✔️Summary:

In this episode, I interview Riggs Eckelberry, President & CEO of OriginClear, Inc., who shares his diverse background, which includes international living due to his father’s career, work in the nonprofit sector, and a stint as a professional Merchant Mariner. He emphasizes that these experiences have given him a global perspective and a drive to use technology for positive change. Initially, his ambitious tech endeavors in New York failed due to lack of capital, teaching him resilience and the importance of persistence.

His career took off in Los Angeles in the high-tech industry, particularly in computing for communication, where he ascended to C-level positions, ultimately leading a company onto the NASDAQ. However, he then shifted focus from tech to green energy, specifically biofuels from algae. Despite initial success, this venture collapsed when crude oil prices fell, prompting a pivot to wastewater extraction technology.

The company, now known as OriginClear, transitioned to focus on decentralized water treatment solutions, addressing the significant gap in water infrastructure, especially highlighted by climate change and rising demand. OriginClear’s innovative approach involves creating modular, containerized water treatment systems for industries and communities, reducing reliance on central systems. They also developed a financial model to support this through regular investors, making water treatment accessible and scalable.

Riggs notes that while large corporations have their own solutions, OriginClear’s niche lies in serving smaller entities like mobile home parks, which face stringent sanitation requirements. By offering water-as-a-service, OriginClear alleviates the financial burden on these communities, making essential upgrades feasible without upfront capital.

Looking forward, Riggs is excited about the potential of decentralized water treatment systems to solve significant water issues globally, drawing parallels to how cell towers leapfrogged landlines in developing regions. This decentralized approach is not only more cost-effective but also better suited to the needs of modern water management, ensuring sustainability and efficiency.

⭐️About Riggs:

Long a disruptive tech marketer and executive, Riggs Eckelberry became involved in the early “green” space when he co-founded the company that eventually became OriginClear, taking it public in 2008.

Beginning in 2014, he and his team developed a series of transformative businesses which OriginClear manages in its role as the Clean Water Innovation Hub™.

Riggs Eckelberry is passionate about Break To Build™, which is about reinventing, with a team.

💜 Where to find Riggs:

► Company Website: https://www.originclear.com/

► Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riggs/

► X: https://x.com/riggseck

☞ Riggs’s Book Recommendation:

► “The Innovator's Dilemma” by Clayton M. Christensen

► “Foundation” by Isaac Asimov

► "Dune" by Frank Herbert