Ionic Solutions graduates from prestigious clean energy incubator program, The Koffman.
On September 1st, 2024, Calgary-based cleantech start-up Ionic Solutions graduated from The Koffman Southern Tier Incubator’s Clean Energy Incubator Program, which supports some of the most promising startups in the clean energy, cleantech, and climate tech sectors.
Providing mentorship and business development support, the Koffman strives to accelerate emerging technologies with the potential to substantially reduce carbon emissions, water consumption, and other impacts of climate change, globally.
Michael Jagielski, Director of Koffman’s Clean Energy Incubator Program, believes Ionic Solutions’ desalination technology will transform the way power companies and industries consume water.
“Ionic Solutions has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to addressing one of the world’s most pressing challenges—water scarcity,” says Jagiekski. “Their innovative desalination technology has the potential to revolutionize water consumption in both the power and industrial sectors, significantly reducing environmental impact. It has been a privilege to support their growth through the Koffman Clean Energy Incubator Program, and we are confident their continued success will have a lasting, positive impact on both the clean energy and water industries.”
The Koffman, supported and operated by Binghamton University’s Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Partnerships, was established in 2017 in Binghamton, New York, and the start-ups it has supported have since generated $663 million (USD) in economic impact, created more than 818 full-time jobs, and raised almost $540 million in funding.
Current members include energy storage technology E-Zinc, clean concrete innovation KLAW Industries, and decarbonizing start-up Carbon Upcycling.
“We joined the Koffman’s Clean Energy Incubator Program in 2021 and in that time our technology has matured significantly through pilot projects and research. We have achieved national and international recognition and commenced partnerships with two of the largest power suppliers in North America,” says Jordan Grose, Ionic Solutions’ Executive Vice President.
“The input from the Koffman’s team over the last three years has been invaluable and we are excited to continue our trajectory to bring much-needed change to the desalination sector and the industries it impacts,” he continues. “Our technology, developed and manufactured in Calgary, Alberta, has the potential to solve global water scarcity in a way that is sustainable and environmentally responsible, and we are currently working on a variety of projects, with industry partners, that will graduate us from TRL8 to TRL9 in the next 12 to18 months.”
Ionic Solutions was referred to the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator by Michael Coia, an independent consultant for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). NYSERDA offers start-up companies business coaching by seasoned entrepreneurs through its Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR) program. Ionic Solutions was fortunate to receive coaching from Michael Coia for over two years as part of the program.
Coia says Ionic Solutions gained valuable internship staffing through their Soft Landings Program. “We worked weekly with a mechanical engineering professor and PhD student to identify New York markets for Ionic Solutions’ technology and used lab-scale treatment equipment to desalinate various drinking waters for regional customers,” he says. “One major success was realized with our recent commercial scale pilot unit being deployed in NYC by a large power supply company as a more energy efficient system treatment system,” he adds.
