What Water Lens does

Water Lens (formerly Titralyte) is a Houston-based private company founded in 2013 that develops a portable water testing system using colorimetric absorption technology in a 96-well plate format. Each plate contains 12 strips of 8 wells prefilled with freeze-dried colorimetric dye assays that bind to target analytes and change their photometric spectrum; the proprietary plate reader measures absorbance, and the company's analysis software correlates absorbance readings to analyte concentrations using calibration curves generated with at least 12 calibration points and 8 replicates per point. The system tests 31 parameters simultaneously including pH, hardness, conductivity, total dissolved solids, scaling indices (LSI, Larson-Skold), iron, sulfate, chlorides, hydrogen sulfide, and other ions, delivering lab-quality results on-site in approximately 10 minutes without requiring a trained chemist. The software includes automatic interference correction, outlier detection, and error reporting algorithms that prevent false results. The core technology is licensed from Eric V. Anslyn at the University of Texas.

The company's revenue model combines hardware sales (the plate reader and consumable test trays) with proprietary software that is bundled with the system. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with sales conducted through an enterprise field sales motion targeting oil and gas operators, with expansion into industrial, wastewater treatment, and agricultural customers. Water Lens has been recognized as a 2018 CERAWeek Energy Innovation Pioneer by IHS Markit, won the 2014 Austin Challenge Cup in the energy category, and was featured on the cover of the Journal of Petroleum Technology in 2016. The company is led by CEO Keith Cole (formerly president of Delcor USA, an offshore oil and gas steel fabricator) along with co-founders Justin Dragna (senior scientist) and Chris Uglietta (director of operations). Total disclosed funding is approximately $2.5 million across a 2013 angel round and a 2014 Series B led by 1776 Ventures.

Name

Water Lens

Legal name

Water Lens, LLC

Website

https://waterlensusa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Water Lens develops a portable 96-well plate colorimetric water testing system that delivers lab-quality analysis of 30+ parameters in 10 minutes, serving oil and gas operators, industrial facilities, wastewater treatment plants, and agricultural users.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Quality Testing Equipment

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Laboratory Testing & Analytical Services (in-house/contract labs; microbiology, metals, organics) (EUANAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Quality Assurance/Quality Control & Accreditation (QA plans, proficiency testing, ISO/IEC 17025) (EUANAJAK), Agricultural Water Testing Services (Irrigation, Groundwater, Surface Water) (AFACAKAC)

Keywords

• Water quality testing
• Colorimetric assays
• Water analysis software
• Oilfield water testing
• Portable lab testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Test Kit Sales (Consumables): Sale of prefilled test trays containing freeze-dried assays. Trays are sold as consumables for repeated use as customers test water samples. Each 96-well plate contains 12 strips of 8 wells each.
2. Testing Equipment/Hardware: Sale of the plate reader hardware that analyzes the test trays and generates absorbance data. The system includes both the hardware reader and the proprietary software for data interpretation.
3. SaaS/Software Licensing: Proprietary analysis software for interpreting absorbance data and generating test results. Software may be licensed as part of the overall system package.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Water Lens develops and sells a real-time on-site water testing system consisting of a 96-well plate test kit with freeze-dried colorimetric assays and proprietary analysis software. The system tests 30+ water quality parameters (pH, hardness, conductivity, scaling indices, dissolved gases, etc.) simultaneously in approximately 10 minutes, producing lab-quality results without requiring specialized training or sample transport.

Product overview

Water Lens offers a unified water testing system consisting of a 96-well plate test kit with freeze-dried colorimetric assays and proprietary analysis software. The system tests 31 parameters simultaneously (30 currently available, Peracetic Acid in beta) including water chemistry indicators such as pH, hardness, dissolved gases, conductivity, and scaling indices. The kit uses an 8-well strip format (12 strips per plate) filled with different colorimetric dye assays, while the software processes absorbance data through calibration curves to calculate concentrations and automatically corrects for interferences. Results are generated in 10 minutes on-site with no specialized training required.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Lab-quality results in 10 minutes vs weeks for traditional lab testing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

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

One partnership is on record.

• University of Texas (Eric V. Anslyn)coreTechnology or IntegrationWater Lens licensed technology developed by Eric V. Anslyn at the University of Texas. This foundational technology enables the company's colorimetric water testing system. The licensing agreement provides Water Lens with rights to commercialize the sensor/assay technology for water quality testing applications.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• LaMotte Company: Long-established manufacturer of water testing kits and instruments for environmental, industrial, and educational markets. Comparable product offering across colorimetric test kits and handheld instruments serving similar field-testing use cases as Water Lens.
• Tintometer (Lovibond): German manufacturer of colorimetric water testing instruments and reagents under the Lovibond brand, with a strong presence in pool, drinking water, and industrial water testing. Comparable product format and colorimetric methodology to Water Lens's plate-based approach.
• CHEMetrics: Manufactures colorimetric and titrimetric water testing kits using vacuum-sealed ampoules and comparators for field and lab use. Closely comparable product format and target customer (industrial water testing) to Water Lens, though using simpler visual comparison versus Water Lens's plate-reader approach.
• Palintest: UK-based manufacturer of water testing equipment and reagents, particularly strong in pool/spa, drinking water, and environmental testing. Directly comparable as a provider of field-deployable colorimetric water testing instruments with multi-parameter capabilities.
• Hanna Instruments: Manufactures a wide range of water quality testing instruments including photometers, pH meters, and multi-parameter analyzers for industrial and laboratory use. Comparable in delivering field/lab water testing instrumentation, though with broader modality than Water Lens's colorimetric plate approach.

Broad incumbents

• Hach: A Danaher-owned global leader in water quality testing instruments and reagents serving municipal, industrial, and laboratory markets. Directly comparable to Water Lens across multiple testing parameters but at vastly larger scale and broader product portfolio.
• Mettler Toledo: Global manufacturer of precision instruments including laboratory analytical balances, pH meters, titrators, and spectrophotometers used in water and environmental testing. Adjacent analytical instrument provider serving overlapping laboratory and industrial testing customers.
• HORIBA Scientific: Division of HORIBA Ltd. providing spectroscopic and analytical instruments for laboratory and field water analysis. Adjacent analytical instrument peer whose spectrophotometry and water quality products overlap with Water Lens's use cases in environmental and industrial testing.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Global analytical instrument giant offering water testing laboratory equipment, spectrophotometers, and reagent kits across pharma, environmental, and industrial markets. A broad incumbent whose laboratory analytical instruments portfolio overlaps with Water Lens's addressable use cases.
• Xylem (YSI): Through its YSI brand, Xylem provides water quality monitoring instruments and sensors for environmental, industrial, and municipal water markets. Comparable as a broad incumbent in water quality instrumentation with significantly greater scale and installed base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/waterlens

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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 Water Lens