PureLi

What PureLi does

PureLi is a Princeton University spinout cleantech company developing solar-powered evaporation technologies for sustainable extraction of lithium, potassium, and nitrate from brine sources. Founded in 2022 by Sean Zheng (CEO) and Professor Z. Jason Ren (Chief Scientist), the company operates two core products: Lilypad, a floating surface device placed on existing evaporation ponds that concentrates photons and retains heat to deliver 2x faster evaporation and 10% recovery improvement; and E-LITE, a modular standalone evaporation system that extracts lithium from low-concentration brines without traditional ponds, achieving >90% lithium recovery, <100ppm minimum concentration threshold, and 80% water recovery. Both products are powered by a proprietary porous fiber string technology that uses capillary action to naturally separate lithium and sodium at distinct locations along the fiber.

The company commercializes its technology through direct enterprise field sales targeting lithium mining operations, battery manufacturers, and resource recovery operations, with current customer engagement centered on early-access pre-orders routed via the company website. Revenue mechanics combine one-time technology licensing/equipment sales with professional deployment services under custom multi-year enterprise contracts; public pricing is not disclosed. The company is venture-backed by SOSV (lead), HAX, and DO Ventures, and has received non-dilutive support from the Princeton START Entrepreneurs program, the NSF I-Corps Northeast Hub, and the New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology ($75,000 in October 2024). The leadership bench has been expanded with Chief Product Officer Angela Fasnacht, whose 25+ years in brine/water treatment includes leading a $330M division at Veolia.

The underlying science has been validated through peer-reviewed publication in Nature Water (September 2023) on spatially separated crystallization for selective lithium extraction, first prize at the 17th annual Princeton Innovation Forum (2022), and inclusion in Storm4's 'US-Based Green Technology Startups To Watch In 2025.' PureLi currently operates with 1-10 employees and serves brine sources across North America, South America, EMEA (UK), and Southeast Asia (Vietnam), positioning itself within the broader green technology and sustainability market projected to reach $73.9 billion by 2030.

Name

PureLi

Legal name

PCM

Website

https://pureli.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PureLi is a Princeton University spinout developing solar-powered evaporation technologies for sustainable lithium, potassium, and nitrate extraction from brine, serving lithium mining companies and battery manufacturers through its Lilypad and E-LITE product lines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lithium Extraction Equipment

akta.pro primary industry

Lithium Mining & Brine Extraction (IMAKAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Potassium Products (SOP, Low-Chloride K, K-Thiosulfate) (AFABACAI), Brine Concentrate Management & Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) (EUANAFAH)

Keywords

• Lithium extraction
• Brine mining technology
• Solar evaporation systems
• Direct lithium extraction
• Cleantech equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

New Jersey

HQ country

Trinidad & Tobago

HQ region

Latin America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technology licensing and equipment sales: PureLi commercializes its proprietary Lilypad and E-LITE evaporation technologies through equipment sales and technology licensing to lithium mining operations and battery manufacturers. The company is funded by leading international VCs and is currently in early-access/pre-order phase.
2. Technology deployment and implementation services: Company provides technology deployment services for implementing Lilypad and E-LITE systems at customer sites, including setup, optimization, and ongoing technical support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PureLi develops and commercializes advanced solar-powered evaporation technologies for sustainable extraction of lithium, potassium, and nitrate from brine sources. Its two flagship products are Lilypad, a floating pond-surface device that delivers 2x faster evaporation and 10% recovery improvement with no construction required, and E-LITE, a modular extraction system that achieves >90% lithium recovery and 80% water recovery from low-concentration brines without traditional evaporation ponds. Both are sold to enterprise lithium mining and battery manufacturing customers under custom multi-year contracts.

Product overview

PureLi offers two distinct core products for sustainable mineral extraction from brine: Lilypad, a floating solar-powered device for enhancing existing evaporation pond operations with 2x faster evaporation and 10% recovery improvement; and E-LITE, an advanced standalone evaporation technology that enables direct lithium extraction without traditional ponds, achieving >90% lithium recovery rate and 80% water recovery. Both products target lithium, potassium, and nitrate extraction from brine sources, with E-LITE featuring an AI Energy Management System for optimized operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lilypad: A floating device for evaporation ponds that concentrates photons and retains heat, enabling 2x faster evaporation and 10% recovery improvement in lithium production.
• E-LITE

Products and services

• Lilypad Floating, solar-powered device placed on the surface of evaporation ponds that concentrates and multiplies incoming photons and retains heat in surrounding water, enabling 2x faster evaporation and 10% recovery improvement for sustainable lithium, potassium, and nitrate extraction. Designed for hypersaline conditions with a special durable coating and requires zero construction; targeted at lithium mining operators.
• E-LITE Advanced, modular evaporation technology system that extracts lithium from low-concentration brine sources with minimum energy and chemical use, featuring an AI Energy Management System, more than 90% lithium recovery rate, less than 100 ppm minimum lithium concentration, and 80% water recovery. Highly scalable and tested with brines from South and North America; targeted at lithium mining operators and resource recovery operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Extraction rate improved by more than 10 times standard rate
• +6 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Princeton UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Origin of PureLi's technology from Princeton University research team led by Jason Ren. Sean Zheng was a Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow at the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. The company leverages Princeton START Entrepreneurs program, Princeton Innovation Forum, and maintains research collaborations with university faculty including Liangbing Hu at University of Maryland.
• National Science Foundation (NSF)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022NSF I-Corps Northeast Hub participant. Team received NSF Partnerships for Innovation Award and is considering National NSF I-Corps program which comes with $50,000 grant.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/purelitech

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors10 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 PureLi