NALA Membranes
NALA Membranes is a Morrisville, NC materials science company that develops chlorine-tolerant reverse osmosis membranes using patented sulfonated polysulfone chemistry, selling to governments and multinational industrial customers across food and beverage, semiconductor, consumer electronics, and energy for water reuse and desalination applications.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersMorrisville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What NALA Membranes does
NALA Membranes is a materials science company founded in 2018 and headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina, within Research Triangle Park. The company develops and manufactures chlorine-tolerant reverse osmosis (RO) membranes built on patented sulfonated polysulfone chemistry, marketed as drop-in replacements for conventional polyamide RO membranes used in industrial water treatment and desalination applications. Core products include standard chlorine-tolerant RO membranes and pre-treatment membranes designed to eliminate biofouling, with disclosed technical claims of approximately 1,245x longer chlorine resistance than industry-standard polyamide membranes, a pH operating range of 2-12 versus 5-10 for polyamide alternatives, a smoother TFC surface that reduces fouling, and a 24% reduction in water treatment system operating costs.
The company's revenue model is anchored on direct enterprise hardware sales of membrane products to governments and multinational industrial customers in food and beverage, semiconductor, consumer electronics, and energy sectors, increasingly structured as multi-year supply agreements. Its first major disclosed commercial anchor is a multi-year supply agreement with Concord Enviro Systems announced in October 2025, following successful pilot testing for organic contamination removal in industrial wastewater streams. To support demand, NALA is expanding manufacturing capabilities and pursues a vertical segmentation strategy targeting industrial water treatment as the primary segment and government water utilities as a secondary segment. Distribution is global in scope through direct enterprise sales and strategic supply agreements, with marketing executed primarily through LinkedIn, YouTube, industry events (WEFTEC, XPRIZE), and earned media coverage.
NALA has been funded through a mix of non-dilutive grants (NSF SBIR Phase I and Phase II; DOE water reuse awards) and equity financings from investors including Good Growth Capital, Oval Park Capital, UT Seed Fund, RTP Capital Associates, and Concord Enviro Systems, with cumulative disclosed funding in the $13-15M range. The IP portfolio includes patented sulfonated polysulfone membrane technology granted in the US, Europe, and globally, plus trademark protection on the NALA brand. Leadership combines deep polymer chemistry expertise (co-founder and CTO Judy Riffle, inventor of the core polymers and Virginia Tech Professor Emerita) with seasoned membrane industry commercial experience (EVP Randy Truby with 50+ years in membrane manufacturing and sales), and a technical advisory bench drawn from Dow Chemical's Filmtec legacy, Virginia Tech, and UT Austin.
NALA Membranes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NALA Membranes
- Legal name
- NALA Membranes, Inc.
- Website
- https://nalamembranes.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- NALA Membranes is a Morrisville, NC materials science company that develops chlorine-tolerant reverse osmosis membranes using patented sulfonated polysulfone chemistry, selling to governments and multinational industrial customers across food and beverage, semiconductor, consumer electronics, and energy for water reuse and desalination applications.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NALA Membranes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Water Treatment Membranes
- NAICS
- Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)
- SIC
- Chemicals & Allied Products (2800)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Membranes, Consumables & Chemicals (Elements, Antiscalants, Cleaning) (EUANAFAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Membrane Treatment Chemicals (RO/NF/UF) (IMAEAJAF), Membrane Treatment (UF/NF/RO for Potable) (EUANABAC), Industrial Wastewater Reuse (Cooling/Process/Boiler Feed) (EUANADAM)
Keywords
Where NALA Membranes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Morrisville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
NALA Membranes business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Membrane Product Sales: Sale of chlorine-tolerant reverse osmosis membranes for water reuse and desalination applications. The company sells advanced membranes for wastewater treatment and desalination to industrial customers.
- Supply Agreement Revenue: Multi-year membrane supply agreements with strategic customers like Concord Enviro Systems for wastewater treatment and desalination applications.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
NALA Membranes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NALA Membranes manufactures and sells chlorine-tolerant reverse osmosis membranes based on patented sulfonated polysulfone technology for water reuse and desalination applications. The membranes withstand chlorine exposure approximately 1,245 times longer than industry-standard polyamide membranes, reducing biofouling and operating costs for industrial water treatment systems. Products are sold as drop-in replacements for existing RO systems in food and beverage, semiconductor, consumer electronics, and energy sectors.
Product overview
NALA Membranes offers a portfolio of chlorine-tolerant reverse osmosis membranes based on patented sulfonated polysulfone technology. The core product line includes standard reverse osmosis membranes and pre-treatment membranes, both designed to operate more efficiently in a wider array of applications than traditional polyamide membrane technology. These products are drop-in replacements for existing RO systems and enable water reuse and desalination with reduced operating costs, fewer cleaning cycles, and significantly longer membrane lifetimes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Chlorine-Tolerant Reverse Osmosis Membranes Sulfonated polysulfone-based reverse osmosis membranes that withstand chlorine exposure approximately 1,245 times longer than industry-standard polyamide membranes, offering superior resistance to fouling and biofouling for water reuse and desalination. Sold as drop-in replacements to governments and multinational corporations in food and beverage, semiconductor, consumer electronics, and energy sectors.
