Innovation

Fontus Blue is a startup based in Akron, Ohio developing technology to help reduce chemical usage in water treatment facilities and increase the efficiency of the purification process. Its technology uses a combination of hardware and software solutions to monitor and control treatment apparatus in real time, helping users identify areas of waste and optimize their operations.

After a series of negative health issues, including the death of their family dog and his wife’s two consecutive miscarriages, Chris Miller began questioning the quality of their drinking water. Miller was aware of the available, and mostly unused, research on the dangers of chemical overuse and toxic pollutants in water.

Using published academic research, Miller and his business partner, Dan Hampu, decided to build a software platform that could deliver unparalleled analytical tools to water utilities. Their tech was able to significantly reduce the amount of chemicals used by facilities to treat water, boosting their profits while simultaneously reducing contamination. Their software forecasts water quality using machine learning, environmental inputs, and real-time quality sensing to enhance the treatment process and improve efficiency. "We do water quality forecasting and chemical dosing," Miller succinctly stated.

But Fontus Blue was not always as sophisticated as it is now. In the beginning, Miller sold an Excel spreadsheet to water treatment facilities as the minimum viable product. Later, this developed into a Matlab application and then into the cloud-based application that it is now.

Miller is a full-time professor at the University of Akron, as well as the active CEO of Fontus Blue. His master's student at the University of Akron—a civil engineer who was quick to take up coding—became the company's first employee. The second employee was an Akron master's student studying computer science, who was also one of Miller's students.

"Exceptional Drinking Water for Everyone, Everyday."

Inspiration

Chris Miller and Dan Hampu founded Fontus Blue in 2014. After his wife suffered two consecutive miscarriages and his beloved cocker spaniel passed away in 2002, Chris Miller began looking into water quality issues as a possible cause of these family health issues. He found plentiful past academic research proving the dangers of chemical use and hazardous pollutants in water but found little to nothing done to apply this research to water treatment plants. Miller became increasingly upset with this lack of action and, using his research background, pivoted to applied research looking at water treatment. “The water we drink every day contains carcinogens," according to Miller, whose mission is to reduce carcinogens and improve overall water quality.

Overall impact

Fontus Blue's technology is designed to be modular and scalable, allowing it to be customized to meet the needs of a wide range of industries and applications. The company is focused on providing sustainable solutions that can help conserve water resources and reduce the environmental impact of industrial and agricultural activities.

Overall, Fontus Blue appears to be a promising startup that is working to address important environmental and sustainability challenges.

Business benefit

After witnessing family members suffer from the effects of chemicals in drinking water, Chris Miller decided to start Fontus Blue with the objective of helping others at the forefront of his mind. Fontus Blue generates revenue by selling its software or working in tandem with local water treatment plants to improve the quality of drinking water.

As a result of his efforts, Miller has received 0 churns on around 40 customers, meaning that these customers have remained with the business and continue to choose Fontus Blue's software to monitor drinking water contamination. Additionally, Fontus Blue has reduced the cost of treatment by 25% with almost $1 million dollars in savings.

Miller cites the philosophy of "Better Quality, Less Expense," but gives a tremendous amount of credit to his employees and their dedication to leveraging the limited resources available. His team is comprised of a substantial amount of knowledge and depth. Their first employee was actually a master's civil engineering student who had a knack for coding and programming. Recently, Fontus Blue added 3 non-stem employees to support their technical engineering staff and are looking to expand even further into the realm of graphic design and marketing.

Social and environmental benefit

Water impacts everyone’s daily life. With software that optimizes water quality and reduces the costs associated with treating water, Fontus Blue is actively working towards the United Nations Global Sustainability Goals, including number 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 14 (Life Below Water) and 15 (Life on Land).

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Fontus Blue’s software is revolutionizing how water is treated, reducing chemical usage and making high-quality water more accessible. Their primary customers are water treatment facilities in the U.S., which are primarily government owned and operated, incentivizing them with lower expenses associated with water quality optimization. Although they are currently based in small cities, their technology could be scaled internationally to improve access to clean water and sanitation.

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Fontus Blue is revolutionizing the water treatment industry through the use of personalized software. The integration of their software is innovating and changing the infrastructure of the operations of water treatment facilities.

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Goal 11 strives to make communities inclusive, safe, and sustainable. Fontus Blue is increasing access to safe drinking water. Fontus Blue’s target market is all water treatment plants in the U.S., so that everyone has access to safe drinking water, addressing the global water crisis.

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

There are currently little to no standards on the quality of treated water before it gets back into our pipes. For example, in Ohio, the Department of Health’s set standard for drinking water is 10 milligrams of contaminant per liter. However, this is a non-enforceable standard for private water systems. Fontus Blue incentivizes water treatment facilities to achieve exceptional water quality through reduced expenses. Because of Chris Miller’s past experiences with bad quality water leading to health concerns, they are a team passionate about the responsible consumption and production of water.

Goal 14: Life Below Water

Improved water treatment methods will decrease water pollution in instances of runoff into oceans, lakes, and rivers. Maintaining the oceans and other natural sources of water.

Goal 15: Life on Land

Fontus Blue is improving the quality of the water we drink, cook with, shower in, and more. Humans and animals are exposed to fewer chemical toxins, improving health, and overall quality of life.

Interview

Chris Miller, CEO of Fontus Blue