What Xatoms does

Xatoms is a Toronto-based materials technology startup that develops visible-light-activated photocatalysts for industrial water treatment. The company's core product is a library of 8 patent-pending photocatalysts that harness sunlight or LED light to break down complex contaminants — including organic compounds, heavy metals, bacteria, and persistent emerging contaminants such as PFAS — without being consumed in the process, enabling a reusable, drop-in polishing step for existing wastewater treatment infrastructure.

The underlying technology is an AI-assisted material discovery platform that combines machine learning models with quantum chemistry computations to screen thousands of photocatalyst candidates in silico before lab synthesis, reducing discovery timelines from years to weeks. The company has trained 4+ AI models targeting 160 contaminants and validated a subset of discoveries against real industrial wastewater streams. Xatoms focuses on three application verticals: textile manufacturing wastewater, mining industry wastewater, and emerging contaminants (PFAS), with pilot deployments active across Canada, the United States (Texas), Kenya, and South Africa.

Xatoms generates revenue through two streams: sales of photocatalyst materials for industrial water treatment (one-time licensing) and custom AI-powered material discovery services for tailored contaminant applications. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales using pilot projects as the primary engagement mechanism with industrial customers (including Fortune 500 prospects), supported by participation in industry events such as SXSW, Startupfest, PDAC, and the World Economic Forum. The company has raised approximately $3M in pre-seed funding and grants from a syndicate including Quantacet, BDC, Genesis Ventures, OCI, Front Row Ventures, Box One, and competition winnings from Startupfest and the WEF Water Resilience Challenge.

Name

Xatoms

Legal name

Xatoms Inc.

Website

https://xatoms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Xatoms is a Toronto-based materials startup that uses AI and quantum chemistry to discover visible-light-activated photocatalysts for treating industrial wastewater from textile, mining, and emerging contaminant (PFAS) applications, selling materials and custom discovery services to enterprise and NGO customers through pilot-led deployments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Water Treatment

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325)

SIC

Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Catalysts & Adsorbents (IMAEABAB)

Keywords

• Industrial water treatment
• Photocatalytic materials
• AI material discovery
• Quantum chemistry platform
• Wastewater purification

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Photocatalyst Material Sales: Sale of photocatalyst materials for industrial water treatment applications. Materials are deployed in industrial treatment systems as a polishing step or advanced oxidation process for textile, mining, and other high-volume industrial wastewater applications.
2. AI-Powered Material Discovery Services: Custom material discovery services using AI and quantum chemistry platform to develop tailored photocatalysts for specific contaminants and customer requirements.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Xatoms develops novel visible light-activated photocatalysts for industrial wastewater treatment, using an AI and quantum chemistry discovery platform that screens thousands of material candidates computationally to identify high-performing materials. The company has developed 8 patent-pending photocatalysts that break down contaminants including dyes, heavy metals, PFAS compounds, and bacteria, and deploys them as a drop-in treatment step for textile, mining, and emerging contaminant applications.

