November 27, 2024
Today there is a super powerful second wind in the industry, which has to do with openness to new technologies and care for the environment.
La galardonada empresa chilena de tecnología limpia Kran tiene como objetivo revolucionar el uso del agua en la agricultura, la acuicultura y la industria mediante el uso de nanoburbujas. Su fundador, Jaime de la Cruz, afirma que, tras establecerse en Estados Unidos, el objetivo a medio plazo es recaudar una ronda de financiación de serie A.
Es la primera compañía en América en ser miembro de la Fine Bubble Industries Association (FBIA), organización gremial con sede en Japón, que agrupa y lidera a nivel mundial el desarrollo de las burbujas ultrafinas. En enero pasado fue elegida «Top Innovators» por el Foro Económico Mundial, en la categoría Zero Water Waste Challenge. En marzo recibió el premio Siemens Water Innovation Challenge del Congreso ACADES 2024.
Kran opera en el sector industrial, agrícola y acuícola y su propuesta son las nanoburbujas. «Una burbuja es como el automóvil que va por la carretera llevando cosas adentro. Son súper chiquititas, del tamaño de una cadena de ADN», explica de la Cruz.
La empresa nació en 2017 en Puerto Varas en la búsqueda de una tecnología amigable con el medioambiente, que fuera de alto impacto y que estuviera en la frontera de la ciencia. «No se pueden ver en el microscopio y eso hace que tenga propiedades muy particulares, que no tienen que ver con la física tradicional», explica de la Cruz.
With Kran, salmon farms have been able to restore the seabed: “The salmon farming process leaves behind waste that bacteria are unable to break down. Today, when the fattening production is finished and they leave, everything remains exactly as it was before. It’s fantastic; today, the Norwegians are copying us. They are looking at how to implement the technology. In that respect, we are more sustainable than the Norwegians themselves,” explains the entrepreneur.
In the case of the seabed, we take seawater from a depth of 3 or 4 meters and pass it through our equipment, which injects extremely high amounts of oxygen in the form of nanobubbles. Then, using a kind of underwater drone and robotic arms, we deposit a hose without touching the seabed and inject the oxygen-enriched water, creating the right conditions for nature to do its work. There are no chemicals here, no pressure washers.
The same thing happens with vegetables. You think they need more water, but what they really need is what the water carries. With this technology, you can irrigate with hyperatomic water, which has much more oxygen than normal water, more nutrients, and saves enormous amounts of water. Today we have golf courses, municipal parks, even cemeteries, which we irrigate with our technology and generate savings of, in some cases, more than 50% in consumption.
Is it a patented technology?
It is patented, but there are others that achieve similar objectives. I always give the same example: the funny thing is that when Fleming discovered penicillin, without knowing the dosage, he couldn’t get anything out of it. We work hard on that. What’s your problem? We’re going to solve it this way.
In which industry is this technology being used most?
New technologies have a very difficult road ahead of them. They have to be validated. Certain industries are more receptive to new technologies. We have made the most progress in the industrial world because validation cycles are faster there. In agriculture, to develop the magic formula so that apples, in this real case, would increase production per hectare by 17%, we hesitated for three years. The issue of sustainability is very complex because the processes have to be economically viable. These technologies also have to be economically sustainable?
Is it an expensive technology?
No, not at all. Now, expensive or cheap? What is it? But a major investment? Is it a lot of money or a little money? Expensive is when it is not profitable, so it simply does not work. And, obviously, like all technologies, it is not suitable for everything.
So it recovers according to the industry?
Our business model is to provide the service, not to sell our equipment. And there’s a very simple explanation for that, because technologies run the risk of being invalidated by themselves if they are misused or not operated properly. That’s why we now have offices in Spain and Mexico, because we’re growing there.
With a cell phone app, the operations person, or whoever, can see what is happening in a salmon farm minute by minute. The key KPI is the oxygen available to the fish. So, your goal is to ensure that oxygen is always there in perfect condition.
Are companies more open to seeking technological solutions today?
Definitely. For me, those who started out, the pioneers of the salmon industry, are true heroes. In a place where there was nothing, they created more than 60,000 jobs. When you talk to people on the island of Chiloé, they tell you, “I never dreamed that my son would do anything other than grow potatoes or go shellfishing.” Today, those children are doctors, engineers, or lawyers. But everything has its time. Today, there is a generation of much younger girls and boys who are giving the industry a second wind, which is super powerful. And it has to do with openness to new technologies and an awareness that the environment must be cared for.
In Chile, things are being done very well. No other nation in the world has the same phytosanitary and sustainability standards as the salmon industry. We are now in a joint venture with a Norwegian company to restore their seabed.
What is the most difficult thing about being a Chilean cleantech company going global?
Today, distances are practically non-existent. I am a thousand kilometers away from you, and we are talking. Knowledge flows in Chile, and there is an incredible capacity among brilliant young people. Last week at EtM, you could see hundreds of startups. Today, the most difficult thing is financing. Money is very expensive in the world. A few years ago, raising capital was much easier. These companies need to be injected with capital because they are profitable after one cycle. It is family offices or venture capitalists who work with us.
Are you in any capital raising rounds?
Right now, we are in a small round. We are setting up in the United States, through a partnership in Delaware, with a strategic plan to raise a Series A round in about two years.
SOURCE: ESG HOY