Gradiant

What Gradiant does

Gradiant Corporation is a privately-held industrial water treatment company founded in 2013 as a spinout from MIT and headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts. The company designs, builds, and operates advanced water and wastewater treatment systems for heavy industrial customers across semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, mining, food and beverage, refining and chemicals, energy, textiles, automotive, and government sectors. Its operations span 92 countries through 25 offices and include 2,500+ installed facilities, 3,000+ treatment plants built, and 42 owned-and-operated assets, employing roughly 1,200 people including 475 engineers and scientists.

The core product is a proprietary water treatment technology stack combining membrane-based processes, electrochemical treatment, and AI-enabled optimization. Flagship technologies include Carrier Gas Extraction (CGE) for high-salinity desalination, RO Infinity Counterflow Reverse Osmosis for minimum liquid discharge, Selective Contaminant Extraction for resource recovery, Free Radical Oxidation for refractory organics, ForeverGone for PFAS destruction (TIME Best Inventions 2024), alkaLi EC2 for direct lithium extraction (97% recovery rate), ProtiumSource for green hydrogen feedwater, CURE Chemicals for custom-formulated treatment chemicals, HyperSolved for AI data center cooling water, and SmartOps AI for plant optimization. The company holds 302 patents approved and pending and has been recognized with awards from TIME, Edison Awards, Forbes, and the International Desalination Association.

Gradiant generates revenue through three primary contract models: one-time Design-Build project contracts for turnkey systems, recurring Design-Build-Operate-Maintain (DBO) services, and Design-Build-Own-Operate-Maintain (DBOOM) arrangements where Gradiant owns the facility and supplies treated water on a long-term basis. Additional recurring revenue comes from CURE Chemicals sales and technology licensing, including the alkaLi lithium extraction platform spun out as a core operating subsidiary. Pricing is project-specific and quote-based, with multi-year contract terms. The company sells exclusively through direct enterprise field sales augmented by strategic alliances with SLB, Rio Tinto, Flowserve, GF Piping Systems, and Archroma, and reports that new orders exceeded $500M in H1 2024 with revenue described as doubling annually. The company achieved unicorn status in 2024 and a $2B post-money valuation in its May 2026 Series E led by Safar Partners and Hostplus.

Name

Gradiant

Legal name

Gradiant Corporation

Website

https://gradiant.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Gradiant is a global industrial water treatment provider, founded in 2013 as an MIT spinout, that designs, builds, and operates proprietary desalination, wastewater, lithium extraction, PFAS destruction, and AI-optimized water systems for heavy-industry customers across semiconductors, mining, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, energy, and data centers in 92 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Water Treatment

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Sewage Treatment Facilities (221320), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890), Chemicals & Allied Products (2800)

akta.pro primary industry

Desalination Plant EPC, O&M & Performance Optimization (EUANAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Treatment & Process Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAN), Industrial Decarbonization EPC, Integration & O&M Services (Design/Build/Operate) (EUABAJAM)

Keywords

• Industrial water treatment
• Wastewater recycling systems
• Ultrapure water solutions
• Zero liquid discharge
• PFAS removal technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Woburn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Design-Build Project Contracts: Turnkey end-to-end water treatment system design and construction contracts for industrial clients. Gradiant designs, builds, and commissions complete treatment facilities to customer specifications.
2. Design-Build-Operate-Maintain (DBO): Contracts where Gradiant operates and maintains water treatment facilities long-term, delivering treated water consistently to customer quality and quantity requirements. Provides recurring revenue visibility for customers.
3. Design-Build-Own-Operate-Maintain (DBOOM): Ownership-based contracts where Gradiant owns facilities, eliminating customer capital investment while providing long-term operational revenue.
4. CURE Chemicals: Custom chemical formulations for water treatment applications sold to industrial customers. Includes corrosion inhibitors, scale inhibitors, biocides, and process chemicals.
5. Technology Licensing and Spinoffs: Licensing of proprietary technologies including the alkaLi direct lithium extraction platform spun out for critical minerals recovery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gradiant designs, builds, and often operates and maintains end-to-end industrial water and wastewater treatment systems for sectors including semiconductors, data centers, pharmaceuticals, mining, food & beverage, energy, and chemicals. It combines proprietary treatment technologies (CGE, CFRO, SCE, FRO, ForeverGone, alkaLi, ProtiumSource, HyperSolved), custom-formulated CURE Chemicals, and the SmartOps AI optimization platform, delivered through DB, DBO, and DBOOM contract models in 92 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HyperSolved: AI data center cooling water solution managing entire cooling water lifecycle
• ForeverGone
• alkaLi
• ProtiumSource
• CURE Chemicals
• SmartOps AI
• RO Infinity
• Carrier Gas Extraction (CGE)
• Bio Infinity
• Selective Contaminant Extraction (SCE)
• Free Radical Oxidation (FRO)
• H+E

