Can Watergen`s `Water from Air` Technology Solve Global Water Scarcity?

Case Code: BSTR692
Case Length: 14 Pages
Period: 2009-24
Pub Date: 2025
Teaching Note: Available

Price: Rs.400
Organization : Watergen Ltd.
Industry : Home Appliances & Consumer Products
Countries : Israel,India,United States
Themes: Business Level Strategies, New Product Development Growth Strategy,Sustainable Innovation

Abstract Case Intro 1 Case Intro 2 Excerpts

Excerpts

A Visionary to Expand Horizons

Mirilashvili was a Russian billionaire who had taken Israeli citizenship in 2009. He was well versed in various fields of study – having trained as a mathematician and qualified as a doctor (pediatrician). In the 1980s, he joined his family business which spanned sectors like real estate, casino chains, and malls in Russia. In Israel, Mirilashvili had a booming business presence and diverse investments – energy, diamonds, etc. He had also invested in over 50 tech startups in Israel, the US, and Russia..

The Gradual Growth of Watergen

Once he took on the leadership of Watergen, Mirilashvili began contemplating various ways to expand the market for AWG devices and reach new customers across the world (See Exhibit III for Key segments in the Global AWG Market). Watergen established an advanced water research laboratory in the Middle East, set up collaborations with universities and research institutions, and began developing its products..

Factors Preventing Mass Adoption

Most analysts were of the view that Watergen’s devices were much too expensive. This, they believed, was preventing their mass adoption. The initial set up cost for AWG devices was high (US$ 30,000 to US$ 50,000)..

Why watergen?

Across the world, water was primarily accessed by people through plastic water bottles and containers. Almost a million plastic bottles were bought around the world each minute and about 90% of them were not recycled..

The Road Ahead

Watergen’s technology was listed by Israel’s Ministry of Economy and Industry as one of the country’s all-time top nine innovations. In 2019, TIME magazine named GENNY one of the best inventions of 2019. In 2020, GENNY was named the winner of the ‘Energy Efficiency Product of the Year’ in the Mark of Excellence Awards..

Exhibits

Exhibit I: A Brief Look into AWG Technology
Exhibit II: The Growing Water Scarcity Problem
Exhibit III: Key Segments in the Global AWG Market, As of 2023
Exhibit IV: US AWG Market (2020-30) (in millions of US$)

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