- Pre-Treatment Membranes Membranes designed for pre-treatment applications that resist biofouling and clogging, reducing energy requirements and maintenance in water treatment systems. Used as part of potable reuse pretreatment processes.
Quantifiable outcome
- 24% reduction in water treatment system Opex
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use NALA Membranes
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
NALA Membranes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
NALA Membranes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Concord Enviro Systems, LTD.coreMulti-year membrane sales agreement for supply of advanced membranes for wastewater treatment and desalination. The collaboration follows successful pilot testing demonstrating superior performance in removing organic contamination from industrial wastewater streams. The company is expanding manufacturing capabilities to meet growing demand.
- Singapore OrganizationminorCollaboration with Singapore organization to advance global deployment of NALA's chlorine-resistant membrane technology.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
NALA Membranes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- DuPont Water Solutions (Filmtec): DuPont's Filmtec line is the global market leader in polyamide RO membranes for desalination, industrial water, and municipal reuse. It is the most direct incumbent that NALA's chlorine-tolerant sulfonated polysulfone membranes are positioned to displace or supplement.
- Toray Industries (Toray Membrane): Toray is one of the largest RO and NF membrane manufacturers globally, serving desalination and industrial water reuse. Its scale and broad product portfolio make it a direct incumbent competitor to NALA in target accounts.
- Hydranautics (Nitto Group): Hydranautics, owned by Japan's Nitto Group, is a top-tier RO membrane producer focused on seawater desalination, industrial reuse, and municipal applications — directly competing with NALA's target use cases.
- SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions (Veolia): SUEZ/Veolia offers integrated RO membrane systems and aftermarket services for industrial and municipal customers, providing a bundled incumbent alternative to NALA's standalone membrane product.
- Koch Separation Solutions: Koch offers RO and UF membrane products plus integrated treatment systems for industrial water reuse and difficult feedwater applications, overlapping with NALA's industrial and municipal customer base.
- Pentair (X-Flow): Pentair's X-Flow membrane business produces UF and MF membranes for water treatment and industrial reuse, serving many of the same municipal and industrial accounts NALA targets with its RO membranes.
Direct peers
- LG Chem (LG NanoH2O): LG NanoH2O (LG Chem) manufactures thin-film nanocomposite RO membranes for seawater desalination and water reuse. It is a direct material competitor with similar next-generation positioning to NALA's sulfonated polysulfone chemistry.
Emerging players
- Saltworks Technologies: Saltworks builds advanced desalination and industrial water reuse systems, often incorporating novel membrane and thermal concepts. It targets similar industrial reuse and challenging-feedwater use cases as NALA and is a credible emerging peer.
- Via Separations: Via Separations develops advanced membrane materials for industrial separations including water and chemical processing. It overlaps with NALA as a materials-driven emerging player focused on next-generation membrane chemistry for industrial use cases.
- Aqua Membranes: Aqua Membranes manufactures printed spacer technology for RO systems to reduce fouling and energy use. It targets the same industrial and municipal RO customers as NALA, with a complementary (rather than directly competing) anti-fouling value proposition.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
NALA Membranes social profiles
Digital presenceNALA Membranes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NALA Membranes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
NALA Membranes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds10 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NALA Membranes M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NALA Membranes
What does NALA Membranes do?
NALA Membranes manufactures and sells chlorine-tolerant reverse osmosis membranes based on patented sulfonated polysulfone technology for water reuse and desalination applications. The membranes withstand chlorine exposure approximately 1,245 times longer than industry-standard polyamide membranes, reducing biofouling and operating costs for industrial water treatment systems. Products are sold as drop-in replacements for existing RO systems in food and beverage, semiconductor, consumer electronics, and energy sectors.
Is NALA Membranes a public or private company?
NALA Membranes is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was NALA Membranes founded?
NALA Membranes was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is NALA Membranes based?
NALA Membranes is headquartered in Morrisville, United States, in the North America region.
How does NALA Membranes make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Membrane Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are supply Agreement Revenue.
Who are NALA Membranes's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are DuPont Water Solutions (Filmtec), Toray Industries (Toray Membrane), Hydranautics (Nitto Group), SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions (Veolia), Koch Separation Solutions and Pentair (X-Flow). LG Chem (LG NanoH2O) is listed as a direct peer. Emerging players are Saltworks Technologies, Via Separations and Aqua Membranes.
Does NALA Membranes have an API?
No public API is recorded for NALA Membranes.
What industry is NALA Membranes in?
NALA Membranes's product category is Water Treatment Membranes. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUANAFAJ, Membranes, Consumables & Chemicals (Elements, Antiscalants, Cleaning), with a secondary code of IMAEAJAF, Membrane Treatment Chemicals (RO/NF/UF). Its NAICS code is 221310 and its SIC code is 2800.