A silent but urgent threat is looming – the global water crisis is at high tide, and rampant industrial pollution is exacerbating its impact on communities worldwide. Harmful contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), pharmaceuticals, and microplastics are increasingly prevalent in our water sources. In fact, studies indicate that PFAS alone impact nearly 110 million people in the U.S. For businesses, managing these contaminants is a complex challenge. Such water crisis can disrupt operations, increase compliance costs, and slow progress towards sustainability goals. Aprisium, a Singapore-based water tech start-up, aims to tackle this escalating issue with its latest breakthrough. Their innovative solution is an on-site, real-time contaminant management system that stops pollutants from ever reaching our taps.

The Technology

With conventional methods of testing water quality, water samples are first collected and sent to a lab for analysis. This time-consuming process can take weeks, which means that any pollutants detected would have already entered our water supplies. Aprisium’s game-changing innovation revolutionises this process. It can accurately detect a range of contaminants, including heavy metals, microplastics, and PFAS, on-site to deliver results in minutes. Aprisium’s proprietary algorithm rapidly analyses this data and displays it on a visual dashboard. These timely alerts allow users to proactively halt the release of contaminated industrial wastewater, rather than deal with messy and costly clean-ups after. And this is just scratching the surface. Their technology is versatile and capable of testing liquid, solid, and semi-solid mediums, making it highly adaptable for use in municipal, industrial, and agricultural sectors. Aprisium’s technology is also set to be the next big disruptor for semiconductor manufacturers, EV battery plants, and data centres that require constant monitoring to maintain operational efficiency.

The Challenge

Aprisium had developed a sophisticated solution by harnessing both in-house technology, and through collaborations with partners. This approach led to the creation of significant intangible assets and intellectual property (IA and IP), including trade secrets and know-how, alongside strong networks and partnerships crucial to their ongoing success. However, managing such an extensive IA portfolio presented unique challenges. One of the key difficulties was in determining which IA were critical to their solution and worth protecting to sustain their competitive advantages. In addition, the complexity of their IP arrangements with various partners required careful handling to maintain clear and beneficial agreements. These factors made the strategic management of their IA and IP arrangements essential as Aprisium continues to grow and innovate.

The Solution

To safeguard their market position, Aprisium collaborated with IP Strategists at IPOS International to identify the key IA that set them apart, and develop a strategy for protecting these assets. With many of their core IA being valuable inventions kept as trade secrets, along with know-how applied to these inventions, Aprisium adopted frameworks to determine which should remain trade secrets, and which could be effectively patented. Aprisium then implemented internal processes to manage access to trade secrets and systematically document their know-how. They also clarified the IA rights positions within their partnerships, and learnt how to set up IA control points for future collaborations.

Results

Aprisium was empowered to pinpoint the IA that are crucial to their innovation, thus strengthening their edge and market position. This clarity enabled the start-up to explore the most effective ways to protect their IA, both internally and when dealing with external partners. Today, Aprisium continues to enhance the capabilities of its solution with confidence, while expanding into new global markets. Their ongoing expansion is helping more countries achieve water security, positioning Aprisium as a pivotal player in the global effort to address water challenges.

Watch how Aprisium leverages its intangible assets to attract investors and grow globally.

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