Bright Beyond the Lights Businesses: WAVR Technologies
A researcher at UNLV runs experiments on WAVR Technologies’ system (pc: UNLV)
You can feel it in the air in Clark County: an atmosphere of innovation, exhilaration and boundless possibility. WAVR Technologies is tapping into that atmosphere – figuratively and literally. Launched in May 2024 from a lab at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the Clark County-based startup is accelerating rapidly with multiple projects in the works. The company’s big idea? WAVR drew inspiration from nature to pioneer a groundbreaking technology that extracts water from thin air at up to 20 times the yield of current market leaders, all at a fraction of the cost.
At the heart of WAVR’s growth trajectory is a story about the vibrant, close-knit innovation ecosystem in Southern Nevada. Moreover, it’s a story about how Clark County is at the forefront of engineering new solutions for water conservation that can change the world for the better.
“The Community Wants Us to Win”
Rich Sloan was an entrepreneur in residence at UNLV when he heard about a project spearheaded by Professor H. Jeremy Cho, developing technology for atmospheric water harvesting. Sloan immediately gravitated to the project for two reasons: his personal interest in water sustainability as a member of the Clark County community, and the opportunity to combine his own startup expertise with the scientific brainpower of Cho’s team. Sloan joined forces with Cho and two of his co-inventors and former students, Yiwei Gao, PhD and Ryan Phung to found WAVR Technologies, with Sloan as Chief Executive Officer.
As Sloan noted: “The Office of Economic Development at UNLV was very entrepreneurial in how they facilitated the launch of this company.” The university helped WAVR by making key introductions to service providers, expediting technology licenses, removing obstacles to set up the business, generating press coverage and taking an ownership stake in the venture itself. WAVR is also pursuing its first paid pilot project at UNLV, which will yield 200 gallons per day for campus irrigation. In the long run, WAVR hopes to replace all 20 million gallons of irrigation water consumed by UNLV annually.
For Sloan, WAVR’s pipeline from research and ideation to commercialization offers a case study for what makes the business environment in Clark County unique: “After years of doing business here, my takeaway is that it’s the smallest big town around. If you want to get something significant done, you can get it done fast here. And speed of progress is a really important thing.”
“The sense I feel as an entrepreneur in Las Vegas is that the community wants us to win,” he added. “The community wants us to win because we’re doing something vital for the community, and everyone is doing what they can with their toolkits to help us. This kind of support is an X factor that could be the difference between something that fails and something extraordinary.” That local “X factor” recently gained another key element with an investment commitment from Desert Forge Ventures, a newly launched venture capital firm based in Las Vegas that aims to fuel early-stage technology startups in Southern Nevada’s innovation ecosystem.
Jeremy Cho, WAVR’s Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer (pc: UNLV)
Water Solutions from Clark County to the World
It’s no accident that Southern Nevada gave birth to a water technology company like WAVR. Water conservation is a top-of-mind topic not only for Sloan his co-founders, but also for the wider Clark County community. Over the years, the region has emerged as a leader in water sustainability and innovation, offering a road map to communities around the globe that face mounting water challenges.
As local businesses, citizens and civic leaders embrace solutions like water-efficient landscaping, smart buildings and advanced wastewater treatment, WAVR’s atmospheric harvesting systems can work effectively down to 10% humidity and add one more powerful tool to these conservation efforts. In an interview with UNLV, Cho outlined the company’s visionary approach: “Clark County uses hundreds of millions of gallons of water every single day. You can find that amount of water in the first 30 feet of ambient air above the county. Think of the atmosphere as a really big invisible river.”
The demand for WAVR’s technology is already apparent. Leveraging Clark County’s regional network and global connections, the startup is exploring partnerships with world-leading beverage brands, medical therapeutics companies, municipal authorities, master plan community developers and more. In addition, WAVR aims to eventually introduce portable, at-home and vehicular versions of its products.
Acting as a sustainability and resiliency safeguard, WAVR is poised to help local companies mitigate risks, offset water consumption and comply with water regulations. This technology could deepen the well of opportunity for the regional economy by removing barriers of entry for potential investors in Clark County, including large water-consuming manufacturers.
In that vein, Sloan emphasized that WAVR’s local and global aspirations are part of the same package. “This [enterprise] is not only home-grown – this is home-focused. We are a case study for many regions in the world,” he said. “This is very much about solving Australia’s problems, solving North Africa’s problems, solving Middle Eastern problems and solving problems in lower central Asia where aridification is a reality. So, we’re starting here but we’ve also got our eyes on the globe.”
Water technology at WAVR (pc: UNLV)
Embracing the Future in Southern Nevada
What’s next for WAVR? As the company forges new partnerships, Sloan anticipates a growing footprint with new manufacturing facilities and expanded engineering and product teams to meet demand for its technology. Moreover, WAVR is committed to making sure that growth happens in Southern Nevada.
There are plenty of reasons for WAVR to continue investing in Clark County, Sloan noted. The company is eager to tap into the region’s highly educated, highly trainable talent pool, bolstered by in-migration from neighboring states. And with Southern Nevada’s vibrant “exhilaration economy,” as Sloan called it, there’s no shortage of opportunities for talent to take advantage of world-class entertainment, epic nature and an amazing food scene – all accessible from one place. He also cited the region’s cost of living, easy commutes and direct flight access to “everywhere you want to go.”
Plus, Southern Nevada is a premier meeting ground for major players in the world’s industries, hosting myriad business conferences each year. For WAVR, this creates “a great showcase environment to light up and inspire people from all over the world.”
It’s all part of a wave of momentum that Sloan sees building in Clark County. “The maturing of our community is for real, and WAVR has been embraced as part of that. We are a company that wants to be part of the future and the future brand of this community.”
“One of the brand attributes of Las Vegas is audacity,” he added. “This is a great culture for us to be in and to call our home, because to address the global water sustainability challenges, it’s going to take audacity. We think we can do that here.”
WAVR’s proprietary hydrogel membrane (pc: UNLV)
With access to a close-knit entrepreneurial community, excellent education and workforce training programs, a pioneering culture of water conservation and a palpable atmosphere of innovation and collaboration, it’s no wonder why WAVR Technologies is embracing its future as part of the Southern Nevada landscape.
Ready to harness the potential of Clark County’s business ecosystem? Get in touch with our team at the Clark County Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) to see how we can help your business shine #BrightBeyondTheLights.