Products and services

• HyperSolved Comprehensive cooling water management solution for AI data centers managing the entire water lifecycle from sourcing through discharge; deployed with hyperscale operators.
• ForeverGone PFAS Destruction All-in-one solution for permanent elimination of PFAS 'forever chemicals' from municipal and industrial water using micro-foam fractionation and electro-oxidation; deployed at Munich International Airport in September 2025.
• alkaLi Direct Lithium Extraction Direct lithium extraction technology achieving 97% lithium recovery rates from oilfield produced water and salars, producing battery-grade lithium carbonate; supports Gradiant's wholly-owned alkaLi subsidiary.
• ProtiumSource Electrolyzer-ready water solution for green hydrogen producers; feedwater-agnostic with zero discharge and renewable energy operation.
• CURE Chemicals Custom-formulated chemical solutions including corrosion inhibitors, scale inhibitors, process chemicals, biocides, antiscalants, and coagulants/flocculants for site-wide water treatment applications.
• SmartOps AI

Quantifiable outcome

• 6.5 billion liters of fresh water withdrawals reduced daily
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers26 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• FlowservecoreTechnology or Integration · 5 December 2025Strategic partnership to develop water and wastewater treatment solutions combining Flowserve's flow control products with Gradiant's treatment technology. Aims to expand offerings in new geographies and technologies supporting sustainability goals globally.
• ArchromacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2025Partnership to advance water circularity with innovative ZLD technology in Thailand. Gradiant deployed ZLD solution for Archroma's textile dye manufacturing facility achieving 94% water recovery.
• GF Piping SystemscoreTechnology or Integration · 23 January 2025Partnership to drive innovation and sustainability in industrial water treatment by combining GF Piping Systems' piping solutions with Gradiant's water treatment technologies for new solutions globally.
• SLB (Schlumberger)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Alliance formed in May 2023 for lithium extraction and production using Gradiant's alkaLi technology. SLB provides operational expertise and market access for direct lithium extraction projects.
• Rio TintocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Alliance formed in May 2023 for mining water solutions and critical minerals recovery. Strategic partnership targeting sustainable mining operations globally.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Sidem: Sidem is a global desalination EPC contractor specializing in thermal and membrane desalination plants for industrial and municipal clients. Directly competes with Gradiant on seawater desalination projects and EPC delivery in the Middle East and Mediterranean markets.
• Aquatech: Aquatech provides industrial water treatment and desalination solutions, including zero liquid discharge and minimal liquid discharge systems. Directly competes with Gradiant's RO Infinity, MLD/ZLD offerings, and serves overlapping oil & gas, mining, and power generation customers globally.
• IDE Technologies: IDE Technologies is a desalination and water treatment specialist serving industrial and municipal customers. Directly competes with Gradiant's CGE desalination technology and EPC/DBO project delivery model, particularly in Middle East and Asia-Pacific markets where Gradiant operates Innovation Centers.
• Doosan Enerbility (Doosan Heavy Industries): Doosan Enerbility is a major desalination EPC contractor and industrial water treatment provider. Competes with Gradiant on large-scale desalination projects and industrial water treatment contracts, particularly in the Middle East where both companies have established operating footprints.

Broad incumbents

• SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions: SUEZ is a global water services incumbent serving industrial and municipal customers with water treatment, desalination, and chemicals. Named alongside Veolia in Archroma customer comparison and as prior employer of Gradiant's COO (Govind Alagappan) and CFO (Ananth Padmanabhan), reflecting direct head-to-head competition for industrial water contracts.
• Pentair: Pentair is a global water treatment and flow control company serving industrial, commercial, and residential customers. Competes with Gradiant in industrial water treatment, particularly in flow control, filtration, and pump systems used across similar semiconductor and food & beverage customer segments.
• Xylem: Xylem is a global water technology leader serving industrial, commercial, and municipal markets following its acquisition of Evoqua Water Technologies. Targets similar industrial customers for water treatment, pumps, and process equipment, and competes for digital water management mandates similar to Gradiant's SmartOps AI offering.
• Veolia Water Technologies: Veolia is the world's largest water and wastewater services provider, operating across industrial and municipal segments. Archroma customer quote confirms Veolia as direct competitor that Gradiant displaced on technology, and Gradiant's General Counsel previously served as APAC GC at Veolia Environment, illustrating talent flow and direct competitive overlap.
• Ecolab: Ecolab is a global leader in water, hygiene, and infection prevention serving industrial customers including food & beverage, healthcare, and manufacturing. Overlaps with Gradiant's CURE Chemicals product line and industrial water management offerings, particularly in food & beverage and heavy industry segments.
• Evoqua Water Technologies (now Xylem): Evoqua was an independent industrial water treatment leader acquired by Xylem in 2023. Competed directly with Gradiant across industrial water treatment, chemicals, and service contracts before consolidation. Gradiant's COO and CFO are ex-Evoqua, signaling bidirectional talent flow and overlapping customer accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gradiant_corp
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@GradiantCorp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gradiant-corporation
• Instagraminstagram.com/gradiantcorp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds11 records

Investors10 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A7 records

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gradiant