Apana Makes Sure Companies Don’t Waste Water

Apana company aims to be a 'security company for water,' offering technology alerting its business customers to leaks and other problems in their systems.

Apana uses a series of sensors and software at businesses to monitor water usage. When there is unusual activity that might point to a leak or other wasteful event, Apana sends an alert for the company to investigate.

Apana thinks of itself as a “security company for water”. They use sensors made by other companies, coupled with its own Internet of Things networking equipment to transfer the information to the cloud. Then Apana’s software comes in and analyzes the data to find ways water could be saved.

Apana, formed in 2012, has seven customers, including Issaquah retailer Costco Wholesale. “All of our customers save over 20 percent on water consumption,” Rose said. Customers pay for hardware upfront then pay a monthly fee for the monitoring service.

They recently raised $3.5 million in a funding round led by Japanese company Kurita Water Industries with participation from Seattle fund Element 8, San Francisco’s Urban Innovation Fund and others. Apana, which has 11 employees in Bellingham and Spokane, plans to use the funds to expand and keep developing its hardware and software.

Source: Seattle Times