, WA, USA Startup | https://gust.com/companies/purebluetech
11. [Google Patents] WO2016115555A1 for methods and apparatuses for reducing membrane fouling, scaling, and concentration polarization using ultrasound wave energy | https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2016115555A1
12. [Grand View Research, 2023] Industrial Wastewater Treatment Market Size Report, 2023-2030 | https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/industrial-wastewater-treatment-market
13. [White House, 2021] Fact Sheet: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal | https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/11/06/fact-sheet-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-deal/
14. [Crunchbase, October 2022] ZwitterCo raises $33M Series A | https://www.crunchbase.com/funding_round/zwitterco-series-a--9b2d3e8a
15. [Crunchbase, April 2023] Irrigreen raises $15M Seed | https://www.crunchbase.com/funding_round/irrigreen-seed--e6c0c5d0