ENELL Co., Ltd.: Generating Water from Air and Sterilizing All Sources with "Autonomous Decentralized Micro-Water Sources" to Upgrade Global Infrastructure

Confronting Aging Infrastructure and PFAS Contamination: A New Normal for Water Supply

Nice to meet you, everyone. My name is Taro Akaishi, CEO of ENELL Co., Ltd. We are a company aiming to drive innovation in water infrastructure worldwide. Thank you for having me today.

Many people might think, "Japan is rich in water resources, so there is no need to worry about water." However, it is probably fresh in your memory that accidents such as road collapses due to aging pipes have frequently made the news. In fact, approximately 20,000 water leakage accidents occur every year in Japan alone.

Furthermore, news about the detection of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances)—harmful chemical compounds linked to cancer—in tap water across the country is reported daily. In some depopulated areas, water must be distributed by water trucks, and in places like Hokkaido, water rates are nearly eight times higher than in mainland Japan, with some municipalities predicting that basic monthly fees could exceed 15,000 yen in the future.

These water-related challenges are not unique to Japan; they are occurring globally. But why is this happening? The root cause is that our current water infrastructure relies on a centralized system: treating water at a single facility and transporting it through miles of long pipes. During transit, the pipes age, break, and become contaminated.

So, we thought: "If we downsize and decentralize water treatment facilities and build them directly into individual buildings, people can obtain safe water on-site without relying on pipes. Wouldn't this fundamentally resolve all water-related issues?" This is the transition we are championing: moving toward "autonomous decentralized micro-water sources."

Generating Water from Air: Innovative Chemical-Free Purification and Sterilization Technology

To make this decentralized water self-sufficiency a reality, we developed four core technologies.

First is our technology to generate water from air as a new water source. By controlling the temperature difference and pressure, we capture invisible water vapor in the atmosphere and convert it into liquid water with maximum efficiency.

Second is the technology to purify and sterilize any gathered water (including rainwater or river water) to safe drinking standards without using any chlorine or other chemicals. While we use Reverse Osmosis (RO) membranes—the finest filters in the world—we have developed a proprietary, world-first technology that operates at a 100% recovery rate without producing wastewater. This allows us to remove 100% of PFAS.

Third is a sterilization technology that kills all bacteria using only electricity. The performance is outstanding: even if we draw water from the dirtiest canal in Tokyo and run it through our system for a month, the resulting water meets national drinking water standards without using any chlorine. It is completely sterile, with zero bacteria detected.

Fourth is an aseptic storage technology that keeps water free of bacteria even when exposed to air. We have established clear evidence that water stored in our system remains completely free of bacteria even after being left for six months.

This is not a pipe dream. We have already released three types of products utilizing these technologies to the market. These terminals can be used as standalone units, or built directly into a building's infrastructure to enable complete self-sufficiency in both electricity and water.

From "Resilience Homes" in Japan to a Mega Smart City in Indonesia

Our business model begins with offering small server models on a subscription basis to build awareness, and in the medium-to-long term, we aim to upgrade the infrastructure itself.

Currently, we are co-developing a system built directly into residential homes with Japan's largest homebuilder. Once completed, this will be marketed as the ultimate "resilience home" that secures water even during disasters.

Furthermore, alliances with major corporations and local governments are expanding rapidly.
Despite having no sales representatives, both NTT East and NTT West serve as our official sales agents, working with us to build a circular society.

Internationally, in a massive smart city project led by Mitsubishi Corporation in Indonesia, a plan is under consideration to supply water to the area using only our technology, completely independent of the existing municipal water network.
Domestically, our systems have already been adopted in Hokkaido municipalities where maintaining traditional pipe infrastructure is no longer viable. We have also launched collaborative projects with Gunma Prefecture and a water-shortage solution project on Tokyo's remote islands to address issues caused by overtourism.

Gratifyingly, ENELL won the Grand Prix out of more than 20,000 entries at this year's "Update Earth" competition hosted by Deloitte Tohmatsu, a project designed to support startups tackling global challenges. This has greatly accelerated our recognition and credibility.

