As Gradiant expands across a water-stressed globe, CEO Anurag Bajpayee frames sustainable water treatment not just as a business strategy—but as a moral and environmental imperative.
In a sector often overshadowed by energy or transportation, Anurag Bajpayee is betting that industrial water management is about to become one of the most critical infrastructure challenges of the next decade. As co-founder and CEO of Gradiant, a Boston-based water technology company, Bajpayee leads an effort to help global industries confront rising water scarcity, tighter regulations, and growing pressure to adopt more sustainable practices.
Origins and Global Reach
Founded in 2013 out of research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Gradiant designs and operates water treatment and recycling systems for industries such as semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, energy, and food production. With over 3,000 installations in more than 90 countries, the company has steadily expanded its presence from North America to Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.
Now, with mounting drought risks and stricter water discharge standards globally, Gradiant is positioning itself to capitalize on what analysts project could be a multi-billion-dollar industrial water reuse market.
Growing Demand for Industrial Solutions
While public attention often focuses on domestic water use, industrial operations account for nearly 20% of global freshwater withdrawals, according to the United Nations. In regions such as Southeast Asia and the Gulf states, that figure is even higher.
As factories proliferate and climate variability increases, companies are facing both supply-side risks and regulatory scrutiny. In response, many are seeking ways to reduce freshwater intake, recycle process water internally, and meet tighter environmental standards without jeopardizing production.
Gradiant’s portfolio includes:
- Carrier Gas Extraction (CGE), a humidification-dehumidification process designed to recover clean water from brines and complex wastewater streams
- Counterflow Reverse Osmosis (CFRO), which enables near-zero liquid discharge operations
Its systems are controlled by SmartOps AI, an artificial intelligence platform that monitors and optimizes treatment performance in real time.
This approach, the company says, allows clients to recover up to 98% of their wastewater, reduce operational costs, and minimize environmental impact.
A Focus on PFAS Contamination
Earlier this year, Gradiant’s efforts received major industry recognition when its ForeverGone platform won Gold at the 2025 Edison Awards. The platform addresses the urgent problem of PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, often called “forever chemicals” — by destroying the compounds on-site rather than simply filtering and transferring the waste elsewhere.
“We didn’t want to just move the PFAS problem—we wanted to erase it. That’s what ForeverGone delivers,” Anurag Bajpayee said after accepting the award in Fort Myers, Florida.
PFAS contamination has become a high-profile issue in the U.S., with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalizing new drinking water standards that dramatically lower allowable PFAS levels. Compliance will require significant upgrades across utilities, military installations, and industrial facilities, creating what Bluefield Research estimates could become a $1.2 billion annual market for PFAS treatment solutions by 2026.
Gradiant’s field-deployable system, designed for scalability across industries, positions it to tap into this growing segment.
“The Edison judges saw what our customers see,” Bajpayee noted. “ForeverGone isn’t just an innovation—it’s a necessity. And it’s one that can be implemented now.”
Funding, Expansion, and Competition
Gradiant’s growth has been fueled by strong backing from institutional investors. In 2023, the company raised $225 million in Series D funding, bringing its total fundraising to over $400 million and pushing its valuation beyond $1 billion.
The company operates on a hybrid model, selling full systems or offering Water-as-a-Service (WaaS) contracts, under which clients pay per gallon of clean water produced rather than investing upfront in infrastructure.
This flexibility has helped Gradiant win contracts against larger incumbents such as Veolia and Suez, particularly in sectors requiring customized, modular solutions.
Still, competition is intensifying. Traditional water giants are investing heavily in digitalization and reuse technologies. Meanwhile, a wave of new entrants—particularly in membrane innovation, smart sensors, and distributed treatment—are targeting niche segments.
Analysts caution that while the industrial water market is growing, it remains highly localized and often tied to complex permitting and financing cycles.
Risks and Opportunities Ahead
Gradiant’s prospects are closely tied to two external factors: the pace of climate change-driven water scarcity and the strength of regulatory enforcement.
On the climate side, recent years have brought record-breaking droughts to industrial regions from California to China, amplifying the case for internal recycling and water independence. In parallel, investors are beginning to scrutinize water risks in corporate supply chains, alongside carbon emissions and biodiversity impacts.
On the regulatory front, however, policy consistency remains a challenge. Some jurisdictions offer generous incentives for water reuse infrastructure; others impose few penalties for overuse or contamination, limiting demand.
For now, Gradiant is betting that the trend lines are in its favor. It is expanding manufacturing capacity in the United States and Singapore and pursuing partnerships to integrate its platforms into emerging sectors such as green hydrogen production and electric vehicle battery manufacturing.
An Engineer’s Vision
Throughout Gradiant’s evolution, Anurag Bajpayee has emphasized engineering rigor and practical deployment over hype.
In 2019, he was named to MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 list for his work on sustainable water treatment. At the time, he stressed that the goal was not just scientific advancement but scalable, commercially viable solutions.
As water rises on the corporate and political agenda, Bajpayee’s pragmatic, physics-driven approach may prove prescient. In a sector long criticized for inertia, Gradiant’s combination of innovation and execution has already begun to reshape expectations.