Product overview

Xatoms offers a unified platform combining an AI Discovery Platform and Photocatalyst products for water purification. The AI Discovery Platform uses quantum chemistry and machine learning to computationally screen thousands of material candidates, reducing discovery time from years to weeks. The Photocatalyst is the core product—8 patent-pending visible light-activated materials that break down bacteria and contaminants without being consumed. These products are deployed across three application verticals: Textile Wastewater Treatment, Mining Wastewater Treatment, and Emerging Contaminants Treatment, targeting industrial wastewater markets including Fortune 500 customers. The technology purifies water using LED light with no chemicals and no heavy energy costs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Photocatalyst Light-activated photocatalytic materials that break down bacteria and harmful pollutants in water through a chemical reaction without being consumed. Xatoms has developed 8 patent-pending photocatalysts that harness visible light, unlike traditional UV-based methods, to break down contaminants, offering a scalable, affordable, and energy-efficient purification solution for industrial customers.
• AI Discovery Platform AI and quantum chemistry platform that discovers new photocatalytic materials by computationally screening thousands of candidates and predicting performance before laboratory experiments. Reduces discovery time from years to weeks and identifies materials that outperform those found through conventional methods, and is also offered as a custom material discovery service for specific contaminants and customer requirements.
• Textile Wastewater Treatment Water treatment solution for textile manufacturing wastewater, which contains dyes, heavy metals, and hard-to-treat contaminants with COD levels nearly double domestic wastewater. Targets industrial textile producers facing regulatory penalties and rising treatment costs with a chemical-free, visible light-activated process.
• Mining Wastewater Treatment Water treatment solution targeting toxic mining contaminants including cyanide, arsenic, cadmium, and other heavy metals that conventional systems struggle to remove, designed for remote off-grid operations and high compliance cost environments.
• Emerging Contaminants Treatment Advanced wastewater treatment for emerging contaminants including PFAS compounds and persistent pollutants that conventional filtration methods can capture but not break down, enabling true molecular-level degradation rather than capture-and-transfer.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% energy savings in purification systems (industry benchmark from BCC Research)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• World Economic Forum / UpLinkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerXatoms was selected as a delegate for World Economic Forum events including Davos 2026 and Summer Davos 2026. Named Top Water Innovation at WEF 2026. Part of UpLink Aquapreneur Innovation Initiative.
• HCL GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the Water Resilience Challenge with World Economic Forum UpLink. Xatoms selected as one of 10 winners sharing CHF 1.75 million prize to scale water resilience innovations.
• Global CitizencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerXatoms CEO Diana Virgovicova received the Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award. Partnership for global advocacy on water innovation and youth leadership.
• Cansbridge FellowshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founders Diana Virgovicova, Kerem Topal Ismail Oglou, and Shirley Zhong met through the Cansbridge Fellowship, which led to the founding of Xatoms.
• University of TorontocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerXatoms was founded through the University of Toronto entrepreneurship ecosystem. Featured at U of T Entrepreneurship Week and True Blue Expo. Three co-founders studied at U of T.
• C100coreGTM or Marketing PartnerXatoms selected for C100 Fellows 2026 program, gaining access to high-impact network of Silicon Valley operators, growth-stage mentors, and climate-focused investors.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Cambrian Innovation: Cambrian Innovation provides industrial wastewater treatment and resource recovery solutions for food and beverage, textiles, and other industrial customers. It overlaps with Xatoms on textile and industrial wastewater treatment pilots.
• OriginClear: OriginClear provides water-treatment and water-reuse solutions for industrial customers, with a focus on on-site treatment and decentralized systems. It is a smaller emerging competitor in industrial wastewater treatment with overlapping customer profiles.

Direct peers

• Atoco: Atoco is an AI-driven materials-discovery company focused on atmospheric water harvesting and water technology using similar AI + computational chemistry approaches. It is the closest direct peer to Xatoms in combining machine-learning-driven material discovery with water applications.
• Gradiant: Gradiant is an industrial water and wastewater treatment technology company using advanced chemistry and process innovation. It is a direct emerging competitor in the industrial-wastewater vertical where Xatoms sells photocatalyst materials.
• Photocat: Photocat develops photocatalytic materials for water and air purification, including visible-light-activated coatings and powders. It is a direct competitor in the visible-light photocatalyst niche for water treatment.

Broad incumbents

• Xylem: Xylem is one of the largest global water technology companies serving industrial, municipal, and commercial water markets. Its acquisition of Evoqua strengthened its industrial-wastewater position, making it a key broad incumbent Xatoms must displace or partner with.
• Veolia Water Technologies: Veolia is a global water-treatment major offering industrial wastewater, process water, and reuse solutions to industrial clients worldwide. It is a broad incumbent whose installed base and service contracts Xatoms must compete against for enterprise customers.
• SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions: SUEZ provides water and wastewater treatment chemicals, equipment, and digital services to industrial customers globally. It competes with Xatoms in industrial wastewater treatment and adjacent specialty-chemical water solutions.
• Kurita Water Industries: Kurita is a major Japanese specialty chemicals and water-treatment company serving semiconductor, industrial, and municipal markets. It is a broad incumbent with deep specialty-chemicals expertise relevant to Xatoms' advanced-oxidation positioning.
• Trojan Technologies: Trojan Technologies (a Danaher subsidiary) is a global leader in UV-based water treatment, the very technology category Xatoms is positioning its visible-light photocatalysts against. It is the most direct broad incumbent competitor in advanced oxidation for water.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/xatoms
• Instagraminstagram.com/xatoms.ai

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors11 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Xatoms