Regarding our roadmap, we aim to launch our IPO in 2029. While we have funded our development almost entirely through self-funding, we are now raising up to 500 million yen in a Series A round to accelerate our growth.

Our team is also incredibly strong. Our CTO, Mr. Taguchi, was previously the head of semiconductor design and development at Toshiba Research Consulting. Our auditor, Mr. Ueda, is the former Vice President of Japan Post, and our CFO, Mr. Kondo, previously led global expansion at Accenture.

Unlike typical IT businesses, our venture combines hardware with advanced chemistry and physics. This creates an extremely high barrier to entry, making it very difficult for competitors to emerge. Consequently, we are positioned to maintain a dominant competitive edge in a massive global market over a long span.

Moving from the era of delivering water to the era of generating it on-site—we are moving forward to realize a world where everyone has access to safe water. We welcome your support and partnerships. Thank you very much.

Q&A and Feedback

Mr. Suzuki (Commentator): Thank you very much, Mr. Akaishi. To be honest, I am amazed by what your technology can achieve. Seeing that concrete projects are already underway with CES, multiple municipalities, and major corporations like NTT adds immense credibility to your presentation.

Regarding generating water from air: could you explain the composition and taste of the water, and why it can be stored for such a long time?

Mr. Akaishi: Thank you for your question. Water captured from the air goes through our ultra-fine reverse osmosis membrane, turning it into pure water with absolutely zero impurities (similar to distilled water). From there, we use electricity to sterilize all bacteria. Because we eliminate both impurities and bacteria, the water does not spoil and can be stored long-term. However, pure water has a very flat taste, so when we provide it as drinking water, we add minerals tailored to Japanese preferences to make it taste like delicious mineral water.

Mr. Suzuki: I see. So by eliminating all impurities and bacteria, you enable long-term storage, and then add minerals afterward to enhance the taste. That makes it incredibly reassuring as emergency drinking water.

How much water can this terminal produce in a day?

Mr. Akaishi: Our small server model can generate up to 33 liters of water per day solely from atmospheric condensation. Furthermore, if you use external water like river water or rainwater as a source during emergencies, the system can purify up to 600 liters of water per day into safe, sterile drinking water.

This seems like a highly anticipated solution, not just for wealthy urban areas, but particularly for local governments struggling with depopulation or budget deficits that make maintaining pipe infrastructure difficult.

Mr. Akaishi: Exactly. In areas like Hokkaido, there are communities where it is physically and financially impossible to maintain the traditional water pipe infrastructure in the future. In such places, instead of spending billions of yen to rebuild water pipes, it is far more cost-effective and practical to install our decentralized infrastructure to generate and purify water on-site. Adoptation has already begun in these municipalities.

Mr. Suzuki: That is a very realistic and pressing need. Regarding your sales and business strategy: as you raise your Series A funding, are you considering collaborating or distributing through existing water delivery companies or prime-listed health food companies?

Mr. Akaishi: To be clear, we are not looking to collaborate with existing water delivery or related businesses. Our target is the "infrastructure" itself. Therefore, we are partnering with mega-corporations that manage national and urban infrastructure—such as NTT East/West, major homebuilders, and Mitsubishi Corporation—to integrate our technology as the de facto standard for future infrastructure.

Mr. Suzuki: So you are playing in the infrastructure layer. That is a massive scale. Which specific regions are you targeting for your global expansion?

Mr. Akaishi: Our primary focus globally is ASEAN countries, Africa, and South America, where economic growth is rapid but water infrastructure development is lagging. Since many regions in these countries lack water pipe networks, they have the potential to leapfrog directly to our decentralized water infrastructure, just as they bypassed landlines to adopt mobile phones. We have already received specific inquiries and proposals from various African embassies.

Mr. Suzuki: I see. Because the infrastructure is not there, decentralized systems can immediately take center stage. Looking globally, I don't think any other company can offer this level of fully automated, decentralized water infrastructure with verified scientific evidence. I wish you great success. Thank you very much.

Mr. Akaishi: Thank you.