Brian Sheng, Co-founder & CEO at Aquaria, on Resilience & Reimagining Water Infrastructure | Season Eight, Episode Fourteen

Welcome to Season Eight of Conversations in Cleantech!

 

From inspiring stories and words of wisdom to conversations on overcoming obstacles and fostering innovation, you can expect to learn from the trailblazers who are navigating the complexities of change to build a cleaner, more sustainable future.

 

In this episode of Conversations in Cleantech, our host Olivia Morgan speaks with Brian Sheng, Co-founder and CEO of Aquaria - the startup turning air into water and rethinking what infrastructure can be.

 

Founded at the height of the pandemic, Aquaria’s story doesn’t follow the usual cleantech playbook. Back when most investors barely registered water as a climate issue, Brian and his co-founder, who also happens to be his brother, were building a hardware solution no one believed was possible, let alone scalable. Fast forward to today, and Aquaria is supplying water to 1,000 homes in the U.S., launching projects across the GCC, and proving that the future of water doesn’t have to come from the ground.

 

In this conversation, Brian shares what it took to get here: the challenges of building hardware in a remote world, the misalignment between capital and need, and why personal commitment can’t be outsourced. He also talks about what early-career professionals should look for when breaking into the sector - and why execution matters just as much as mission.

 

From personal tragedy to global impact, this is a story about clarity, resilience, and redefining what’s possible when you stick to the vision, even when the market doesn’t get it yet.

 

00:53 - Introduction to Brian
01:43 - Can you please tell us a bit about yourself and your story?
02:45 - Can you share the story behind founding Aquaria and how it represents driving change in the industry?
04:33 - Can you tell us more about Aquaria’s journey since its founding in 2021 and what your role has looked like along the way?
06:20 - What have been the most rewarding experiences since starting the company?
08:10 - How did you overcome the challenges, especially founding during COVID, and adapt to reach where you are today?
10:18 - What lessons would you share with those looking to shape a career in clean tech?
12:27 - What key changes and trends have you seen in the market over the past few months and years?
14:45 - How are you navigating market changes while continuing to meet the growing need for Aquaria’s work?
17:25 - How did you prove yourself to investors and the wider market, and navigate that challenge?
19:40 - What advice would you give to people or companies, especially non-traditional decarbonisation ones, navigating today’s challenging market?
24:30 - What’s one clean tech token of advice you’d offer for success in the field?

 

Connect with your host, Olivia Morgan, on LinkedIn.

Find your guest, Brian Sheng, on LinkedIn.

Thanks for listening to Conversations in Cleantech brought to you by Brightsmith.

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